What does perf interrupt mean?

Question

I am working on my computer, trying to write some device code. I checked into dmesg to get some info, and saw this:

perf interrupt took too long (2507 > 2500), lowering kernel.perf_event_max_sample_rate to 50000

what does this event mean? Cause? Concern?

I had similar message as last one in journalctl before sudden reboot happened while I was watching YouTube. — jarno, Nov 12 '22 at 12:05

score 19 · Accepted Answer · edited May 16 '21 at 10:18

19

This should not be a concern. perf is a tool to handle CPU performance. The kernel is capable of automatically determining the sample rate without affecting the performance of the system. Here is a thread on this from the Arch forum.

edited May 16 '21 at 10:18

Peskydan

25
5

answered May 09 '15 at 13:45

Ron

20,638

2

would it make a difference if I switch to another clock source like the HPET? – Janus Troelsen Sep 11 '15 at 16:48
What does "sample rate" refer to in this case? – aggregate1166877 Oct 01 '23 at 09:09

score 13 · Answer 2 · edited Jun 12 '20 at 14:37

13

This answer from the Arch Forum sums it up:

This message is informational and nothing to worry about.

It has to do with the Linux perf tool which is included in the kernel. The kernel automagically determines the sample rate that could be used without impacting system performance too much; and it logs this even when perf isn't active, or even installed.

Messages like this are triggered by high(er) system load or a cpu that is scaling.

edited Jun 12 '20 at 14:37

Community

1

answered Aug 04 '17 at 10:36

Philipp Claßen

4,574

7

I got this after doing I/O benchmarking combined with repated sync. Nothing to worry about as long as numbers after interrupt took too long (3979 > 3930) are close enough. If the bigger one is say 10x the another then you may have some problems with CPU scheduling. – Mikko Rantalainen Dec 16 '17 at 13:58
2

I often get this BS while gaming which causes lag spikes and other issues. Super obnoxious as the game will hang for a second, perf interrupt message will pop up in dmesg and then the game will snap back but any mouse/movement input during that moment is super exaggerated...it's fun flying into the side of a mountain for no reason...ug. – nPHYN1T3 Sep 29 '20 at 01:50

What does perf interrupt mean?

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