Install perf on WSL 2

install-linux-perf-on-wsl2.sh

apt install flex bison
git clone https://github.com/microsoft/WSL2-Linux-Kernel --depth 1
cd WSL2-Linux-Kernel/tools/perf
make -j8
sudo cp perf /usr/local/bin

Looks like it may be broken on newer Python versions:

util/scripting-engines/trace-event-python.c: In function ‘python_start_scrip’:
util/scripting-engines/trace-event-python.c:1851:9: error: ‘PySys_SetArgv’ is deprecated [-Werror=deprecated-declarations]
 1851 |         PySys_SetArgv(argc + 1, command_line);
      |         ^~~~~~~~~~~~~
In file included from /home/lcrown/.pyenv/versions/3.11.4/include/python3.11/Python.h:96,
                 from util/scripting-engines/trace-event-python.c:22:
/home/lcrown/.pyenv/versions/3.11.4/include/python3.11/sysmodule.h:13:38: note: declared here
   13 | Py_DEPRECATED(3.11) PyAPI_FUNC(void) PySys_SetArgv(int, wchar_t **);
      |                                      ^~~~~~~~~~~~~
  CC      util/intel-bts.o
  LD      util/arm-spe-decoder/perf-in.o
  CC      util/arm-spe.o
  CC      util/s390-cpumsf.o
  CC      util/parse-branch-options.o
  CC      util/dump-insn.o
  CC      util/parse-regs-options.o
  CC      util/parse-sublevel-options.o
  CC      util/term.o
  CC      util/help-unknown-cmd.o
  CC      util/dlfilter.o
  CC      util/mem-events.o
  CC      util/vsprintf.o
  CC      util/units.o
  CC      util/time-utils.o
  BISON   util/expr-bison.c
  CC      util/branch.o
  CC      util/mem2node.o
  CC      util/clockid.o
  CC      util/bpf-loader.o
  CC      util/bpf_map.o
  CC      util/bpf-prologue.o
  CC      util/symbol-elf.o
  CC      util/probe-file.o
  CC      util/probe-event.o
  CC      util/probe-finder.o
  CC      util/dwarf-aux.o
  CC      util/dwarf-regs.o
cc1: all warnings being treated as errors
  CC      util/unwind-libunwind-local.o
make[5]: *** [/home/lcrown/code/repos/WSL2-Linux-Kernel/tools/build/Makefile.build:96: util/scripting-engines/trace-event-python.o] Error 1
make[4]: *** [/home/lcrown/code/repos/WSL2-Linux-Kernel/tools/build/Makefile.build:139: scripting-engines] Error 2
make[4]: *** Waiting for unfinished jobs....
  LD      util/intel-pt-decoder/perf-in.o
make[3]: *** [/home/lcrown/code/repos/WSL2-Linux-Kernel/tools/build/Makefile.build:139: util] Error 2
make[2]: *** [Makefile.perf:658: perf-in.o] Error 2
make[1]: *** [Makefile.perf:238: sub-make] Error 2
make: *** [Makefile:70: all] Error 2

yes, python 3.10.12 is ok, but 3.11 will broken

Downgraded to Python 3.10.13 and it also worked.

Downgraded to Python 3.10.13 and it also worked.

Ty, worked

what about WSL1 ?

Why do you even use it?

What about this one?

In file included from /home/vaqxai/perf-install/perf-6.9.0/tools/perf/util/evsel.c:43:
/home/vaqxai/perf-install/perf-6.9.0/tools/perf/util/trace-event.h:152:62: error: operator '&&' has no right operand
  152 | #if defined(LIBTRACEEVENT_VERSION) &&  LIBTRACEEVENT_VERSION >= MAKE_LIBTRACEEVENT_VERSION(1, 5, 0)
      |                                                              ^~
error: command '/usr/bin/gcc' failed with exit code 1

What about this one?

In file included from /home/vaqxai/perf-install/perf-6.9.0/tools/perf/util/evsel.c:43:
/home/vaqxai/perf-install/perf-6.9.0/tools/perf/util/trace-event.h:152:62: error: operator '&&' has no right operand
  152 | #if defined(LIBTRACEEVENT_VERSION) &&  LIBTRACEEVENT_VERSION >= MAKE_LIBTRACEEVENT_VERSION(1, 5, 0)
      |                                                              ^~
error: command '/usr/bin/gcc' failed with exit code 1

I delete ./util/debug.c:31 and it works for me.

What about this one?

In file included from /home/vaqxai/perf-install/perf-6.9.0/tools/perf/util/evsel.c:43:
/home/vaqxai/perf-install/perf-6.9.0/tools/perf/util/trace-event.h:152:62: error: operator '&&' has no right operand
  152 | #if defined(LIBTRACEEVENT_VERSION) &&  LIBTRACEEVENT_VERSION >= MAKE_LIBTRACEEVENT_VERSION(1, 5, 0)
      |                                                              ^~
error: command '/usr/bin/gcc' failed with exit code 1

I delete ./util/debug.c:31 and it works for me.

didn't work for me

Also missing libpfm4-dev libtraceevent-dev pkg-config

With sudo apt install libpfm4-dev libtraceevent-dev pkg-config the compilation error issue get solved.

With sudo apt install libpfm4-dev libtraceevent-dev pkg-config the compilation error issue get solved.

Had the same issue as crucinal1, and that solution worked.

With sudo apt install libpfm4-dev libtraceevent-dev pkg-config the compilation error issue get solved.

Thanks, that works.

For people seeing errors, try make -j8 WERROR=0, as the kernel automatically turns warning into errors. This stops that behaviour.

What about this one?

In file included from /home/vaqxai/perf-install/perf-6.9.0/tools/perf/util/evsel.c:43:
/home/vaqxai/perf-install/perf-6.9.0/tools/perf/util/trace-event.h:152:62: error: operator '&&' has no right operand
  152 | #if defined(LIBTRACEEVENT_VERSION) &&  LIBTRACEEVENT_VERSION >= MAKE_LIBTRACEEVENT_VERSION(1, 5, 0)
      |                                                              ^~
error: command '/usr/bin/gcc' failed with exit code 1

apt install pkg-config and it works for me

What about this one?

In file included from /home/vaqxai/perf-install/perf-6.9.0/tools/perf/util/evsel.c:43:
/home/vaqxai/perf-install/perf-6.9.0/tools/perf/util/trace-event.h:152:62: error: operator '&&' has no right operand
  152 | #if defined(LIBTRACEEVENT_VERSION) &&  LIBTRACEEVENT_VERSION >= MAKE_LIBTRACEEVENT_VERSION(1, 5, 0)
      |                                                              ^~
error: command '/usr/bin/gcc' failed with exit code 1

apt install pkg-config and it works for me

finally it work, thank you

I'm getting

Makefile.config:1144: *** ERROR: libtraceevent is missing. Please install libtraceevent-dev/libtraceevent-devel or build with NO_LIBTRACEEVENT=1.  Stop.

Unfortunately.....

$ sudo apt install libtraceevent-dev
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Unable to locate package libtraceevent-dev

For anyone else who gets this, looking at the page for libtraceevent suggests that the issue is probably because I am still on Ubuntu 2020.04 LTS (Focal). The oldest they have is for 2022 Jammy. How quickly time has flown...

The latest LTS release is 2024.04 LTS (Noble). I'll post back here if upgrading doesn't fix this issue.

---

Edit: Installing 2024.04 LTS fixed the issue.

perf record, perf report work beautifully