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

PSA, if you have installed a different version of gdb than the version that usually comes with your system installation, you may fail to build perf.
I am on Ubuntu 22.04 and tried to do this.
I had previously compiled from source and installed gdb 13.1 and perf failed to build with an obscure warning.
After downgrading gdb to 12.1, which is the same version which is available from the apt repository, perf built successfully.
In my case it was not as simple as doing 'sudo apt-get install gdb' as my installation of gdb from source had overwritten many files. I needed to download the source of gdb 12.1, build it, and install it, overwriting all the existing 13.1 files.

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

same problem with you ~~

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.