Install Linux kernel extra modules
To keep kernel images smaller and tuned for different platforms, many distributions ship extra kernel modules in a separate package. If your system’s kernel doesn’t include a module file (arm_spe_pmu not present for this kernel), follow the steps to install and load the module before verifying.
If your system’s kernel includes a module file, or you were able to load a module, follow the steps to verify SPE is active with Sysreport instead. If your system’s kernel was not built with SPE support, see Use another operating system or kernel instead.
Run the following commands, replacing apt with your distribution’s package manager if needed. This searches your package index for the extra modules package that matches your kernel version:
sudo apt update
apt search "linux-modules-extra-$(uname -r)"
This example shows two prebuilt packages: a default version and one with 64 KB page sizes.
Sorting... Done
Full Text Search... Done
linux-modules-extra-6.17.0-1010-aws/noble-security,noble-updates,now 6.17.0-1010.10~24.04.1 arm64 [installed]
Linux kernel extra modules for version 6.17.0 on DESC
linux-modules-extra-6.17.0-1010-aws-64k/noble-security,noble-updates 6.17.0-1010.10~24.04.1 arm64
Linux kernel extra modules for version 6.17.0 on DESC
Install the package that matches your system. This example uses regular page sizes.
sudo apt install linux-modules-extra-6.17.0-1010-aws -y
Run the check again to confirm that the kernel module is installed:
modinfo arm_spe_pmu 2>/dev/null || echo "arm_spe_pmu module not present"
The output is similar to:
filename: /lib/modules/6.17.0-1010-aws/kernel/drivers/perf/arm_spe_pmu.ko.zst
license: GPL v2
author: Will Deacon <will.deacon@arm.com>
description: Perf driver for the ARMv8.2 Statistical Profiling Extension
...
Load the kernel module
If you installed the extra modules package, load the module now:
sudo modprobe arm_spe_pmu
lsmod | grep arm_spe_pmu
If it loads correctly, the output is similar to:
arm_spe_pmu 24576 0
To load the arm_spe_pmu kernel module automatically at boot, create a .conf file in /etc/modules-load.d/. The systemd-modules-load service reads files in that directory at boot and loads the listed modules. Restarting the service applies the change immediately without requiring a reboot.
echo arm_spe_pmu | sudo tee /etc/modules-load.d/arm_spe_pmu.conf
sudo systemctl restart systemd-modules-load.service
You don’t need to reboot now, but after the next reboot, the module should load automatically. You can confirm with:
sudo dmesg | grep "arm_spe_pmu"
[ 2.261719] arm_spe_pmu arm,spe-v1: probed SPEv1.1 for CPUs 0-63 [max_record_sz 64, align 64, features 0x17]
Verify SPE is active with Sysreport
Whether the driver is built into your kernel or loaded as a module, run Sysreport now to confirm SPE is active.
Follow the setup steps in the Get ready for performance analysis with Sysreport guide , then run:
python src/sysreport.py
Look for the perf sampling field in the output. If SPE is active, the output is similar to:
perf sampling: SPE
Return to Performix. The Memory Access recipe should now show All checks passing!.
Arm Performix memory access recipe with all checks passing
If perf sampling still shows None and your system is Neoverse V1, follow the steps in the next section to adjust Kernel Page Table Isolation (KPTI). For all other systems, see
Use another operating system or kernel
for alternative approaches.
Adjust KPTI on Neoverse V1-based systems
On some Neoverse V1 systems (for example AWS Graviton3), SPE buffer mapping can fail when KPTI is enabled. This issue has been observed on Neoverse V1 and isn’t known to affect other Neoverse cores. Use the CPU types: line in sysreport.py to confirm whether your instance is Neoverse V1.
If all of the following conditions are met:
- The system is based on Neoverse V1.
- The kernel includes SPE PMU support.
- The platform exposes the SPE PMU.
sysreportstill reportsperf sampling: None.
Use your preferred editor to update GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX in /etc/default/grub and add kpti=off, as shown in the following screenshot.
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX set to kpti=off in /etc/default/grub
Disabling KPTI has security implications. You should do so only on trusted systems.
Run the following commands to update the GRUB configuration and reboot. update-grub regenerates the bootloader configuration from /etc/default/grub. Ensure it completes without errors before rebooting.
sudo update-grub
sudo reboot
What you’ve accomplished and what’s next
You’ve now installed and loaded the arm_spe_pmu kernel module when needed, then verified that Arm SPE is active with Sysreport. You also learned a targeted workaround for Neoverse V1 systems where KPTI can block SPE buffer mapping.
Next, if SPE is now active, run the Memory Access recipe to begin profiling memory access patterns on your Arm Neoverse system. If SPE is still unavailable, continue to the next section for alternative operating system and kernel approaches.