diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index ec6f89fbda..f3f2bb7680 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ config-devices.*
 config-all-devices.*
 config-host.*
 config-target.*
+trace.h
+trace.c
 *-softmmu
 *-darwin-user
 *-linux-user
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index f95cc2fd01..3c5e6a060e 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Makefile for QEMU.
 
-GENERATED_HEADERS = config-host.h
+GENERATED_HEADERS = config-host.h trace.h
 
 ifneq ($(wildcard config-host.mak),)
 # Put the all: rule here so that config-host.mak can contain dependencies.
@@ -104,16 +104,24 @@ ui/vnc.o: QEMU_CFLAGS += $(VNC_TLS_CFLAGS)
 
 bt-host.o: QEMU_CFLAGS += $(BLUEZ_CFLAGS)
 
+trace.h: $(SRC_PATH)/trace-events config-host.mak
+	$(call quiet-command,sh $(SRC_PATH)/tracetool --$(TRACE_BACKEND) -h < $< > $@,"  GEN   $@")
+
+trace.c: $(SRC_PATH)/trace-events config-host.mak
+	$(call quiet-command,sh $(SRC_PATH)/tracetool --$(TRACE_BACKEND) -c < $< > $@,"  GEN   $@")
+
+trace.o: trace.c $(GENERATED_HEADERS)
+
 ######################################################################
 
 qemu-img.o: qemu-img-cmds.h
 qemu-img.o qemu-tool.o qemu-nbd.o qemu-io.o: $(GENERATED_HEADERS)
 
-qemu-img$(EXESUF): qemu-img.o qemu-tool.o qemu-error.o $(block-obj-y) $(qobject-obj-y)
+qemu-img$(EXESUF): qemu-img.o qemu-tool.o qemu-error.o $(trace-obj-y) $(block-obj-y) $(qobject-obj-y)
 
-qemu-nbd$(EXESUF): qemu-nbd.o qemu-tool.o qemu-error.o $(block-obj-y) $(qobject-obj-y)
+qemu-nbd$(EXESUF): qemu-nbd.o qemu-tool.o qemu-error.o $(trace-obj-y) $(block-obj-y) $(qobject-obj-y)
 
-qemu-io$(EXESUF): qemu-io.o cmd.o qemu-tool.o qemu-error.o $(block-obj-y) $(qobject-obj-y)
+qemu-io$(EXESUF): qemu-io.o cmd.o qemu-tool.o qemu-error.o $(trace-obj-y) $(block-obj-y) $(qobject-obj-y)
 
 qemu-img-cmds.h: $(SRC_PATH)/qemu-img-cmds.hx
 	$(call quiet-command,sh $(SRC_PATH)/hxtool -h < $< > $@,"  GEN   $@")
@@ -133,6 +141,7 @@ clean:
 	rm -f *.o *.d *.a $(TOOLS) TAGS cscope.* *.pod *~ */*~
 	rm -f slirp/*.o slirp/*.d audio/*.o audio/*.d block/*.o block/*.d net/*.o net/*.d fsdev/*.o fsdev/*.d ui/*.o ui/*.d
 	rm -f qemu-img-cmds.h
+	rm -f trace.c trace.h
 	$(MAKE) -C tests clean
 	for d in $(ALL_SUBDIRS) libhw32 libhw64 libuser libdis libdis-user; do \
 	if test -d $$d; then $(MAKE) -C $$d $@ || exit 1; fi; \
diff --git a/Makefile.objs b/Makefile.objs
index 4a1eaa1b07..c61332d85d 100644
--- a/Makefile.objs
+++ b/Makefile.objs
@@ -265,6 +265,11 @@ libdis-$(CONFIG_S390_DIS) += s390-dis.o
 libdis-$(CONFIG_SH4_DIS) += sh4-dis.o
 libdis-$(CONFIG_SPARC_DIS) += sparc-dis.o
 
+######################################################################
+# trace
+
+trace-obj-y = trace.o
+
 vl.o: QEMU_CFLAGS+=$(GPROF_CFLAGS)
 
 vl.o: QEMU_CFLAGS+=$(SDL_CFLAGS)
diff --git a/Makefile.target b/Makefile.target
index 18826bb356..a4e80b1b0a 100644
--- a/Makefile.target
+++ b/Makefile.target
@@ -310,6 +310,7 @@ obj-y += $(addprefix $(HWDIR)/, $(hw-obj-y))
 
 endif # CONFIG_SOFTMMU
 
+obj-y += $(addprefix ../, $(trace-obj-y))
 obj-$(CONFIG_GDBSTUB_XML) += gdbstub-xml.o
 
 $(QEMU_PROG): $(obj-y) $(obj-$(TARGET_BASE_ARCH)-y)
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 146dac02a7..38613c350d 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -317,6 +317,7 @@ pkgversion=""
 check_utests="no"
 user_pie="no"
 zero_malloc=""
+trace_backend="nop"
 
 # OS specific
 if check_define __linux__ ; then
@@ -519,6 +520,8 @@ for opt do
   ;;
   --target-list=*) target_list="$optarg"
   ;;
+  --trace-backend=*) trace_backend="$optarg"
+  ;;
   --enable-gprof) gprof="yes"
   ;;
   --static)
@@ -897,6 +900,7 @@ echo "  --enable-docs            enable documentation build"
 echo "  --disable-docs           disable documentation build"
 echo "  --disable-vhost-net      disable vhost-net acceleration support"
 echo "  --enable-vhost-net       enable vhost-net acceleration support"
+echo "  --trace-backend=B        Trace backend nop"
 echo ""
 echo "NOTE: The object files are built at the place where configure is launched"
 exit 1
@@ -2059,6 +2063,18 @@ if compile_prog "" "" ; then
     fdatasync=yes
 fi
 
+##########################################
+# check if trace backend exists
+
+sh "$source_path/tracetool" "--$trace_backend" --check-backend > /dev/null 2> /dev/null
+if test "$?" -ne 0 ; then
+  echo
+  echo "Error: invalid trace backend"
+  echo "Please choose a supported trace backend."
+  echo
+  exit 1
+fi
+
 # End of CC checks
 # After here, no more $cc or $ld runs
 
@@ -2189,6 +2205,7 @@ echo "preadv support    $preadv"
 echo "fdatasync         $fdatasync"
 echo "uuid support      $uuid"
 echo "vhost-net support $vhost_net"
+echo "Trace backend     $trace_backend"
 
 if test $sdl_too_old = "yes"; then
 echo "-> Your SDL version is too old - please upgrade to have SDL support"
@@ -2450,6 +2467,7 @@ bsd)
 ;;
 esac
 
+echo "TRACE_BACKEND=$trace_backend" >> $config_host_mak
 echo "TOOLS=$tools" >> $config_host_mak
 echo "ROMS=$roms" >> $config_host_mak
 echo "MAKE=$make" >> $config_host_mak
diff --git a/trace-events b/trace-events
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a37d3cc6e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/trace-events
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+# Trace events for debugging and performance instrumentation
+#
+# This file is processed by the tracetool script during the build.
+#
+# To add a new trace event:
+#
+# 1. Choose a name for the trace event.  Declare its arguments and format
+#    string.
+#
+# 2. Call the trace event from code using trace_##name, e.g. multiwrite_cb() ->
+#    trace_multiwrite_cb().  The source file must #include "trace.h".
+#
+# Format of a trace event:
+#
+# <name>(<type1> <arg1>[, <type2> <arg2>] ...) "<format-string>"
+#
+# Example: qemu_malloc(size_t size) "size %zu"
+#
+# The <name> must be a valid as a C function name.
+#
+# Types should be standard C types.  Use void * for pointers because the trace
+# system may not have the necessary headers included.
+#
+# The <format-string> should be a sprintf()-compatible format string.
diff --git a/tracetool b/tracetool
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..01de580c44
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tracetool
@@ -0,0 +1,175 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+#
+# Code generator for trace events
+#
+# Copyright IBM, Corp. 2010
+#
+# This work is licensed under the terms of the GNU GPL, version 2.  See
+# the COPYING file in the top-level directory.
+
+# Disable pathname expansion, makes processing text with '*' characters simpler
+set -f
+
+usage()
+{
+    cat >&2 <<EOF
+usage: $0 --nop [-h | -c]
+Generate tracing code for a file on stdin.
+
+Backends:
+  --nop Tracing disabled
+
+Output formats:
+  -h    Generate .h file
+  -c    Generate .c file
+EOF
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Get the name of a trace event
+get_name()
+{
+    echo ${1%%\(*}
+}
+
+# Get the argument list of a trace event, including types and names
+get_args()
+{
+    local args
+    args=${1#*\(}
+    args=${args%)*}
+    echo "$args"
+}
+
+# Get the argument name list of a trace event
+get_argnames()
+{
+    local nfields field name
+    nfields=0
+    for field in $(get_args "$1"); do
+        nfields=$((nfields + 1))
+
+        # Drop pointer star
+        field=${field#\*}
+
+        # Only argument names have commas at the end
+        name=${field%,}
+        test "$field" = "$name" && continue
+
+        printf "%s" "$name, "
+    done
+
+    # Last argument name
+    if [ "$nfields" -gt 1 ]
+    then
+        printf "%s" "$name"
+    fi
+}
+
+# Get the format string for a trace event
+get_fmt()
+{
+    local fmt
+    fmt=${1#*\"}
+    fmt=${fmt%\"*}
+    echo "$fmt"
+}
+
+linetoh_begin_nop()
+{
+    return
+}
+
+linetoh_nop()
+{
+    local name args
+    name=$(get_name "$1")
+    args=$(get_args "$1")
+
+    # Define an empty function for the trace event
+    cat <<EOF
+static inline void trace_$name($args)
+{
+}
+EOF
+}
+
+linetoh_end_nop()
+{
+    return
+}
+
+linetoc_begin_nop()
+{
+    return
+}
+
+linetoc_nop()
+{
+    # No need for function definitions in nop backend
+    return
+}
+
+linetoc_end_nop()
+{
+    return
+}
+
+# Process stdin by calling begin, line, and end functions for the backend
+convert()
+{
+    local begin process_line end
+    begin="lineto$1_begin_$backend"
+    process_line="lineto$1_$backend"
+    end="lineto$1_end_$backend"
+
+    "$begin"
+
+    while read -r str; do
+        # Skip comments and empty lines
+        str=${str%%#*}
+        test -z "$str" && continue
+
+        echo
+        "$process_line" "$str"
+    done
+
+    echo
+    "$end"
+}
+
+tracetoh()
+{
+    cat <<EOF
+#ifndef TRACE_H
+#define TRACE_H
+
+/* This file is autogenerated by tracetool, do not edit. */
+
+#include "qemu-common.h"
+EOF
+    convert h
+    echo "#endif /* TRACE_H */"
+}
+
+tracetoc()
+{
+    echo "/* This file is autogenerated by tracetool, do not edit. */"
+    convert c
+}
+
+# Choose backend
+case "$1" in
+"--nop") backend="${1#--}" ;;
+*) usage ;;
+esac
+shift
+
+case "$1" in
+"-h") tracetoh ;;
+"-c") tracetoc ;;
+"--check-backend") exit 0 ;; # used by ./configure to test for backend
+*) usage ;;
+esac
+
+exit 0