Instruction tracing in data processing systems

• US 20040024995A1
• Filed: 01/28/2003
• Published: 02/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arm Ltd. (United Kingdom) (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Arm Ltd. (United Kingdom) (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Swaine, Andrew Brookfield
• Granted Patent: US 7,134,117 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 712/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/25 Testing of logic operation, e.g. by logic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/28 by checking the correct order of processing G06F11/08 - G06F11/26 take precedence; monitoring patterns of pulse trains H03K5/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/348 Circuit details, i.e. tracer hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program

Abstract

A tracing circuit 8 within an apparatus for data processing 2 generates trace data including instruction trace words encoding trace events W, E, N representing program instruction execution. The instruction trace words have a predetermined length and each represent a sequence of trace events corresponding to a combination of execution of one or more program instructions combined with one or more trace events that are other than execution of a program instruction word. Particular examples are a sequence of executed program instructions terminated by a program instruction that fails its condition codes or a sequence of wait processing cycles terminated by a program instruction that executes.

Claims

1. Apparatus for processing data, said apparatus comprising:

(i) a data processing circuit operable over a sequence of processing cycles to perform data processing operations in response to program instructions; and

(ii) a tracing circuit operable to generate instruction trace data indicative of operation of said data processing circuit in response to said program instructions;

(iii) wherein said instruction trace data includes at least one instruction trace word of a predetermined length encoding a sequence of trace events resulting from processing performed on consecutive processing cycles by said data processing circuit, said sequence of trace events including;

(iv) at least one trace event corresponding to execution of a program instruction by said data processing circuit; and

(v) at least one trace event corresponding to other than execution of a program instruction by said data processing circuit.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sequence of trace events comprises one or more trace events corresponding to execution of respective program instructions by said data processing circuit in combination with a trace event corresponding to a conditional program instruction not being executed.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said one or more trace events corresponding to execution of respective program instructions by said data processing circuit precede said trace event corresponding to a conditional program instruction not being executed.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sequence of trace events comprises one or more trace events corresponding to respective wait processing cycles of said data processing circuit during which said data processing circuit waits in combination with a trace event corresponding to a program instruction being executed.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said one or more trace events corresponding to respective wait processing cycles of said data processing circuit during which said data processing circuit waits precede said trace event corresponding to a program instruction being executed.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said data processing circuit includes a processing pipeline and said at least one trace event corresponding to execution of a program instruction by said data processing circuit represents said program instruction reaching a predetermined position within said processing pipeline.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said predetermined position is one of:

(i) commencement of execution of said program instruction; and

(ii) completion of execution of said program instruction.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tracing circuit is operable to generate data trace data indicative of data values processed by said data processing circuit.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said data values include data values input to said data processing circuit.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said data values include data values output from said data processing circuit.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said instruction trace data and said data trace data are interleaving within a common trace data stream.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tracing circuit is operable in a cycle accurate mode to include within said instruction trace data information indicative of processing activity of said data processing circuit during each processing cycle.

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said data processing circuit is a processor core.

14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tracing circuit includes a trace data memory for buffering instruction trace data prior to output from said apparatus.

15. A method of processing data, said method comprising the steps of:

(i) performing over a sequence of processing cycles of a data processing circuit data processing operations in response to program instructions; and

(ii) generating instruction trace data indicative of operation of said data processing circuit in response to said program instructions;

(iii) wherein said instruction trace data includes at least one instruction trace word of a predetermined length encoding a sequence of trace events resulting from processing performed on consecutive processing cycles by said data processing circuit, said sequence of trace events including;

(iv) at least one trace event corresponding to execution of a program instruction by said data processing circuit; and

(v) at least one trace event corresponding to other than execution of a program instruction by said data processing circuit.

16. Apparatus for analysing trace data, said apparatus comprising:

(i) analyser logic responsive to instruction trace data including at least one instruction trace word of a predetermined length encoding a sequence of trace events resulting from processing performed on consecutive processing cycles by a data processing circuit, said analyser logic being operative to identify instruction trace words representing a sequence of trace events including;

(ii) at least one trace event corresponding to execution of a program instruction by said data processing circuit; and

(iii) at least one trace event corresponding to other than execution of a program instruction by said data processing circuit.

17. A method of analysing trace data, said method comprising the step of:

(i) identify, in response to instruction trace data including at least one instruction trace word of a predetermined length encoding a sequence of trace events resulting from processing performed on consecutive processing cycles by a data processing circuit, instruction trace words representing a sequence of trace events including;

(ii) at least one trace event corresponding to execution of a program instruction by said data processing circuit; and

(iii) at least one trace event corresponding to other than execution of a program instruction by said data processing circuit.

18. A computer program product for controlling a computer to analyse trace data, said computer program product comprising:

(i) identifying code operable, in response to instruction trace data including at least one instruction trace word of a predetermined length encoding a sequence of trace events resulting from processing performed on consecutive processing cycles by a data processing circuit, to identify instruction trace words representing a sequence of trace events including;

(ii) at least one trace event corresponding to execution of a program instruction by said data processing circuit; and

(iii) at least one trace event corresponding to other than execution of a program instruction by said data processing circuit.