Multiple context software analysis

• US 6,047,390 A
• Filed: 12/22/1997
• Issued: 04/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Roger, Stewart, Katherine E., Butt, Farooq
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Iqbal, Nadeem
• Application Number:
  US08/995,359
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 714/43, 714/26, 714/38, 714/39, 714/41, 714/45, 714/47, 714/11, 714/12, 714/31, 714/37, 395/675, 395/677, 395/568, 395/569, 395/678, 395/680, 364/246, 364/550, 364/568
• US Class Current: 714/43
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3612 by runtime analysis performance monitoring G06F11/3466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3644 by instrumenting at runtime

Abstract

A method for multiple context analysis of software applications in a multiprocessing (22, 23), multithreaded computer environment utilizes instrumentation code inserted (54, 55) into the applications. For each execution (67) of the application (60), a context set is selected (62). Execution of the instrumented code (67) provides information for analysis in an instrumentation buffer (82) addressed by a reserved register (80) or buffer pointer. The operating system is responsible for providing in the reserved register (80) the address of the instrumentation buffer (82) appropriate for each instrumented context executed. When the application (60) is done with an instrumentation buffer (82), the buffer may be processed by filter software (68). The combination of using a reserved register (80) and allowing the operating system to keep track of relevant context switches allows applications to be instrumented (54, 55) for various context sets without the necessity of modifying (53) or recompiling (52) the application software (60).

Claims

1. A method for multiple context analysis of a software application in a computer system, wherein:

the computer system is characterized as being a multi-processor computer system, and

said method comprising the steps of;

providing an instrumented software application;

selecting a context set to characterize a level of analysis to be applied to the instrumented software application; and

launching the instrumented software application to produce an output for determining a usage of computer system resources by each context in the context set.

2. A method for multiple context analysis of a software application in a computer system, comprising the steps of:

providing an instrumented software application;

selecting a context set to characterize a level of analysis to be applied to the instrumented software application; and

launching the instrumented software application to produce an output for determining a usage of computer system resources by each context in the context set, wherein;

the output is used to automatically restructure the software application to make better use of the computer system resources.