Graphical user interface that displays operation of processor threads over time

• US 6,611,276 B1
• Filed: 08/31/1999
• Issued: 08/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Wilde, Myles J., Muratori, Richard D., Hooper, Donald F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US09/386,801
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 345/764, 345/771, 345/772, 345/835, 345/846, 345/866, 345/966, 709/100, 709/102, 709/107, 709/318, 717/1, 717/4, 717/100, 717/124, 717/127, 717/131, 717/132, 717/133
• US Class Current: 715/772
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3404 for parallel or distributed programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/966 Computer process, e.g. operation of computer

Abstract

A graphical user interface (GUI) includes state indicators which show states of execution of threads running in microengines of a processor. The state indicators show the states of execution as functions of clocking in the processor. The GUI also includes a window showing computer code corresponding to one of the threads.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface (GUI) which comprises:

an interactive display showing an operational history of a thread for use in a microengine of a processor, the operational history of the thread being displayed as a graph, the display including an area for receiving a user input comprising selection of a point in time on the graph and for displaying, on the graph and in response to the user input, an event indicator that provides an indication of an event that occurred during execution of the thread at the point in time.

2. The GUI of claim 1, wherein the operational history comprises states of execution of the thread as a function of time.

3. The GUI of claim 2, wherein different states of execution of the thread are displayed as different colors.

4. The GUI of claim 3, wherein the different states comprise a first state in which the thread is executing, a second state in which the thread has been aborted, and a third state in which the thread is stalled.

5. The GUI of claim 2, further comprising a code label that is displayed relative to a state of execution of computer code in the thread, the code label corresponding to a routine in the computer code that is executing at the state of execution.

6. The GUI of claim 5, further comprising a window for selecting code labels to be displayed.

7. The GUI of claim 2, wherein time is defined in terms of cycles of the processor.

8. The GUI of claim 1, which also displays operational states associated with the microengine.

9. The GUI of claim 8, wherein the operational states associated with the microengine comprise a first state in which the microengine is idle, and a second state in which the microengine is disabled.

10. The GUI of claim 1, wherein the event indicator comprises one or more of the following:

a first indicator which indicates that the thread has issued a reference to a device, a second indicator which indicates that the reference has been queued by the device, a third indicator which indicates that the reference has been removed from a queue by the device for processing, a fourth indicator which indicates that processing is done, a fifth indicator which indicates that a signal has been issued to the thread that processing is done, and a sixth indicator which indicates that the signal has been consumed by the thread.

11. The GUI of claim 1, wherein:

the reference events relate to a device in communication with the thread; and

the GUI further comprises an identifier which identifies the device to which the reference events relate.

12. The GUI of claim 1, further comprising a window which shows computer code for the thread.

13. The GUI of claim 12, further comprising:

a first pointer which is movable through states of execution of the computer code; and

a second pointer which is movable relative to the computer code to indicate a portion of the computer code executing at a state of execution.

14. The GUI of claim 13, further comprising multiple windows for showing computer code corresponding to more than one of the multiple threads.

15. The GUI of claim 1, wherein the display shows operational histories of multiple threads for use in microengines of the processor.

16. The GUI of claim 1, wherein the event indicator identifies an entity with which the thread interacts at the point in time, the entity comprising at least one of a hardware device with which the thread interacts and a software routine with which the thread interacts.

17. A graphical user interface (GUI) comprising:

state indicators which show states of execution of threads running in microengines of a processor, the state indicators showing the states of execution graphically as functions of clocking in the processor; and

a window showing computer code corresponding to one of the threads;

wherein the state indicators receive a user input comprising selection of a point in time on a graph corresponding to a state indicator and display, on the graph and in response to the user input, an event indicator that provides an indication of an event that occurred during execution of the thread at the point in time.

18. The GUI of claim 17, wherein the state indicators show different states of execution in different colors.

19. The GUI of claim 17, further comprising identifiers which identify devices to which the event relates.

20. The GUI of claim 17, further comprising:

a first pointer which is movable relative to one of the state indicators; and

a second pointer which is movable relative to the computer code in the window to indicate a portion of the computer code executing at a state of execution.

21. The GUI of claim 17, wherein the state indicators are linear and are displayed relative to cycles of the processor.

22. The GUI of claim 17, wherein the window shows the computer code in read-only format.

23. The GUI of claim 22, further comprising an option to display the computer code in read/write format.

24. The GUI of claim 17, wherein the event indicator identifies an entity with which the thread interacts at the point in time, the entity comprising at least one of a hardware device with which the thread interacts and a software routine with which the thread interacts.

25. A computer program stored on a computer-readable medium, the computer program comprising instructions that cause a computer to generate a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI comprising:

state indicators which show states of execution of threads running in microengines of a processor, the state indicators showing the states of execution graphically as functions of clocking in the processor; and

a window showing computer code corresponding to one of the threads;

wherein the state indicators receive a user input comprising selection of a point in time on a graph corresponding to a state indicator and display, on the graph and in response to the user input, an event indicator that provides an indication of an event that occurred during execution of the thread at the point in time.

26. The computer program of claim 25, wherein the event indicator identifies an entity with which the thread interacts at the point in time, the entity comprising at least one of a hardware device with which the thread interacts and a software routine with which the thread interacts.

27. An apparatus for generating a graphical user interface (GUI), the apparatus comprising:

a processor which executes computer instructions to generate a GUI, the GUI comprising;

state indicators which show states of execution of threads running in microengines of a processor, the state indicators showing the states of execution graphically as functions of clocking in the processor; and

a window showing computer code corresponding to one of the threads;

wherein the state indicators receive a user input comprising selection of a point in time on a graph corresponding to a state indicator and display, on the graph and in response to the user input, an event indicator that provides an indication of an event that occurred during execution of the thread at the point in time.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the event indicator identifies an entity with which the thread interacts at the point in time, the entity comprising at least one of a hardware device with which the thread interacts and a software routine with which the thread interacts.