Organization and visualization of performance data in selected display modes

• US 7,478,368 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2001
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hoover, Theodore G. Jr., Safron, Sean S., Wang, Jhy-Chun
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Wei Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen; Qing
• Application Number:
  US09/841,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20020156825A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,821 Days
• Field of Search: 717124-135, 715/771, 715/772, 714/E11.217
• US Class Current: 717/125
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/323 Visualisation of programs or trace data

Abstract

Performance data is organized and displayed in selected display modes to facilitate an analysis of the data. The performance data includes various data, such as profile data associated with thread activity of one or more applications. In order to gain a better understanding of the data, a user can dynamically select between different display modes. The different display modes include a function-centric mode focusing on activities within a function and a thread-centric mode focusing on activities of an individual thread.

Claims

1. A method of presenting data, said method comprising:

selecting a display mode for displaying thread data of one or more threads of at least one application, said display mode comprising one of a function-centric display mode and a thread-centric display mode, wherein said selecting comprises dynamically switching, by a user, between said function-centric display mode and said thread-centric display mode;

displaying said thread data based on the selected display mode, wherein if the selected display mode is the function-centric display mode, focus is on what happens within one or more functions of the at least one application, and said displaying comprises displaying a hierarchical structure which includes one or more functions having a parental relationship to the one or more threads, the hierarchical structure including corresponding thread data for each of the one or more threads of the one or more functions, and wherein a function includes accumulated thread data of a plurality of threads children to the function; and

if the selected display mode is the thread-centric display mode, focus is on thread activity, and said displaying comprises displaying a hierarchical structure in which the one or more threads have a parental relationship to one or more other components of said at least one application, the hierarchical structure including corresponding thread data for each of the one or more threads, said corresponding thread data of a thread including accumulated data of a plurality of components to which the thread has a parental relationship.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the corresponding thread data for a thread includes performance data of that thread as it pertains to a particular function.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the corresponding thread data for a thread includes accumulated performance data of the one or more other components that are children of that thread.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said thread data includes performance data of said one or more threads.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said performance data comprises profile data of said one or more threads.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected display mode is the function-centric display mode, and the thread data of a thread of said one or more threads comprises data indicating an amount of system resources consumed by the thread when executing a particular function of the at least one application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected display mode is the thread-centric display mode, and the thread data of a thread of said one or more threads comprises data indicating an amount of system resources consumed by the thread when executing one or more functions of the at least one application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying based on a function-centric display mode comprises presenting a plurality of data structures in an organizational structure, said organizational structure being based on functional activities, and wherein said presenting comprises using a hierarchical structure of:

process data structure→

file data structure→

function data structure→

thread data structure.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying based on a thread-centric display mode comprises presenting a plurality of data structures in an organizational structure, said organizational structure being based on thread activities, and wherein the presenting comprises using a hierarchical structure of:

process data structure→

thread data structure→

file data structure→

function data structure.

10. A system of presenting data, said system comprising:

a computing unit to;

select a display mode for displaying thread data of one or more threads of at least one application, said display mode comprising one of a function-centric display mode and a thread-centric display mode, wherein said selecting comprises dynamically switching, by a user, between said function-centric display mode and said thread-centric display mode;

display said thread data based on the selected display mode, wherein if the selected display mode is the function-centric display mode, focus is on what happens within one or more functions of the at least one application, and the display comprises displaying a hierarchical structure which includes one or more functions having a parental relationship to the one or more threads, the hierarchical structure including corresponding thread data for each of the one or more threads of the one or more functions, and wherein a function includes accumulated thread data of a plurality of threads children to the function; and

if the selected display mode is the thread-centric display mode, focus is on thread activity, and the display comprises displaying a hierarchical structure in which the one or more threads have a parental relationship to one or more other components of said at least one application, the hierarchical structure including corresponding thread data for each of the one or more threads, said corresponding thread data of a thread including accumulated data of a plurality of components to which the thread has a parental relationship.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the corresponding thread data for a thread includes performance data of that thread as it pertains to a particular function.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the corresponding thread data for a thread includes accumulated performance data of the one or more other components that are children of that thread.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein said thread data includes performance data of said one or more threads.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said performance data comprises profile data of said one or more threads.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein said selected display mode is the function-centric display mode, and the thread data of a thread of said one or more threads comprises data indicating an amount of system resources consumed by the thread when executing a particular function of the at least one application.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein said selected display mode is the thread-centric display mode, and the thread data of a thread of said one or more threads comprises data indicating an amount of system resources consumed by the thread when executing one or more functions of the at least one application.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the display based on a function-centric display mode comprises presenting a plurality of data structures in an organizational structure, said organizational structure being based on functional activities, and wherein the presenting comprises using a hierarchical structure of:

process data structure→

file data structure→

function data structure→

thread data structure.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the display based on a thread-centric display mode comprises presenting a plurality of data structures in an organizational structure, said organizational structure being based on thread activities, and wherein the presenting comprises using a hierarchical structure of:

process data structure→

thread data structure→

file data structure→

function data structure.

19. At least one program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of presenting data, said method comprising:

selecting a display mode for displaying thread data of one or more threads of at least one application, said display mode comprising one of a function-centric display mode and a thread-centric display mode, wherein said selecting comprises dynamically switching, by a user, between said function-centric display mode and said thread-centric display mode;

displaying said thread data based on the selected display mode, wherein if the selected display mode is the function-centric display mode, focus is on what happens within one or more functions of the at least one application, and said displaying comprises displaying a hierarchical structure which includes one or more functions having a parental relationship to the one or more threads, the hierarchical structure including corresponding thread data for each of the one or more threads of the one or more functions, and wherein a function includes accumulated thread data of a plurality of threads children to the function; and

if the selected display mode is the thread-centric display mode, focus is on thread activity, and said displaying comprises displaying a hierarchical structure in which the one or more threads have a parental relationship to one or more other components of said at least one application, the hierarchical structure including corresponding thread data for each of the one or more threads, said corresponding thread data of a thread including accumulated data of a plurality of components to which the thread has a parental relationship.

20. The at least one program storage device of claim 19, wherein the corresponding thread data for a thread includes performance data of that thread as it pertains to a particular function.

21. The at least one program storage device of claim 19, wherein the corresponding thread data for a thread includes accumulated performance data of the one or more other components that are children of that thread.

22. The at least one program storage device of claim 19, wherein said thread data includes performance data of said one or more threads.

23. The at least one program storage device of claim 22, wherein said performance data comprises profile data of said one or more threads.

24. The at least one program storage device of claim 19, wherein said selected display mode is the function-centric display mode, and the thread data of a thread of said one or more threads comprises data indicating an amount of system resources consumed by the thread when executing a particular function of the at least one application.

25. The at least one program storage device of claim 19, wherein said selected display mode is the thread-centric display mode, and the thread data of a thread of said one or more threads comprises data indicating an amount of system resources consumed by the thread when executing one or more functions of the at least one application.

26. The at least one program storage device of claim 19, wherein the displaying based on a function-centric display mode comprises presenting a plurality of data structures in an organizational structure, said organizational structure being based on functional activities, and wherein said presenting comprises using a hierarchical structure of:

process data structure→

file data structure→

function data structure→

thread data structure.

27. The at least one program storage device of claim 19, wherein the displaying based on a thread-centric display mode comprises presenting a plurality of data structures in an organizational structure, said organizational structure being based on thread activities, and wherein the presenting comprises using a hierarchical structure of:

process data structure→

thread data structure→

file data structure→

function data structure.