Dynamic Function-Level Hardware Performance Profiling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current software profilers for hardware performance analysis in computer systems face challenges such as high overhead, inability to trace performance at runtime, and lack of fine-grained control over hardware events, especially for long-running service programs and complex applications.
Innovation Solution
A system that enables dynamic function-level hardware performance profiling through application instrumentation with probe points, allowing for selective tracing and controlled overhead during execution, and a performance data analyzer to interpret the collected data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If hardware events statistics are collected extensively, then performance information completeness is improved, but CPU overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the performance monitoring scope by introducing probe points at specific function entry/exit locations, allowing selective collection of hardware events only at critical code locations rather than system-wide continuous monitoring. This segmentation reduces CPU overhead while maintaining completeness of performance information at function level granularity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by collecting hardware events selectively at probe points rather than continuously throughout execution. The system performs partial monitoring at strategically chosen locations (function boundaries) which provides sufficient performance information without the excessive overhead of comprehensive continuous monitoring.
2Quantity of substance
If system-wide hardware events are monitored, then overall performance data is improved, but fine-grained function-level tracing is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the monitoring granularity to function level by placing probe points at function entry and exit points. This segmentation enables precise association of hardware events with specific functions, achieving both adequate data volume and high measurement precision for root cause analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces probe points as intermediary elements that mediate between system-wide hardware events and function-level tracing requirements. These probe points act as intermediaries that capture hardware event data at function boundaries, enabling precise function-level attribution without requiring direct continuous monitoring of every instruction.
3Reliability
If continuous performance profiling is performed, then performance bug detection capability is improved, but runtime overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by enabling dynamic start/stop control of performance profiling at probe points. The system can activate profiling during critical periods or specific function executions and deactivate it during normal operation, maintaining bug detection capability while minimizing time overhead through selective periodic sampling rather than continuous monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by making the profiling mechanism dynamically controllable through enable/disable operations at runtime. The probe points can be selectively activated or deactivated based on runtime conditions, allowing the system to adapt monitoring intensity to actual needs and reduce overhead when full monitoring is not required.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple hardware performance counters are utilized, then performance metric diversity is improved, but resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the hardware counter resource usage by associating different counters with specific probe points and functions based on their monitoring needs. This segmentation allows diverse performance metrics to be collected where needed while conserving hardware counter resources by not allocating all counters to all functions simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different hardware counter configurations to different probe points based on local requirements. Each probe point can utilize the specific hardware counters most relevant to its function, achieving metric diversity at local levels while optimizing overall resource utilization across the system.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention is directed to a computer implemented method and a system that implements an application performance profiler with hardware performance event information. The profiler provides dynamic tracing of application programs, and offers fine-grained hardware performance event profiling at function levels. To control the perturbation on target applications, the profiler also includes a control mechanism to constraint the function profiling overhead within a budget configured by users.