Suppressed Address Trace Generation for Processor Data Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current processor trace systems generate large amounts of data, particularly due to the inclusion of address traces, which can significantly increase bandwidth and storage requirements, making it inefficient for data transmission and storage.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a suppressed address trace mechanism that selectively omits or compresses address data in processor traces, using hardware or software trace suppressors to generate a reduced trace output, including only necessary information, such as virtual addresses and register hints, to minimize trace size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If address traces are included in processor trace systems, then execution information completeness is improved, but bandwidth and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes redundant address information from processor traces. The trace suppressor selectively filters out duplicate or unnecessary address data while retaining essential execution information, thereby reducing trace data volume without compromising the completeness of critical execution details.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different treatment to different parts of the trace data. Essential address information is retained while redundant portions are suppressed. The trace suppressor identifies and selectively removes only the unnecessary portions of address traces, maintaining local quality of essential information while reducing overall data volume.
2Measurement precision
If full address traces are generated, then trace accuracy is improved, but data transmission efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The trace suppressor extracts and removes redundant address data that does not contribute to trace accuracy. By eliminating duplicate or unnecessary address information, the system maintains the accuracy of essential execution details while significantly improving data transmission efficiency through reduced data volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial suppression of address traces rather than complete elimination. The trace suppressor selectively filters out only the excessive or redundant portions of address data while retaining sufficient information to maintain trace accuracy, achieving a balance between accuracy and transmission efficiency.
3Loss of information
If complete address traces are stored, then analysis completeness is improved, but storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The trace suppressor extracts and removes redundant address information before storage. By filtering out duplicate or unnecessary address data, the system reduces the volume of trace data that needs to be stored while preserving the completeness of essential execution information required for analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains high quality of essential address information while suppressing redundant portions. The trace suppressor ensures that locally critical execution details are retained in full, while reducing overall storage requirements by eliminating locally redundant data portions.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatuses for generating a suppressed address trace are described. In some embodiments, a processor includes a trace generator having a trace suppressor that outputs a suppressed address trace for instructions executed by the processor. In some embodiments, a method to generate a suppressed address trace for a processor includes generating a suppressed address trace of executed instructions from a trace suppressor of a trace generator of the processor.