Abstract: A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for executing instructions. A determination is made as to whether a processor is in instrumentation mode in response to the processor executing a plurality of instructions. When the determination is made that the processor is in instrumentation mode, instrumentation instructions associated with the plurality of instructions are executed. The instrumentation instructions are unexecuted in response to an absence of the processor being in instrumentation mode.

Abstract: A computer implemented method, apparatus and computer usable program code for marking instructions for instrumentation. A plurality of instructions is presented in a graphical user interface. A user input selecting a set of instructions in the plurality of instructions for instrumentation is received through the graphical user interface. A set of instructions is marked as a set of instrumentation instructions in response to receiving the user input. The set of instructions are executed by a processor if the processor is in an instrumentation mode, and the instrumentation instructions are unexecuted if an absence of the processor being in the instrumentation mode is present.

Abstract: A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for executing instructions. A first processor identifies a target processor in response to the first processor executing a plurality of instructions in an instrumentation mode. The processor designates the target processor to execute instrumentation instructions associated with the plurality of instructions in response to identifying the target processor.

Abstract: A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for executing instructions. A determination is made as to whether a set of instructions are a set of instrumentation instructions in response to identifying the set of instructions in instructions for execution. A further determination is made as to whether a processor executing the instructions is in an instrumentation mode if the set of instructions are instrumentation instructions. The processor executes the set of instrumentation instructions only if the processor is in the instrumentation mode.

Abstract: A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for executing instructions. A determination is made as to whether a processor executing a plurality of instructions is in an instrumentation mode. The processor has a normal set of resources and an alternate set of resources in which the alternate set of resources is associated with the instrumentation mode. When a determination is made that the processor is in the instrumentation mode, the processor executes instrumentation instructions in the plurality of instructions using the alternate set of resources and executes all other instructions in the plurality of instructions using the normal set of resources.

Abstract: A computer implemented method, apparatus and computer program product for processing instructions. A determination is made as to whether an instruction is a start instrumentation instruction in response to identifying the instruction for execution while executing the instructions using a normal set of processor resources in a processor. Subsequent instructions are executed using an alternate set of processor resources until an end instrumentation instruction is encountered.

Abstract: A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable medium for gathering performance related data in a multiprocessing environment. Instrumentation code is executed on a processor that minimizes the distortion to the processor resources used to execute the program to be profiled. Data is written by the instrumentation code to a shared memory in response to an event occurring during execution of the program. The data is generated during execution of the program on the processor and the instrumentation code uses shared memory to convey the data to a profiling application running on a set of profiling processors. The data is collected by the set of profiling processors in the shared memory written by the instrumentation code.

Abstract: A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code to collect information for a system or processor having a transition between an idle state and a non-idle state to form collected system or processor information. The collected system or processor information is provided for analysis by an application.

Abstract: A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for adjusting rates at which events are generated or processed. In response to a frequency change in a processor, a frequency for the processor is identified. A rate at which samples of events generated by the processor are selected to meet a desired rate of sampling is adjusted in response to identifying the frequency change for the processor to form an adjusted rate.

Abstract: A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable code for identifying processor utilization. A current event is detected. A number of elapsed cycles for a processor since a previous event are identified in response to detecting the current event. An elapsed time using the number of elapsed cycles and a current frequency of the processor is calculated, wherein the elapsed time is used to identify the processor utilization.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for managing trace records. A set of traces is generated for a set of processors. A trace is generated in the set of traces for each processor within the set of processors. A record of the frequency change is stored in the set of traces in response to a frequency change in a processor within the set of processors. Trace records are combined in the set of traces using the record of the frequency change to determine a correct order for the records.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions in a data processing system for processing instructions. An instruction is received at a processor in the data processing system. If an indicator is associated with the instruction in which the indicator identifies a threshold value, execution of the instruction is counted if a time for executing the instruction exceeds the threshold value. Responsive to a request to access data, a determination is made as to whether the indicator is associated with the data. The indicator identifies a threshold value. Access to the data is counted if the indicator is associated with the data and if a time needed to access the data exceeds the threshold value.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions in a data processing system for processing instructions. Instructions are received at a processor in the data processing system. If a selected indicator is associated with the instruction, counting of each event associated with the execution of the instruction is enabled.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions in a data processing system for processing instructions. Instructions are received at a processor in the data processing system. If an indicator is associated with the instruction, the execution of the instruction and all subsequent instructions are counted until another indicator is received. The indicator also is used with data locations to count accesses to data in the data locations. If the indicator is associated with a data location, all subsequent data location accesses are counted until another indicator is received.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer instructions in a data processing system for monitoring the execution of instructions. A routine is of interest is identified during the execution of a program. Instructions in the routine of interest are associated with a set of indicators to form a modified routine, and an instruction is executed in the modified routine during continued execution of the program, incrementing a counter.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions in a data processing system for processing instructions. An instruction is identified for execution within a processor in the data processing system. If an indicator is associated with the instruction then an interrupt is forced. With data accesses, a determination is made as to whether the indicator is associated with the data in response to an access of data. An interrupt is generated if the data is associated with the indicator.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions in a data processing system for monitoring the execution of instructions and accesses to memory locations. If an instruction is associated with a indicator, a counter associated with the instruction is incremented in response to detecting execution of the instruction. The indicator may be associated with a memory location with a counter associated with the memory location being incremented in response to an access of the memory location.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions in a data processing system for monitoring the execution of a program. Instructions for calls and returns in the program are associated with a set of indicators. The program is executed using a processor. The set of indicators associated with the instructions causes the processor executing the instructions to generate data on calls and returns in the program.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions in a data processing system for monitoring processing of instructions and memory locations. An instruction is received in the data processing system for execution. If an enabled state is present, a determination is made whether the instruction is associated with an indicator in a shadow memory. A selected action is performed in response to the indicator being associated with the instruction. Responsive to being in an enabled state when a data access to a memory location occurs, a determination is made as to whether the memory location is associated with an indicator in a shadow memory. A selected action is performed in response to the indicator being associated with the memory location.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions in a data processing system for monitoring the execution of a compiled program having a set of groupings such as pages, modules, or subroutines. A grouping from the set of groupings for the compiled program is selected to form a selected grouping. A set of indicators is associated with instructions in the selected grouping within the set of groupings. The set of indicators provide data on the execution of the instructions by a processor. The compiled program is executed. The data is generated upon encountering an indicator in the set of indicators, and the data is collected.