Abstract: A method and system of indexing into trace data based on entries in a log buffer. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods comprising executing a traced program on a target device. The traced program writes entries to a log buffer within the target device, and the traced program also contemporaneously writes an index value for each entry to a register. The index value written to the register becomes part of trace data regarding the traced program and correlates each entry to a respective portion of the trace data. Using the information one may either or both: display on a display device a portion of the trace data (the portion selected based on selecting an entry from the log buffer); or display on the display a portion of the log buffer (the portion selected based on selecting an entry from the trace data).

Abstract: A method and system of identifying overlays used by a program. The overlays may be executable overlays (e.g., overlay programs and dynamically linked library programs), or the overlays may be data sets. Depending on the number of overlays and/or the type of information used to identify the overlays, an indication of the identity of the overlays may be written to a register (whose contents are inserted into the trace data stream), or the indication may comprise an entry in a log buffer and an index value written to the register (again whose contents are inserted into the trace data stream, and where the index value identifies the entry in the log buffer).

Abstract: A method and system of profiling streaming channels. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods comprising executing a traced program on a target system (the traced operating on a plurality of streaming channels), obtaining values indicative of which of the plurality of streaming channels the traced program has operated on (the obtaining by a host computer coupled to the target system), and displaying on a display device an indication of a proportion of an execution time the processor of the target system dedicated to each of the streaming channels.

Abstract: Stall monitoring systems and methods are disclosed. Exemplary stall monitoring systems may include a core, a memory coupled to the core, and a stall circuit coupled to the core. The stall circuit is capable of separately representing at least two distinct stall conditions that occur simultaneously and conveying this information to a user for debugging purposes.

Abstract: When tracing memory events the required bandwidth may be reduced by forming a logical OR of several memory event signals to determine the location of memory events. A second trace run may be made after this, tracing only the limited portions of the application where the first run indicated possible problems.

Abstract: A system and method of tracing a group of processor events in real-time in order to enable a programmer to debug and profile the operation and execution of code on the processor. This may be accomplished by running one or more traces on the same or different groups of processor events in order to gain a full understanding of how code is being executed by the processor.

Abstract: A method and system of profiling applications that use virtual memory. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods comprising executing a traced program on a target system (the traced program comprising a plurality of tasks, each task using a different virtual to physical memory mapping), obtaining values indicative of a plurality of states of virtual to physical memory mapping used by a memory management unit associated with a processor of a target system, and displaying an indication of a proportion of an execution time the processor of the target system dedicated to each of a plurality of tasks during the execution time.

Abstract: Navigating trace data. A traced program, or the operating system responsible for the traced program, writes index values to a particular hardware location, which index values become part of the trace data by operation of hardware devices in the target system. A debug-trace program (executed either in an attached host computer or as an embedded debugger) uses the index values to assist the user of the debug-trace program in navigating to particular portions of the trace data based on the index values.

Abstract: When events are traced, the timing stream is used to associate events with instructions and indicate pipeline advances precluding the recording of stall cycles. Additional information is needed in the trace stream to identify an overlay whose execution of code is in a system where overlays or a memory management unit are used. In the case of PC trace, additional information is added when the memory system contents is changed. Information describing the configuration change is inserted into the export streams by placing this information in a message buffer. As long as a message word is available for output, it becomes the next export word as the output of message words is continuous.

Abstract: A method and system of inserting marker values used to correlate trace data as between processor cores. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are integrated circuit devices comprising a first processor core, a first data collection portion coupled to the first processor core and configured to gather data comprising addresses of instructions executed by the first processor core, a second processor core communicatively coupled to the first processor core, and a second data collection portion coupled to the first processor core and configured to gather data comprising addresses of instructions executed by the second processor core. The integrated circuit device is configured to insert marker values into the data of the first and second processor cores which allow correlation of the data such that contemporaneously executed instruction are identifiable.

Abstract: An information carrier medium containing software that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to receive information from circuit logic that is adapted to collect the information from caches on different cache levels. At least some of the information is from caches on different cache levels associated with a common address. The processor also displays the information by way of a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI displays a portion of the information using a mark-up technique different from that used to display remaining portions of the information.

Abstract: An information carrier medium containing software that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to receive information from caches on different cache levels, at least some of the information from caches on different cache levels associated with a common address. The software also causes the processor to determine a difference between the information from caches on different cache levels associated with the common address and to provide the difference to a user of the software.

Abstract: An information carrier medium containing software that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to receive information from circuit logic that is adapted to collect the information from caches on different cache levels. Each of the caches comprises a plurality of cache lines, and each cache line is associated with a way. The software also causes the processor to reassign the way of a cache line to a different way.

Abstract: An information carrier medium containing software that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to receive information from circuit logic that is adapted to collect the information from caches on different cache levels, the information associated with a common address. The software also causes the processor to provide the information to a user of the software. The information comprises cache level and cache type information associated with a particular cache from one of the different cache levels.

Abstract: Determining operating context of an executed instruction. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are a computer-readable medium storing a debug-trace program that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to display trace data on a display device (the trace data comprising a plurality of addresses of instructions executed by a target processor), enable a user of the debug-trace program to select an address of the plurality of addresses to create a selected address, and display data based on an operating context proximate in time to when the instruction of the selected address was executed on the target processor.

Abstract: Profiling operating context. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are a computer-readable medium storing a program that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to obtain values indicative of a state of an operating context parameter during execution of a traced program on a target processor, and display an indication of a proportion of time during a trace period of the traced program that the target processor operated with the operating context parameter in a particular state.

Abstract: An information carrier medium containing software that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to receive information from circuit logic that is adapted to collect the information from caches on different cache levels, at least some of the information from caches on different cache levels associated with a common address. The software also causes the processor to selectively bypass a portion of the information specified by a user of the software and to provide non-bypassed information to the user and not said bypassed portion.

Abstract: An information carrier medium containing software that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to receive input from a user of the software, the input comprising data and a cache identifier. The processor also transfers the data and cache identifier to a circuit logic that is adapted to write to caches in a cache system coupled to the circuit logic. The processor also causes the circuit logic to write the data to a cache in the cache system that corresponds to the cache identifier.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a system and method for receiving encoded events from a system that is being debugged or profiled. The encoded events are input to a decoder in order to decode the encoded events, wherein the decoder is configured to selectively adjust the bandwidth of decoded events. The decoded events are input to a monitoring system in order to enable a user to debug and profile the system.

Abstract: An information carrier medium containing software that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to receive information from circuit logic that is adapted to collect the information from caches on different cache levels, at least some of the information from caches on different cache levels associated with a common address. The software also causes the processor to provide the information to a user of the software. The information comprises valid bit and dirty bit information associated with the caches on different cache levels.