Dynamic thread status retrieval using inter-thread communication

A method for retrieving a status for a slave hardware thread in a processing system comprising a plurality of hardware threads configured in a plurality of interconnected integrated processor blocks, the method comprising:

• receiving a status request for the slave hardware thread from a master hardware thread at an inbox;
• in response to receiving the status request at the inbox, determining a status of the slave hardware thread using status logic and a status register associated with the slave hardware thread, wherein the status logic is configured to determine the status of the slave hardware thread without interrupting processing of the slave hardware thread;
• and
• communicating a status response based on the status to the master hardware thread,
• wherein the status register is configured to store status information for the slave hardware thread, wherein determining the status of the slave hardware thread comprises analyzing the status register by the status logic to determine the status slave hardware thread, and wherein the status information includes a performance counter for the slave hardware thread.