Obtaining application performance data for different performance events via a unified channel

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a set of operations comprising:

• identifying, by a first application executed by a processing device of the computing system, an event type of event to be measured with respect to performance of a second application being monitored;
• issuing, by the first application, a first virtual file system call comprising the identified event type as a parameter, wherein the identified event type corresponds to a cumulative counter, and wherein the cumulative counter is a data field to aggregate a value of a first hardware counter for a first processor, and a value of a second hardware counter for a second processor;
• subsequent to receiving a file descriptor of the cumulative counter of the identified event type, causing, by the first application, the second application to begin the execution, wherein the first hardware counter is to perform measurements for the first processor during the execution of the second application based on performance characteristics of the second application for the identified event type, and the second hardware counter is to perform measurements for the second processor during the execution of the second application based on the performance characteristics of the second application for the identified event type;
• after the execution of the second application is completed, issuing, by the first application, a second virtual file system call including the file descriptor for the cumulative counter of the identified event type as a parameter, wherein a value of the cumulative counter is an aggregation of the value of the first hardware counter and the value of the second hardware counter;
• and
• receiving, by the first application, the value of the cumulative counter of the identified event type from an operating system in response to the second virtual file system call.

A system comprising:

• a memory;
• processors coupled to the memory;
• and
• a first application, executed from the memory by the processors, to:
• identify an event type of event to be measured with respect to performance of a second application being monitored;
• issue a first virtual file system call comprising the identified event type as a parameter, wherein the identified event type corresponds to a cumulative counter, and wherein the cumulative counter is a data field to aggregate a value of a first hardware counter for a first processor, and a value of a second hardware counter for a second processor;
• subsequent to receiving a file descriptor of the cumulative counter of the identified event type, cause the second application to begin the execution, wherein the first hardware counter is to perform measurements for the first processor during the execution of the second application based on performance characteristics of the second application for the identified event type, and the second hardware counter is to perform measurements for the second processor during the execution of the second application based on the performance characteristics of the second application for the identified event type;
• after the execution of the second application is completed, issue a second virtual file system call including the file descriptor for the cumulative counter of the identified event type as a parameter, wherein a value of the cumulative counter is an aggregation of the value of the first hardware counter and the value of the second hardware counter;
• and
• receive the value of the cumulative counter of the identified event type from an operating system in response to the second virtual file system call.