Monitoring Performance of a Processing Device to Manage Non-Precise Events

A system comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• a processing device communicably coupled to the memory, wherein the processing device comprises:
• a performance counter to track a non-precise event in the processing device and to increment upon occurrence of the non-precise event, wherein the non-precise event comprises a first type of performance event that is not linked to an instruction in an instruction trace of the processing device;
• a first handler circuit to generate and store a first record, the first record comprising architectural metadata defining a state of the processing device at a time of generation of the first record, wherein the first handler circuit to generate records corresponding to precise events in the processing device;
• and
• a second handler circuit communicably coupled to the first handler circuit, the second handler circuit to cause the first handler circuit to generate a second record for the non-precise event upon overflow of the performance counter.

A method comprising:

• tracking a non-precise event generated in a processing device, wherein the non-precise event comprises a first type of performance event that is not linked to an instruction in an instruction trace of the processing device;
• incrementing a value in a performance counter upon occurrence of the non-precise event;
• and
• causing a first handler circuit to generate and store a record for the non-precise event upon overflow of the performance counter, wherein the record comprises architectural metadata defining a state of the processing device at a time of generation of the record, and wherein the first handler circuit to generate records corresponding to precise events in the processing device.

A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium including data that, when accessed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

• tracking a non-precise event generated in a processing device, wherein the non-precise event comprises a first type of performance event that is not linked to an instruction in an instruction trace of the processing device;
• incrementing a value in a performance counter upon occurrence of the non-precise event;
• and
• causing a first handler circuit to generate and store a record for the non-precise event upon overflow of the performance counter, wherein the record comprises architectural metadata defining a state of the processing device at a time of generation of the record, and wherein the first handler circuit to generate records corresponding to precise events in the processing device.