System for monitoring performance of advanced graphics driver including filter modules for passing supported commands associated with function calls and recording task execution time for graphic operation

Apparatus for outputting commands associated with graphics function calls issued by at least one graphics engine, the apparatus comprising:

• a. a frame buffer for storing an array of pixel values;
• b. a video display having a visual appearance determined by the array of pixel values;
• c. a device driver responsive to commands associated with a set of supported function calls and configured to generate driver output signals in response to commands associated with at least one of the set of supported function calls;
• d. a video manager for conveying commands associated with the function calls from the at least one graphics engine to the device driver;
• e. a filter module interposed between the device driver and the video manager for (i) monitoring the commands associated with the function calls conveyed to the device driver to determine whether each monitored function call is a supported function call, (ii) generating the filtered output signals based on such monitoring by passing the commands associated with the supported function calls to the device driver and rejecting the commands associated with the unsupported function calls to the device driver respectively, (iii) independently monitoring the driver output signals generated by the device driver in response to the filtered output signals, and (iv) recording a task execution time for a graphic operation represented by said driver output signals;
• and
• f. a graphics adapter coupled to the frame buffer and responsive to the driver output signals generated by the device driver, the graphics adapter executing graphic operations, represented by the driver output signals, on the array of pixel values in the frame buffer.

Apparatus for outputting commands associated with graphics function calls issued by at least one graphics engine of a host computer and transmitting a subset of the output to a remote computer, the apparatus comprising:

• a. a frame buffer for storing an array of pixel values;
• b. a host computer video display having a visual appearance determined by the array of pixel values;
• c. a device driver configured to generate driver output signals in response to commands associated with function calls;
• d. a video manager for conveying commands associated with the function calls from the at least one graphics engine to the device driver;
• e. a transmission module capable of transmitting commands associated with function calls to remote computers;
• f. a filter module interposed between the device driver and the video manager for (i) monitoring the commands associated with the function calls conveyed to the device driver to determine whether each monitored function call is a supported function call, (ii) generating the filtered output signals based on such monitoring by passing the commands associated with the supported function calls to the device driver and rejecting the commands associated with the unsupported function calls to the device driver respectively, (iii) independently monitoring the driver output signals generated by the device driver in response to the filtered output signals, and (iv) recording a task execution time for a graphic operation represented by said driver output signals;
• and
• g. a graphics adapter coupled to the frame buffer and responsive to the driver output signals generated by the device driver, the graphics adapter executing graphic operations, represented by the driver output signals, on the array of pixel values in the frame buffer.

A computer program product for use with a graphics display device, said computer program product comprising:

• a computer usable medium having computer readable code embodied in said computer usable medium for causing a computer to monitor the performance of a device driver that is capable of generating driver output signals and controlling graphic output on the graphics display device in response to commands associated with function calls, the graphics display device having a visual appearance that is determined by an array of pixel values that are stored in a frame buffer, the computer readable code including:
• instructions for causing the computer to monitor the commands associated with the function calls conveyed from at least one graphics engine to the device driver to determine whether each monitored function call is a supported function call;
• and
• instructions for causing the computer to (i) generate filtered output signals based on instructions for such monitoring by passing the commands associated with the supported function calls to the device driver and rejecting the commands associated with the unsupported function calls to the device driver respectively, (ii) independently monitor the driver output signals generated by the device driver in response to the filtered output signals, said driver output signals representing graphic operations to be performed on said array of pixel values, and (iii) record a task execution time for a graphic operation represented by said driver output signals.

A computer program product, comprising:

• a computer usable medium having computer readable code embodied in said computer usable medium, said computer including a device driver that is capable of generating driver output signals and controlling graphic output on a graphics display device in response to filtered output signals, the commands associated with function calls being generated by at least one graphics engine, the graphics display device having a visual appearance that is determined by an array of pixel values that are stored in a frame buffer, the computer readable code including:
• instructions for causing the computer to monitor the command associated with the function calls conveyed from at least one graphics engine to the device driver to determine whether each monitored function call is a supported function call;
• and
• instructions for causing the computer to (i) generate filtered output signals based on instructions for such monitoring by passing the commands associated with the supported function calls to the device driver and rejecting the commands associated with the unsupported function calls to the device driver respectively, (ii) independently monitor the driver output signals generated by the device driver in response to the filtered output signals, said driver output signals representing graphic operations to be performed on said array of pixel values, and (iii) record a task execution time for a graphic operation represented by said driver output signals.