Using DMA for copying performance counter data to memory
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsAlan Gara, Valentina Salapura, Robert W. Wisniewski
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device for copying performance counter data includes hardware path that connects a direct memory access (DMA) unit to a plurality of hardware performance counters and a memory device. Software prepares an injection packet for the DMA unit to perform copying, while the software can perform other tasks. In one aspect, the software that prepares the injection packet runs on a processing core other than the core that gathers the hardware performance counter data.
Claims15
A method of copying performance counter data, comprising:
- establishing a path between a direct memory access unit to a plurality of hardware performance units, the path further connecting to a memory device;
- and
- initiating a direct memory access unit to copy data between the plurality of hardware performance units and the memory device,
- wherein the initiating a direct memory access unit to copy data include injecting a packet to the direct memory access unit and wherein the packet includes destination address, source address, data size and number of hardware performance counters from which to copy data or to which to copy data.
A device for copying performance counter data, comprising:
- at least one processing core;
- a memory;
- a plurality of hardware performance counters operable to collect counts of selected hardware-related activities;
- a direct memory access unit having a DMA controller operable to copy data between the memory and the plurality of hardware performance counters;
- and
- an interconnecting path connecting the processing core, the memory, the plurality of hardware performance counters, and the direct memory access unit,
- wherein a packet is injected to the direct memory access unit to initiate the direct memory access unit to copy data and wherein the packet includes destination address, source address, data size and number of hardware performance counters from which to copy data or to which to copy data.
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform a method copying performance counter data, comprising:
- establishing a path between a direct memory access unit to a plurality of hardware performance units, the path further connecting to a memory device;
- and
- initiating a direct memory access unit to copy data between the plurality of hardware performance units and the memory device,
- wherein the initiating a direct memory access unit to copy data include injecting a packet to the direct memory access unit and wherein the packet includes destination address, source address, data size and number of hardware performance counters from which to copy data or to which to copy data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.