Binary programmable method for application performance data collection

An information processing system comprising:

• a data storage for storing performance data;
• an input/output interface for communicating performance data results to a user;
• a profiling/tracing library;
• a memory having program code stored therein;
• and
• a processor operatively connected to said memory for carrying out instructions in accordance with said stored program code;
• wherein said program code, when executed by said processor, causes said processor to:
• generate a performance tool for collecting user-specified application performance data of an application, said performance tool comprising configurable functions compiled into a dynamic linking library;
• modify the application to insert the performance tool into a binary executable of said application via binary instrumentation such that the application does not need to be rebuilt from a source;
• wherein implementation is done at a binary level on a copy of an original binary executable using the binary instrumentation, without requiring re-linking of the application;
• wherein original source code of the application and the original binary executable are not modified;
• execute the application;
• and
• collect dynamic performance data of the application during the execution of the application such that only interesting data is collected.

A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising code that, when executed, causes a computer to perform the following:

• generate a performance tool for collecting user-specified application performance data of an application, said performance tool comprising configurable functions compiled into a dynamic linking library;
• modify the application to insert the performance tool into a binary executable of said application via binary instrumentation such that the application does not need to be rebuilt from a source;
• wherein implementation is done at a binary level on a copy of an original binary executable using the binary instrumentation, without requiring re-linking of the application;
• wherein original source code of the application and the original application binary executable are not modified;
• execute the application;
• and
• collect dynamic performance data of the application during the execution of the application such that only interesting data is collected.

A system for obtaining services comprising:

• a memory having program code stored therein;
• a processor operatively connected to said memory for carrying out instructions in accordance with said stored program code;
• wherein said program code, when executed by said processor, causes said processor to:
• generate a performance tool for collecting user-specified application performance data of an application, said performance tool comprising configurable functions compiled into a dynamic linking library;
• modify the application to insert the performance tool into a binary executable of said application via binary instrumentation such that the application does not need to be rebuilt from a source;
• wherein implementation is done at a binary level on a copy of an original binary executable using the binary instrumentation, without requiring re-linking of the application;
• wherein original source code of the application and the original application binary executable are not modified;
• execute the application;
• collect dynamic performance data of the application during the execution of the application such that only interesting data is collected;
• and
• present the collected performance data to a second user.