Virtualized abstraction with built-in data alignment and simultaneous event monitoring in performance counter based application characterization and tuning

A computer program product comprising a tangible computer readable recordable storage memory device including computer useable program code for monitoring a set of one or more event counters of application execution, the computer program product including:

• computer useable program code for constructing a virtual performance monitoring counter (VPMC) layer as a unified abstraction of a physical performance monitoring counter (PMC) architecture;
• and
• computer useable program code for incorporating one or more programming interfaces (PIs) in connection with the virtual performance monitoring counter, wherein the one or more programming interfaces facilitate simultaneous access and data monitoring across a set of one or more event counters, and wherein the virtual performance monitoring counter layer is capable of providing, via the one or more programming interfaces, a monolithic view of a set of one or more event counters that exceeds a number of simultaneously readable physical counters in underlying machine hardware.