Method and system for periodic trace sampling using a mask to qualify trace data

摘要

A method and system for monitoring execution performance of a program is provided. Profiling functionality may be qualified by setting various qualifying flags at the request of a user. These qualifying flags may be used to limit the amount of trace data being generated or processed, thereby providing a more focused picture of an application's execution to the user. One or more trace,qualifying conditions are selectable by a user and are used during a profiling phase of application execution or during a post-processing phase of analyzing the application execution. During a profiling phase, an occurrence of a selected event or a timer interrupt is detected, and a determination is made as to whether a trace qualifying condition has been previously selected. In response to a determination that a trace qualifying condition has been selected, a trace record is then generated. During a post-processing phase, a trace record is read that contains a trace condition mask that stores the trace qualifying conditions that were active when the trace record was generated. The trace record is further processed in response to a determination that the trace condition mask has at least one active user-specified trace qualifying condition.