Patent ID: 8275964
Filing Date: 2012-09-25
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A device for hardware supported performance counter data collection, comprising: a plurality of performance counters operable to collect one or more counts of one or more selected activities; a first storage element operable to store data value representing time interval; a timer element operable to read the data value and detect expiration of the time interval based on the data value; a second storage element operable to store an address of a memory location; and a state machine operable to receive the signal associated with the detected expiration of the time interval and trigger hardware copying of data in selected one or more of the plurality of performance counters to the memory location whose address is stored in the second storage element, wherein the memory location and the data value representing time interval are set by software, and the state machine comprises the hardware wherein the hardware copies the data of the performance counters in response to detecting the expiration of the time interval without the software getting involved.