Patent ID: 8140761

Claim:
A method comprising the steps of: detecting multiple occurrences of a plurality of different kinds of events of interest; upon each of said occurrences, invoking an event tracking hardware engine having N caches, N being at least two, using a key of a type corresponding to a corresponding one of said different kinds of events of interest, such that said event tracking hardware engine stores, for each of said different kinds of events of interest, a corresponding cumulative number of occurrences, by carrying out the following steps: searching in said N caches for an entry for said key; if an entry for said key is found, and no overflow of said corresponding cumulative number of occurrences for said entry for said key would occur by incrementing said corresponding cumulative number of occurrences, incrementing said corresponding cumulative number of occurrences; if said entry for said key is found, and overflow of said corresponding cumulative number of occurrences for said entry for said key would occur by incrementing said corresponding cumulative number of occurrences, promoting said entry from a given one of said N caches in which said entry exists to a next highest one of said N caches; and if said entry for said key is not found, entering said entry for said key in a zeroth one of said N caches with said corresponding cumulative number of occurrences being initialized.