Patent ID: 7225110

Claim:
A method for monitoring the occurrences of one or more events related to the operation of a processor, said processor including a performance monitor having a plurality of counting elements, said method comprising the steps of: identifying the number of events to be counted by said performance monitor; identifying the number of counting elements available to count incidences of said events; and assigning at least two of said counting elements to serially count incidences of at least one of said events, wherein when the number of events to be counted is less than the number of counting elements available to count incidences of said events, said assigning step comprising at least the steps of: dividing the number of available counting elements by the number of events to be counted; in a first assignment step, assigning a number of counting elements, said number equal to the integer resulting from said dividing step, to each of said events to be counted; and in a second assignment step, assigning any unassigned counting elements to at least one of said events.