Patent ID: 8601324

Claim:
A trace output unit for collecting, buffering and outputting trace data generated by trace circuitry monitoring processing activities of a data processing apparatus, said trace output unit comprising: an input for receiving a stream of said trace data; a plurality of data stores arranged in parallel with each other for storing said trace data; storage control circuitry for controlling storage of trace items of said trace data in said data stores, said storage control circuitry being configured to route said trace items to selected ones of said data stores and to store control data identifying related ones of said trace items stored in different ones of said plurality of data stores; and output control circuitry configured to identify said related ones of said trace items stored in said different ones of said plurality of data stores from said stored control data, to determine an output order for said related ones of said trace items from said control data and to recombine said related ones of said trace items from different data stores to form an output trace data stream having said output order.