Patent ID: 7281240

Claim:
A method for tracing on a processor comprising: executing an execution control block on the processor to obtain data, wherein an interrupt on the processor is disabled prior to executing the execution control block and the interrupt is enabled after execution of the execution control block is completed; storing the data in a first buffer, wherein the first buffer is set to active; and setting the first buffer to inactive and setting a second buffer to active, wherein the interrupt on the processor is disabled prior to switching the first buffer to inactive and the interrupt is enabling after setting the second buffer to active, wherein executing the execution control block to obtain data and switching an active status between the first buffer and the second buffer are mutually exclusively performed using the processor, wherein the execution control block comprises an enabled probe identification identifying an action defining the data to be obtained from a probe in an instrumented program, and wherein a stored data set size is determined during buffering using the enabled probe identification.