18476933. SELECTABLE GRANULARITY PERFORMANCE MONITOR simplified abstract (SiFive, Inc.)

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SELECTABLE GRANULARITY PERFORMANCE MONITOR

Organization Name

SiFive, Inc.

Inventor(s)

Richard Van of San Jose CA (US)

Huang Chao Wei of Zhubei City (TW)

SELECTABLE GRANULARITY PERFORMANCE MONITOR - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18476933 titled 'SELECTABLE GRANULARITY PERFORMANCE MONITOR

Simplified Explanation: The patent application describes a system and method for collecting latency data of transactions passing through a processor using a performance monitor with a bucket timer based on a configurable granule counter.

Key Features and Innovation:

  • Utilizes a performance monitor with a bucket timer based on a granule value in a configurable granule counter.
  • Determines transaction time and compares it to enumerated buckets based on the granule value.
  • Increments a latency counter associated with the appropriate bucket.
  • Includes a saturation mechanism to handle overflow or saturation.
  • Data collected can be used to generate a histogram for identifying potential issues in the processor or processor pipeline.

Potential Applications: The technology can be applied in various industries such as computer hardware manufacturing, data analysis, and performance optimization.

Problems Solved:

  • Efficiently collects latency data of transactions passing through a processor.
  • Provides a mechanism to identify potential problems in the processor or processor pipeline.

Benefits:

  • Improved performance monitoring and optimization.
  • Enhanced troubleshooting capabilities for processors.
  • Better understanding of transaction latency in a processor.

Commercial Applications: The technology can be used in the development of advanced processors, data centers, and high-performance computing systems to enhance performance monitoring and optimization.

Prior Art: No prior art information is available at this time.

Frequently Updated Research: There is ongoing research in the field of processor performance monitoring and optimization that may be relevant to this technology.

Questions about Latency Data Collection in Processors: 1. How does the system handle overflow or saturation in latency data collection? 2. What are the potential implications of using a configurable granule counter in the performance monitor?


Original Abstract Submitted

Systems and methods are described to collect latency data of transactions traversing a processor using a performance monitor, which uses a bucket timer based on a granule value in a configurable granule counter. The monitor can determine a transaction time for a transaction, which can then be compared to enumerated buckets (where the bucket size is based on the granule value), determine the appropriate bucket, and increment a latency counter associated with the bucket. The monitor can include a saturation mechanism to account for overflow or saturation. The collected data can be read by an external device to generate a histogram to identify potential problems in the processor or processor pipeline.