Method and system for periodic trace sampling using a mask to qualify trace data

摘要

A method and system for monitoring execution performance of a program is provided. User-specified trace qualifying conditions may be used to qualify profiling functionality. These trace qualifying conditions may be used to limit the amount of trace data being generated or processed, providing a more focused picture of an application's execution. During a profiling phase, an occurrence of a selected event or a timer interrupt is detected, and a determination is made as to whether a trace qualifying condition has been previously selected. In response, a proper trace record is then generated. During a post-processing phase, a trace record is read that contains a trace condition mask that stores the trace qualifying conditions. The trace record is further processed if the trace condition mask has at least one active user-specified trace qualifying condition.