Apparatus for sampling instruction operand or result values in a processor pipeline
US5923872A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 26, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jul 13, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 26, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F11/3466
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An apparatus is provided for sampling values of operands of instructions in a processor pipeline of a system, the pipeline having a plurality of processing stages. Instructions are fetched into a first stage of the pipeline. Any one of the fetched instructions are identified as a particular selected instruction. Values of results computed during the processing of the particular selected instruction are recorded in a sampling record along with state information identifying the particular selected instruction. Software is informed whenever the particular selected instruction leaves the pipeline to read the recorded values and state information.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.