System and method for jump-evaluated trace designation
US6148437A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 4, 1998 |
| Grant date | Nov 14, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 4, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F9/45525
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A computer-implemented system and method are provided to designate traces of original instructions of an executable file at run time based on evaluations of control flow through jump instructions. Such designation typically increases the opportunities for dynamic optimization based on loop unrolling and other modifications of the control-flow structure of the executable file. The target of a jump instruction is designated as the start of a trace if the number of times that control has passed to it through any one or more jump instructions of a predetermined type of jump instruction reaches a predetermined start-trace threshold. The trace is ended if the number of times that control has passed through jump instructions of one of a variety of particular types of jump instructions reaches an end-trace threshold that is predetermined for each such type of jump instruction. The invention includes an instruction emulator, a start-end designator, a trace translator and optimizer, and a backpatch manager. The instruction emulator emulates original instructions that have not been translated. The start-end designator designates the start and end of traces. The trace translator and optimizer …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.