Monitoring of software operation for improving computer program performance
US6671876B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 28, 1999 |
| Grant date | Dec 30, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 28, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F2201/88
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The operation of software carrying out a computer program is monitored for determining which blocks of code are being run and which are inactive. Each block of code being monitored has a software probe inserted at the beginning of the block for detection and identification purposes. In one embodiment, the software probe inserted in the block of code is automatically increment by 1 to indicate that the block has been accessed. The extent of use, or activity, of each block of code is recorded and presented in graphic form on a video display. In a first mode of operation, the times at which a selected block of code is accessed within a given time period is displayed along a horizontal axis and the number of times of access at each time it occurs is represented along a vertical axis in bar graph form. In a second mode of operation, the various monitored blocks of code are displayed along a horizontal axis in a spaced manner and the number of times each of the individual blocks is accessed during operation of the computer program is presented in bar graph form vertically. By uncovering and eliminating unused blocks of software code, the operating efficiency of the computer program as we…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.