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RTEMS 4.9.2 On-Line Library


CPU Usage Statistics Background

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26.2: Background

When analyzing and debugging real-time applications, it is important to be able to know how much CPU time each task in the system consumes. This support component provides a mechanism to easily obtain this information with little burden placed on the target.

The raw data is gathered as part of performing a context switch. RTEMS keeps track of how many clock ticks have occurred which the task being switched out has been executing. If the task has been running less than 1 clock tick, then for the purposes of the statistics, it is assumed to have executed 1 clock tick. This results in some inaccuracy but the alternative is for the task to have appeared to execute 0 clock ticks.

RTEMS versions newer than the 4.7 release series, support the ability to obtain timestamps with nanosecond granularity if the BSP provides support. It is a desirable enhancement to change the way the usage data is gathered to take advantage of this recently added capability. Please consider sponsoring the core RTEMS development team to add this capability.


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