Re: keeping track of time spend in non-user space

[Mikael Pettersson]

On Fri, 11 Feb 2000, Sjaak Koot wrote:
>I am using linux kernel 2.2.13 on a  Pentium PC.
>
>I would like to keep track of the CPU time in user space of a process or
>task. The user/system time currently implemented is not accurate enough,
>its resolution is 10 ms.

If your processor supports performance-monitoring counters,
has a performance event which just counts cycles, and can
limit counters to user-mode (CPL 3), then you can achieve this
using the virtual per-process counters implemented by my
performance-monitoring counters driver.
(Available at http://www.csd.uu.se/~mikpe/linux/perfctr/.)

E.g., on a Pentium MMX, you'd set up the CESR register for a
given process to count cycles <ES0=0x30> at CPL 3 <CC0=0x2>.
The kernel and the driver cooperate to maintain per-process
state at scheduling points. The hardware setup will be different,
but Pentium Pro/II/III, Celeron, and Athlon processors are also
capable of counting user-space cycles.

/Mikael