source: rtems-docs/c_user/cpu_usage_statistics.rst @ 0d86b71

.. COMMENT: COPYRIGHT (c) 1988-2008.
.. COMMENT: On-Line Applications Research Corporation (OAR).
.. COMMENT: All rights reserved.

CPU Usage Statistics
####################

Introduction
============

The CPU usage statistics manager is an RTEMS support component that provides a
convenient way to manipulate the CPU usage information associated with each
task The routines provided by the CPU usage statistics manager are:

- rtems_cpu_usage_report_ - Report CPU Usage Statistics

- rtems_cpu_usage_reset_ - Reset CPU Usage Statistics

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.

Operations
==========

Report CPU Usage Statistics
---------------------------

The application may dynamically report the CPU usage for every task in the
system by calling the ``rtems_cpu_usage_report`` routine.  This routine prints
a table with the following information per task:

- task id

- task name

- number of clock ticks executed

- percentage of time consumed by this task

The following is an example of the report generated:

.. code:: c

 +------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 |CPU USAGE BY THREAD                                                           |
 +-----------+----------------------------------------+-------------------------+
 |ID         | NAME                                   | SECONDS       | PERCENT |
 +-----------+----------------------------------------+---------------+---------+
 |0x04010001 | IDLE                                   |             0 |   0.000 |
 +-----------+----------------------------------------+---------------+---------+
 |0x08010002 | TA1                                    |          1203 |   0.748 |
 +-----------+----------------------------------------+---------------+---------+
 |0x08010003 | TA2                                    |           203 |   0.126 |
 +-----------+----------------------------------------+---------------+---------+
 |0x08010004 | TA3                                    |           202 |   0.126 |
 +-----------+----------------------------------------+---------------+---------+
 |TICKS SINCE LAST SYSTEM RESET:                                           1600 |
 |TOTAL UNITS:                                                             1608 |
 +------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Notice that the ``TOTAL UNITS`` is greater than the ticks per reset.  This is
an artifact of the way in which RTEMS keeps track of CPU usage.  When a task is
context switched into the CPU, the number of clock ticks it has executed is
incremented.  While the task is executing, this number is incremented on each
clock tick.  Otherwise, if a task begins and completes execution between
successive clock ticks, there would be no way to tell that it executed at all.

Another thing to keep in mind when looking at idle time, is that many systems -
especially during debug - have a task providing some type of debug interface.
It is usually fine to think of the total idle time as being the sum of the
``IDLE`` task and a debug task that will not be included in a production build
of an application.

Reset CPU Usage Statistics
--------------------------

Invoking the ``rtems_cpu_usage_reset`` routine resets the CPU usage statistics
for all tasks in the system.

Directives
==========

This section details the CPU usage statistics manager's directives.  A
subsection is dedicated to each of this manager's directives and describes the
calling sequence, related constants, usage, and status codes.

.. _rtems_cpu_usage_report:

cpu_usage_report - Report CPU Usage Statistics
----------------------------------------------

**CALLING SEQUENCE:**

.. code:: c

    void rtems_cpu_usage_report( void );

**STATUS CODES:**

NONE

**DESCRIPTION:**

This routine prints out a table detailing the CPU usage statistics for all
tasks in the system.

**NOTES:**

The table is printed using the ``printk`` routine.

.. _rtems_cpu_usage_reset:

cpu_usage_reset - Reset CPU Usage Statistics
--------------------------------------------

**CALLING SEQUENCE:**

.. code:: c

    void rtems_cpu_usage_reset( void );

**STATUS CODES:**

NONE

**DESCRIPTION:**

This routine re-initializes the CPU usage statistics for all tasks in the
system to their initial state.  The initial state is that a task has not
executed and thus has consumed no CPU time.  default state which is when zero
period executions have occurred.

**NOTES:**

NONE