Maintaining object information concurrent with data optimization for debugging

Abstract

A debugging environment maintains object information (e.g., object size) concurrently with data optimization operations by a write buffer of a target system. Within the target system, a system bus is coupled between a system memory and a microcontroller. A data optimization operation by the write buffer is detected by monitoring of a merge signal of the system bus by a bus monitoring device. When a data optimization operation is detected, data optimization attributes (e.g., object information, data and address) associated with the data optimization operation are captured in the form of an object information signal responsive to a capture signal from the bus monitoring device. The data optimization attributes may be stored in either a trace cache of the target system or a memory of external trace capture equipment connected to the debug port, or a memory of the bus monitoring device. In providing the data optimization attributes external to the microcontroller, the data optimization attribute may be temporarily held by trace pins of a debug port of the microcontroller. The data optimization attributes may be extracted from the object information signal and processed by the external trace capture equipment or the bus monitoring device. By processing the data optimization attributes, pre-optimization write object values may be reconstructed.