Metrics modules and methods for monitoring, analyzing and optimizing bus and memory operations in a complex integrated circuit

Abstract

A processing system includes a processing circuit having one or more buses, a memory interface unit to control access by the processing circuit to a memory, and a metrics module. The metrics module includes one or more metrics registers and a metrics controller to monitor one or more operations selected from memory interface unit operations and bus operations, and to store metrics information corresponding to the monitored operations in the metrics registers. The monitored operations can include memory access operations, arbitration operations, bus operations, and the like. The metrics information can be analyzed to provide a basis for improving performance of a program that is executed on the processing system.