xref: /csrg-svn/usr.bin/gprof/gprof.1 (revision 50520)
143693Scael.\" Copyright (c) 1983, 1990 The Regents of the University of California.
243693Scael.\" All rights reserved.
319768Smckusick.\"
4*50520Scael.\" %sccs.include.redist.roff%
519768Smckusick.\"
6*50520Scael.\"	@(#)gprof.1	6.8 (Berkeley) 07/24/91
743693Scael.\"
843693Scael.Dd
943693Scael.Dt GPROF 1
1043693Scael.Os BSD 4.2
1143693Scael.Sh NAME
1243693Scael.Nm gprof
1343693Scael.Nd display call graph profile data
1443693Scael.Sh SYNOPSIS
1543693Scael.Nm gprof
1643693Scael.Op options
1743693Scael.Op Ar a.out Op Ar gmon.out ...
1843693Scael.Sh DESCRIPTION
19*50520Scael.Nm Gprof
2019768Smckusickproduces an execution profile of C, Pascal, or Fortran77 programs.
2119768SmckusickThe effect of called routines is incorporated in the profile of each caller.
2219768SmckusickThe profile data is taken from the call graph profile file
23*50520Scael.Pf ( Pa gmon.out
2419768Smckusickdefault) which is created by programs
2543693Scaelthat are compiled with the
2643693Scael.Fl pg
2743693Scaeloption of
2843693Scael.Xr cc 1 ,
2943693Scael.Xr pc 1 ,
3019768Smckusickand
3143693Scael.Xr f77 1 .
3232285SmckusickThe
3343693Scael.Fl pg
3443693Scaeloption also links in versions of the library routines
3532285Smckusickthat are compiled for profiling.
3643693Scael.Nm Gprof
3743693Scaelreads the given object file (the default is
3843693Scael.Pa a.out)
3943693Scaeland establishes the relation between it's symbol table
4043693Scaeland the call graph profile from
4143693Scael.Pa gmon.out .
4219768SmckusickIf more than one profile file is specified,
4319768Smckusickthe
4443693Scael.Nm gprof
4519768Smckusickoutput shows the sum of the profile information in the given profile files.
4643693Scael.Pp
4743693Scael.Nm Gprof
4832285Smckusickcalculates the amount of time spent in each routine.
4919768SmckusickNext, these times are propagated along the edges of the call graph.
5043693ScaelCycles are discovered, and calls into a cycle are made to share the time
5119768Smckusickof the cycle.
5232285SmckusickThe first listing shows the functions
5319768Smckusicksorted according to the time they represent
5419768Smckusickincluding the time of their call graph descendents.
5519768SmckusickBelow each function entry is shown its (direct) call graph children,
5619768Smckusickand how their times are propagated to this function.
5719768SmckusickA similar display above the function shows how this function's time and the
5819768Smckusicktime of its descendents is propagated to its (direct) call graph parents.
5943693Scael.Pp
6019768SmckusickCycles are also shown, with an entry for the cycle as a whole and
6119768Smckusicka listing of the members of the cycle and their contributions to the
6219768Smckusicktime and call counts of the cycle.
6343693Scael.Pp
6432285SmckusickSecond, a flat profile is given,
6532285Smckusicksimilar to that provided by
6643693Scael.Xr prof  1  .
6732285SmckusickThis listing gives the total execution times, the call counts,
6843693Scaelthe time in milleseconds the call spent in the routine itself, and
6943693Scaelthe time in milleseconds the call spent in the routine itself including
7032285Smckusickits descendents.
7143693Scael.Pp
7232285SmckusickFinally, an index of the function names is provided.
7343693Scael.Pp
7419768SmckusickThe following options are available:
75*50520Scael.Bl -tag -width Fl
76*50520Scael.It Fl a
77*50520ScaelSuppresses the printing of statically declared functions.
7819768SmckusickIf this option is given, all relevant information about the static function
7943693Scael(e.g., time samples, calls to other functions, calls from other functions)
8019768Smckusickbelongs to the function loaded just before the static function in the
8143693Scael.Pa a.out
8219768Smckusickfile.
83*50520Scael.It Fl b
84*50520ScaelSuppresses the printing of a description of each field in the profile.
85*50520Scael.It Fl c
86*50520ScaelThe static call graph of the program is discovered by a heuristic
8732285Smckusickthat examines the text space of the object file.
8832285SmckusickStatic-only parents or children are shown
8919768Smckusickwith call counts of 0.
90*50520Scael.It Fl e Ar name
91*50520ScaelSuppresses the printing of the graph profile entry for routine
9243693Scael.Ar name
9319768Smckusickand all its descendants
9419768Smckusick(unless they have other ancestors that aren't suppressed).
9519768SmckusickMore than one
9643693Scael.Fl e
9719768Smckusickoption may be given.
9819768SmckusickOnly one
9943693Scael.Ar name
10019768Smckusickmay be given with each
10143693Scael.Fl e
10219768Smckusickoption.
103*50520Scael.It Fl E Ar name
104*50520ScaelSuppresses the printing of the graph profile entry for routine
10543693Scael.Ar name
10643693Scael(and its descendants) as
10743693Scael.Fl e  ,
10819768Smckusickabove, and also excludes the time spent in
10943693Scael.Ar name
11019768Smckusick(and its descendants) from the total and percentage time computations.
11119768Smckusick(For example,
11243693Scael.Fl E
11343693Scael.Ar mcount
11443693Scael.Fl E
11543693Scael.Ar mcleanup
11619768Smckusickis the default.)
117*50520Scael.It Fl f Ar name
118*50520ScaelPrints the graph profile entry of only the specified routine
11943693Scael.Ar name
12019768Smckusickand its descendants.
12119768SmckusickMore than one
12243693Scael.Fl f
12319768Smckusickoption may be given.
12419768SmckusickOnly one
12543693Scael.Ar name
12619768Smckusickmay be given with each
12743693Scael.Fl f
12819768Smckusickoption.
129*50520Scael.It Fl F Ar name
130*50520ScaelPrints the graph profile entry of only the routine
13143693Scael.Ar name
13243693Scaeland its descendants (as
13343693Scael.Fl f ,
13419768Smckusickabove) and also uses only the times of the printed routines
13519768Smckusickin total time and percentage computations.
13619768SmckusickMore than one
13743693Scael.Fl F
13819768Smckusickoption may be given.
13919768SmckusickOnly one
14043693Scael.Ar name
14119768Smckusickmay be given with each
14243693Scael.Fl F
14319768Smckusickoption.
14419768SmckusickThe
14543693Scael.Fl F
14619768Smckusickoption
14719768Smckusickoverrides
14819768Smckusickthe
14943693Scael.Fl E
15019768Smckusickoption.
151*50520Scael.It Fl k Ar fromname Ar toname
152*50520ScaelWill delete any arcs from routine
15343693Scael.Ar fromname
15430964Smckusickto routine
155*50520Scael.Ar toname .
15630964SmckusickThis can be used to break undesired cycles.
15730964SmckusickMore than one
15843693Scael.Fl k
15930964Smckusickoption may be given.
16030964SmckusickOnly one pair of routine names may be given with each
16143693Scael.Fl k
16230964Smckusickoption.
163*50520Scael.It Fl s
164*50520ScaelA profile file
16543693Scael.Pa gmon.sum
16632285Smckusickis produced that represents
16719768Smckusickthe sum of the profile information in all the specified profile files.
16832285SmckusickThis summary profile file may be given to later
16919768Smckusickexecutions of gprof (probably also with a
170*50520Scael.Fl s )
17119768Smckusickto accumulate profile data across several runs of an
17243693Scael.Pa a.out
17319768Smckusickfile.
174*50520Scael.It Fl z
175*50520ScaelDisplays routines that have zero usage (as shown by call counts
17619768Smckusickand accumulated time).
17743693ScaelThis is useful with the
17843693Scael.Fl c
17919768Smckusickoption for discovering which routines were never called.
180*50520Scael.El
18143693Scael.Sh FILES
182*50520Scael.Bl -tag -width gmon.sum -compact
183*50520Scael.It Pa a.out
184*50520ScaelThe namelist and text space.
185*50520Scael.It Pa gmon.out
186*50520ScaelDynamic call graph and profile.
187*50520Scael.It Pa gmon.sum
188*50520ScaelSummarized dynamic call graph and profile.
189*50520Scael.El
19043693Scael.Sh SEE ALSO
19143693Scael.Xr monitor 3 ,
19243693Scael.Xr profil 2 ,
19343693Scael.Xr cc 1 ,
19443693Scael.Xr prof 1
195*50520Scael.Rs
196*50520Scael.%T "An Execution Profiler for Modular Programs"
197*50520Scael.%A S. Graham
198*50520Scael.%A P. Kessler
199*50520Scael.%A M. McKusick
200*50520Scael.%J "Software - Practice and Experience"
201*50520Scael.%V 13
202*50520Scael.%P pp. 671-685
203*50520Scael.%D 1983
204*50520Scael.Re
205*50520Scael.Rs
206*50520Scael.%T "gprof: A Call Graph Execution Profiler"
207*50520Scael.%A S. Graham
208*50520Scael.%A P. Kessler
209*50520Scael.%A M. McKusick
210*50520Scael.%J "Proceedings of the SIGPLAN '82 Symposium on Compiler Construction, SIGPLAN Notices"
211*50520Scael.%V 17
212*50520Scael.%N 6
213*50520Scael.%P pp. 120-126
214*50520Scael.%D June 1982
215*50520Scael.Re
21643693Scael.Sh HISTORY
217*50520ScaelThe
218*50520Scael.Nm gprof
219*50520Scaelprofiler
220*50520Scaelappeared in
221*50520Scael.Bx 4.2 .
22243693Scael.Sh BUGS
22319768SmckusickThe granularity of the sampling is shown, but remains
22419768Smckusickstatistical at best.
22519768SmckusickWe assume that the time for each execution of a function
22619768Smckusickcan be expressed by the total time for the function divided
22719768Smckusickby the number of times the function is called.
22832285SmckusickThus the time propagated along the call graph arcs to the function's
22932285Smckusickparents is directly proportional to the number of times that
23019768Smckusickarc is traversed.
23143693Scael.Pp
23243693ScaelParents that are not themselves profiled will have the time of
23319768Smckusicktheir profiled children propagated to them, but they will appear
23419768Smckusickto be spontaneously invoked in the call graph listing, and will
23519768Smckusicknot have their time propagated further.
23619768SmckusickSimilarly, signal catchers, even though profiled, will appear
23719768Smckusickto be spontaneous (although for more obscure reasons).
23819768SmckusickAny profiled children of signal catchers should have their times
23943693Scaelpropagated properly, unless the signal catcher was invoked during
24019768Smckusickthe execution of the profiling routine, in which case all is lost.
24143693Scael.Pp
24243693ScaelThe profiled program must call
24343693Scael.Xr exit  2
24419768Smckusickor return normally for the profiling information to be saved
24543693Scaelin the
24643693Scael.Pa gmon.out
24743693Scaelfile.
248