VaST Systems announced the release of a function analyzer to its Metrix analysis tool.

The new capability provides accurate profiling capabilities for target software executing on processors within a virtual system prototype.

Accurate profiling and tuning often requires the execution of billions of simulation cycles and contemporary techniques are too slow to allow thorough profiling. Metrix allows software and system developers to consider exact execution costs to efficiently tune and optimize software.

Metrix allows comparison of results gathered from multiple simulations. The results yield a clear picture, in tabular and graphical displays, of how each software function performs. These can help a user to spot bottlenecks, under-utilization, latency contributors, areas for optimization, and poor cache management.

Metrix's output includes call graphs, call tracing with stack depth and timing, instruction and cycle counts – call by call as well as cumulative profiles, and cache statistics.

"VaST's virtualization technology provides remarkable visibility into events, transactions, and software interactions that occur in an embedded system," said Jeff Roane, Vice President of marketing at VaST, "The Metrix function analysis and profiling capability satisfies the growing need to optimize software based on in-system performance profiling.”