Intel 64 and IA-32 Architectures Software Developers Manual Volume 3B, System Programming Guide Part 2
Table Of Contents
- Chapter 18 Debugging and Performance Monitoring
- 18.1 Overview of Debug Support Facilities
- 18.2 Debug Registers
- 18.3 Debug Exceptions
- 18.4 Last Branch Recording Overview
- 18.5 Last Branch, Interrupt, and Exception Recording (Intel® Core™2 Duo and Intel® Atom™ Processor Family)
- 18.6 Last Branch, Interrupt, and Exception Recording (Intel® Core™i7 Processor Family)
- 18.7 Last Branch, Interrupt, and Exception Recording (Processors based on Intel NetBurst® Microarchitecture)
- 18.7.1 CPL-Qualified Branch Trace Mechanism
- 18.7.2 MSR_DEBUGCTLA MSR
- 18.7.3 LBR Stack for Processors Based on Intel NetBurst Microarchitecture
- 18.7.4 Monitoring Branches, Exceptions, and Interrupts
- 18.7.5 Single-Stepping on Branches, Exceptions, and Interrupts
- 18.7.6 Branch Trace Messages
- 18.7.7 Last Exception Records
- 18.7.8 Branch Trace Store (BTS)
- 18.8 Last Branch, Interrupt, and Exception Recording (Intel® Core™ Solo and Intel® Core™ Duo Processors)
- 18.9 Last Branch, Interrupt, and Exception Recording (Pentium M Processors)
- 18.10 Last Branch, Interrupt, and Exception Recording (P6 Family Processors)
- 18.11 Time-Stamp Counter
- 18.12 Performance Monitoring Overview
- 18.13 Architectural Performance Monitoring
- 18.14 Performance Monitoring (Intel® Core™ Solo and Intel® Core™ Duo Processors)
- 18.15 Performance Monitoring (Processors based on Intel® Core™ Microarchitecture)
- 18.16 Performance Monitoring (Processors based on Intel® Atom™ Microarchitecture)
- 18.17 Performance Monitoring for Processors based on Intel® Microarchitecture (Nehalem)
- 18.18 Performance Monitoring (Processors Based on Intel NetBurst microarchitecture)
- 18.18.1 ESCR MSRs
- 18.18.2 Performance Counters
- 18.18.3 CCCR MSRs
- 18.18.4 Debug Store (DS) Mechanism
- 18.18.5 DS Save Area
- 18.18.6 Programming the Performance Counters for Non-Retirement Events
- 18.18.6.1 Selecting Events to Count
- 18.18.6.2 Filtering Events
- 18.18.6.3 Starting Event Counting
- 18.18.6.4 Reading a Performance Counter’s Count
- 18.18.6.5 Halting Event Counting
- 18.18.6.6 Cascading Counters
- 18.18.6.7 EXTENDED CASCADING
- 18.18.6.8 Generating an Interrupt on Overflow
- 18.18.6.9 Counter Usage Guideline
- 18.18.7 At-Retirement Counting
- 18.18.8 Precise Event-Based Sampling (PEBS)
- 18.18.9 Operating System Implications
- 18.19 Performance Monitoring and Intel Hyper- Threading Technology in Processors Based on Intel NetBurst Microarchitecture
- 18.20 Counting Clocks
- 18.21 Performance Monitoring, Branch Profiling and System Events
- 18.22 Performance Monitoring and Dual-Core Technology
- 18.23 Performance Monitoring on 64-bit Intel Xeon Processor MP with Up to 8-MByte L3 Cache
- 18.24 Performance Monitoring on L3 and Caching Bus Controller sub-systems
- 18.25 Performance Monitoring (P6 Family Processor)
- 18.26 Performance Monitoring (Pentium Processors)
- Chapter 19 Introduction to Virtual-Machine Extensions
- Chapter 20 Virtual-Machine Control Structures
- 20.1 Overview
- 20.2 Format of the VMCS Region
- 20.3 Organization of VMCS Data
- 20.4 Guest-State Area
- 20.5 Host-State Area
- 20.6 VM-Execution Control Fields
- 20.6.1 Pin-Based VM-Execution Controls
- 20.6.2 Processor-Based VM-Execution Controls
- 20.6.3 Exception Bitmap
- 20.6.4 I/O-Bitmap Addresses
- 20.6.5 Time-Stamp Counter Offset
- 20.6.6 Guest/Host Masks and Read Shadows for CR0 and CR4
- 20.6.7 CR3-Target Controls
- 20.6.8 Controls for APIC Accesses
- 20.6.9 MSR-Bitmap Address
- 20.6.10 Executive-VMCS Pointer
- 20.6.11 Extended-Page-Table Pointer (EPTP)
- 20.6.12 Virtual-Processor Identifier (VPID)
- 20.7 VM-Exit Control Fields
- 20.8 VM-Entry Control Fields
- 20.9 VM-Exit Information Fields
- 20.10 Software Access to the VMCS and Related Structures
- 20.11 Using VMCLEAR to Initialize a VMCS Region
- Chapter 21 VMX Non-Root Operation
- 21.1 Instructions That Cause VM Exits
- 21.2 APIC-Access VM Exits
- 21.3 Other Causes of VM Exits
- 21.4 Changes to Instruction Behavior in VMX Non- Root Operation
- 21.5 APIC Accesses That Do Not Cause VM Exits
- 21.6 Other Changes in VMX Non-Root Operation
- 21.7 Features Specific to VMX Non-Root Operation
- Chapter 22 VM Entries
- 22.1 Basic VM-Entry Checks
- 22.2 Checks on VMX Controls and Host-State Area
- 22.3 Checking and Loading Guest State
- 22.3.1 Checks on the Guest State Area
- 22.3.1.1 Checks on Guest Control Registers, Debug Registers, and MSRs
- 22.3.1.2 Checks on Guest Segment Registers
- 22.3.1.3 Checks on Guest Descriptor-Table Registers
- 22.3.1.4 Checks on Guest RIP and RFLAGS
- 22.3.1.5 Checks on Guest Non-Register State
- 22.3.1.6 Checks on Guest Page-Directory-Pointer-Table Entries
- 22.3.2 Loading Guest State
- 22.3.3 Clearing Address-Range Monitoring
- 22.3.1 Checks on the Guest State Area
- 22.4 Loading MSRs
- 22.5 Event Injection
- 22.6 Special Features of VM Entry
- 22.6.1 Interruptibility State
- 22.6.2 Activity State
- 22.6.3 Delivery of Pending Debug Exceptions after VM Entry
- 22.6.4 VMX-Preemption Timer
- 22.6.5 Interrupt-Window Exiting
- 22.6.6 NMI-Window Exiting
- 22.6.7 VM Exits Induced by the TPR Shadow
- 22.6.8 Pending MTF VM Exits
- 22.6.9 VM Entries and Advanced Debugging Features
- 22.7 VM-Entry Failures During or After Loading Guest State
- 22.8 Machine Checks During VM Entry
- Chapter 23 VM Exits
- 23.1 Architectural State Before a VM Exit
- 23.2 Recording VM-Exit Information and Updating VM-Entry Control Fields
- 23.3 Saving Guest State
- 23.4 Saving MSRs
- 23.5 Loading Host State
- 23.5.1 Loading Host Control Registers, Debug Registers, MSRs
- 23.5.2 Loading Host Segment and Descriptor-Table Registers
- 23.5.3 Loading Host RIP, RSP, and RFLAGS
- 23.5.4 Checking and Loading Host Page-Directory-Pointer-Table Entries
- 23.5.5 Updating Non-Register State
- 23.5.6 Clearing Address-Range Monitoring
- 23.6 Loading MSRs
- 23.7 VMX Aborts
- 23.8 Machine Check During VM Exit
- Chapter 24 Support for Address Translation
- 24.1 Virtual Processor Identifiers (VPIDs)
- 24.2 Extended Page Tables (EPT)
- 24.3 Caching Translation Information
- Chapter 25 System Management
- 25.1 System Management Mode Overview
- 25.2 System Management Interrupt (SMI)
- 25.3 Switching Between SMM and the Other Processor Operating Modes
- 25.4 SMRAM
- 25.5 SMI Handler Execution Environment
- 25.6 Exceptions and Interrupts Within SMM
- 25.7 Managing Synchronous and Asynchronous System Management Interrupts
- 25.8 NMI Handling While in SMM
- 25.9 SMM Revision Identifier
- 25.10 Auto HALT Restart
- 25.11 SMBASE Relocation
- 25.12 I/O Instruction Restart
- 25.13 SMM Multiple-Processor Considerations
- 25.14 Default Treatment of SMIs and SMM with VMX Operation and SMX Operation
- 25.15 Dual-Monitor Treatment of SMIs and SMM
- 25.15.1 Dual-Monitor Treatment Overview
- 25.15.2 SMM VM Exits
- 25.15.3 Operation of an SMM Monitor
- 25.15.4 VM Entries that Return from SMM
- 25.15.4.1 Checks on the Executive-VMCS Pointer Field
- 25.15.4.2 Checks on VM-Execution Control Fields
- 25.15.4.3 Checks on VM-Entry Control Fields
- 25.15.4.4 Checks on Guest Non-Register State
- 25.15.4.5 Loading Guest State
- 25.15.4.6 VMX-Preemption Timer
- 25.15.4.7 Updating the Current-VMCS and SMM-Transfer VMCS Pointers
- 25.15.4.8 VM Exits Induced by VM Entry
- 25.15.4.9 SMI Blocking
- 25.15.4.10 Failures of VM Entries That Return from SMM
- 25.15.5 Enabling the Dual-Monitor Treatment
- 25.15.6 Activating the Dual-Monitor Treatment
- 25.15.7 Deactivating the Dual-Monitor Treatment
- 25.16 SMI and Processor Extended State Management
- Chapter 26 Virtual-Machine Monitor Programming Considerations
- 26.1 VMX System Programming Overview
- 26.2 Supporting Processor Operating Modes in Guest Environments
- 26.3 Managing VMCS Regions and Pointers
- 26.4 Using VMX Instructions
- 26.5 VMM Setup & Tear Down
- 26.6 Preparation and Launching a Virtual Machine
- 26.7 Handling of VM Exits
- 26.8 Multi-Processor Considerations
- 26.9 32-Bit and 64-Bit Guest Environments
- 26.10 Handling Model Specific Registers
- 26.11 Handling Accesses to Control Registers
- 26.12 Performance Considerations
- Chapter 27 Virtualization of System Resources
- 27.1 Overview
- 27.2 Virtualization Support for Debugging Facilities
- 27.3 Memory Virtualization
- 27.4 Microcode Update Facility
- Chapter 28 Handling Boundary Conditions in a Virtual Machine Monitor
- Appendix A Performance-Monitoring Events
- A.1 Architectural Performance-Monitoring Events
- A.2 Performance Monitoring Events for Intel® Intel® Core™i7 Processor Family
- A.3 Performance Monitoring Events for Intel® Xeon® Processor 5200, 5400 Series and Intel® Core™2 Extreme ProcessorS QX 9000 Series
- A.4 Performance Monitoring Events for Intel® Xeon® Processor 3000, 3200, 5100, 5300 Series and Intel® Core™2 Duo ProcessorS
- A.5 Performance Monitoring Events for Intel® Atom™ ProcessorS
- A.6 Performance Monitoring Events for Intel® Core™ Solo and Intel® Core™ Duo ProcessorS
- A.7 Pentium 4 and Intel Xeon Processor Performance-Monitoring Events
- A.8 Performance Monitoring Events for Intel® Pentium® M ProcessorS
- A.9 P6 Family Processor Performance- Monitoring Events
- A.10 Pentium Processor Performance- Monitoring Events
- Appendix B Model-Specific Registers (MSRs)
- B.1 Architectural MSRs
- B.2 MSRs In the Intel® Core™ 2 Processor Family
- B.3 MSRs In the Intel® Atom™ Processor Family
- B.4 MSRs In the Intel® Microarchitecture (Nehalem)
- B.5 MSRs In the Pentium® 4 and Intel® Xeon® Processors
- B.6 MSRs In Intel® Core™ Solo and Intel® Core™ Duo Processors
- B.7 MSRs In the Pentium M Processor
- B.8 MSRs In the P6 Family Processors
- B.9 MSRs in Pentium Processors
- Appendix C MP Initialization For P6 Family Processors
- Appendix D Programming the LINT0 and LINT1 Inputs
- Appendix E Interpreting Machine-Check Error Codes
- E.1 Incremental Decoding Information: Processor Family 06H Machine Error Codes For Machine Check
- E.2 Incremental Decoding Information: Intel Core 2 Processor Family Machine Error Codes For Machine Check
- E.3 Incremental Decoding Information: Processor Family with CPUID DisplayFamily_DisplayModel Signature 06_1AH, Machine Error Codes For Machine Check
- E.4 Incremental Decoding Information: Processor Family 0FH Machine Error Codes For Machine Check
- Appendix F APIC Bus Message Formats
- Appendix G VMX Capability Reporting Facility
- Appendix H Field Encoding in VMCS
- Appendix I VMX Basic Exit Reasons

18-78 Vol. 3
DEBUGGING AND PERFORMANCE MONITORING
The layout of MSR_PEBS_LD_LAT_THRESHOLD is shown in Figure 18-27.
Bits 15:0 specifies the threshold load latency in core clock cycles. Performance
events with latencies greater than this value are counted in IA32_PMCx and their
latency information is reported in the PEBS record. Otherwise, they are ignored. The
minimum value that may be programmed in this field is 3.
18.17.1.3 Off-core Response Performance Monitoring in the Processor Core
Performance an event using off-core response facility can program any of the four
IA32_PERFEVTSELx MSR with specific event codes and predefine mask bit value.
Each event code for off-core response monitoring requires programming an associ-
ated configuration MSR, MSR_OFFCORE_RSP_0. There is only one off-core response
configuration MSR. Table 18-23 lists the event code, mask value and additional off-
core configuration MSR that must be programmed to count off-core response events
using IA32_PMCx.
0xC L3 MISS. Local home requests that missed the L3 cache and was serviced by local
DRAM (go to exclusive state).
0xD L3 MISS. Remote home requests that missed the L3 cache and was serviced by
remote DRAM (go to exclusive state).
0xE Reserved
0xF The request was to un-cacheable memory.
Figure 18-27. Layout of MSR_PEBS_LD_LAT MSR
Table 18-22. Data Source Encoding for Load Latency Record (Contd.)
Encoding Description
1615
0
Reserved
63
THRHLD - Load latency threshold
RESET Value — 0x00000000_00000000