dot.NET Profiler

Download latest 10-day CTP version!

SpeedTrace is developing fast! New unique features have been added to SpeedTrace only since my last entry a couple of months ago.

This calls for the new downloadable SpeedTrace CTP (Community Test Review) 10-day test version currently on display for review:

Download from Europe/world:
http://www.ipcas.com/trace-and-profile/download.html

Download from the USA:
http://dotnet-profiler.com/index.php?serendipity[subpage]=download&level=1&thiscat=3

We would like to welcome you to a new download of our latest beta version. You can now test it on your own dotNet applications and take part in the SpeedTrace development process by sending us your feedback. We would be thrilled to receive your comments.

Unique selling properties!

Here are some of the new version's unique selling features:

• Elimination of excluded items – permits you not only to exclude but also to eliminate specified methods, for example wait operations, which may not be required at the time and would otherwise slow down the application run by up to a factor of 10. This avoids time losses (for drilling to the root) on waiting or other functions you do not want to analyze.
• Filter optimization – has been accomplished on the export recording filters, allowing you to focus even closer on the functions relevant to performance.
• Tracee arguments filter – only records those tracees whose program start arguments match specified arguments. This in effect enables you to start processes externally and zoom right into the problem areas using the start arguments to focus on individual server functions, for example, within a work distributed hosting component system.

All this saves you loads of calculating capacity, runtime and energy!

Essential improvements!

Other features have been improved considerably:

• Hierarchical caller-callee – shows all "children" and further offspring in the caller-callee view, which enhances drill-down functionality to a great extent.
• Showing all children as "flat" for hierarchical profile views – enables you to view the hotspots of the executed function without expanding child nodes.
• Comparing profile results - is important to know whether changes made within your code have a positive upshot or predominantly negative side effects. You can compare
  profile results with counterpoint method timings and allocation issues.
• Call history/filtering – represents (in text and graphics) the contribution/distribution of execution times from a selected function, now allowing you to make inferences directly from any opened profile to the trace in order to see the callees of a given function. Whenever an item is double-clicked, a second instance of Trace Analyzer will be opened showing exclusively the calls made within that segment.

With the enriched call history/filtering function, developers and testers no longer have to go through the lengthy routine of first profiling, then locating the performance problem, setting the filters to reduce the scope of analysis, and finally, tracing their application. Now you can jump from the profile to the trace analysis in less than three steps!

Even more user-friendly!

Additional improvements:

• Multi-column thread display – allows the user in the Trace view to see the sequence of thread calls made during program execution. Right-clicking on the header control and selecting Show/Hide columns will provide the number of threads available to be shown at one glance. Separating the columns helps the user to recognize the activities performed by specific threads.
• Minor UI improvements:
  - Open branch in new tab with CTRL+N
  - Hot-tracking of child nodes
  - TSC drift checks
  - Added start arguments to summary

In the entries to come I would like to lead you through a tour taking a closer look at the most unique features this tool has.

In the meantime, have fun testing the new tool version and don't forget to send us your comments! Join in on the development process to best suit your own application!

For general information on SpeedTrace and its unique features, please also visit our website:

http://www.ipcas.com/trace-and-profile/c-sharp-and-vb.net-tracer-and-profiler/