Tuesday June 27, 2006 Douglas Walls' Weblog
Tuesday June 27, 2006 Linux Technology Preview, Build 24 - June 2006
Update: Sun Studio Compilers for Linux Technology Preview
We've just made Build 24 - June 2006 available for download visit:http://developers.sun.com/prodtech/cc/downloads/tech_preview.jsp
Some of the features changes available in this update include:
- OpenMP support for cc and f95
- -xipo, whole-program interprocedural optimization
- For Sun C and C++ compilers:
- Thread local storate support
- -fast command line macro now includes: -dalign -fns -nofstore -fsimple=2 -fsingle -xalias_level=basic -xtarget=native -xO5 -xregs=frameptr
- suncc, sunCC, sunf90, sunf77, sunf95, sunc89, sunc99, sunas compiler driver nicknames
- -m32 and -m64 flags specifying respectively, the ILP32 and LP64 address models
- The -xMD, -xMF, -xMMD flags for controlling makefile dependency information
- #include_next directive
- aligned and visibility __attribute__ support in C
- value returning blocks in C
- __typeof__ support in C
- Zero length arrays in C
- C++ compiler: stlport4 and rw7 libraries
- For Fortran compiler:
- -fast command line macro now includes: -xO5 -xtarget=native -xprefetch=auto -dalign -fsimple=2 -fns=yes -ftrap=common -nofstore
- interval arithmetic on Solaris Intel
- CAUTION messages issued when using the same symbols that are defined in different modules.
- Faster compilation time for source files with many constant values.
- Intrinsic functions called with UNSIGNED arguments improved.
( Jun 27 2006, 05:55:27 PM PDT ) Permalink Comments [0]
Monday June 26, 2006
Sun Studio Express Program June 2006 Build
Sun Studio Express Program June 2006 Build
Want a peek at the latest Sun Studio Compilers and Tools under
development from Sun? The Sun Studio Express Program provides the Sun
developer community with an early look at new features and technologies
of the Sun Studio Compilers and Tools. The Sun developer
community can assess the benefits of the most current compiler and
tools innovations. Through the Sun Studio forums, the Sun
developer community can ask question and give feedback, long before
they are released as products.
Wonder if the next revision of the Sun Studio Compilers is going to
give your application a performance boost? Now you can find out.
With the June 2006 Build, the Sun Studio Express Program is featuring
the Data Race Detection Tool (DRDT), a cool new tool for datarace
detection in OpenMP, threaded and parallel programs. DRDT works
with code written using the POSIX thread API, the Solaris Operating
System(R) thread API, OpenMP directives, Sun parallel directives,
Cray(R) parallel directives, or a mix of these.
So go check out the Sun Studio Express Program at:
http://developers.sun.com/prodtech/cc/downloads/express.jsp
Some of the other features being introduces with the June 2006 Build include:
- For Sun C and C++ compilers
- suncc, sunCC, sunf90, sunf77, sunf95, sunc89, sunc99, sunas compiler driver nicknames
- -m32 and -m64 flags specifying respectively, the ILP32 and LP64 address models
- The -xMD, -xMF, -xMMD flags for controlling makefile dependency information
- #include_next directive
- aligned and visibility __attribute__ support in C
- value returning blocks in C
- __typeof__ support in C
- Zero length arrays in C
- -xinstrument=datarace to support the cool new Data Race Detection Tool
- For Fortran compiler:
- interval arithmetic on Solaris Intel
- CAUTION messages issued when using the same symbols that are defined in different modules.
- Faster compilation time for source files with many constant values.
- Intrinsic functions called with UNSIGNED arguments improved.
- Improved backward compatibility with old F77 objects produced by the Sun WorkShop 6 update 2 compiler
- Sun Performance Library:
- major improvements in the performance of the Fast Fourier Transform software
- Improved the performance of the Transpose routines : CTRANS, DTRANS, STRANS, ZTRANS.
- Improved the performance and scalability of the Cholesky factorization routines: CPOTRF, DPOTRF, SPOTRF, ZPOTRF.
- lock_lint a static data race and deadlock detection tool for C programs is now available on Solaris Intel
- For the Analyzer:
- analyzer and er_print have been enhanced to present data race detection information, ie. the Data Race Detection Tool.
- collect and er_kernel command:
- new -r option for collecting data-race-detection data
- new -t option which specifies a time range for data collection
- Function and instruction count data can be recorded using the collect -c on option
- -P <pid> option, to attach to the process with the given PID, and collect data from it
- -F flag for collecting data on descendant processes
- -p <interval> may be prepended with a + sign to record additional data corresponding to dataspace profiling.
( Jun 26 2006, 08:00:25 PM PDT ) Permalink Comments [0]
Thursday June 15, 2006
Report bugs on Sun Studio Compilers and Tools at bugs.sun.com
You can now report bugs on Sun Studio Compilers and Tools at bugs.sun.com.
Here is how:
- Visit bugs.sun.com
- Select "Report a Bug" under Bug Database list on the right hand side of the page.
- Check the box under header "Submit a Bug", and click on button "Start a new Report"
- Under *Product/Category *pulldown menu, you will see 8 entries for eight components under the main one "Sun Studio Compilers and Tools":
- C Compiler
- C++ Compiler
- Fortran
- Dbx
- Performance Analyzer
- IDE
- Dmake
- Other
You'll recieve an acknowledgment of
your submital, and if accepted and entered into Sun's bug database an
email with a Bug ID to track the issue with.
Check it out.
Comming soon, the ability to search for Sun Studio Compilers and Tools bugs at bugs.sun.com ...
( Jun 15 2006, 12:41:40 PM PDT ) Permalink Comments [0]
Friday June 02, 2006
The real story on the cc command and the -xregs=frameptr option
Alas the Sun Studio 11 C User's Guide documentation about
-xregs=frameptr and -fast expansion that includes -xregs=frameptr is
incorrect to the point of being completely confusing.
http://docs.sun.com/source/819-3688/cc_ops.app.html Appendix B 2.16,
Table B-5 -fast option description incorrectly list -fast on x86 as
expanding to -xregs=no%frameptr. That is not correct. The
-fast macro option on x86 expansion includes -xregs=frameptr.
Later in Appendix B at 2.129, near the end of the description of -xregs, exists the following incorrect sentence:
The x86 default is -xregs=no%frameptr unless you specify -fast or an optimization of -xO5 in which case -xregs=frameptr.
-xO5 has no effect what-so-ever on -xregs option. The sentence should read:
The x86 default is -xregs=no%frameptr unless you specify the -fast macro option whose expansion includes -xregs=frameptr.
Unfortunately the cc man page also has the equivalent errors incorrectly showing -fast expanding to -xregs=no%frameptr, and claiming -xO5 implies -xregs=frameptr.
So to recap, here is an accurate description of -xregs=frameptr, and how the -fast macro expands for cc on x86/64:
-xregs=frameptr Tells the compiler it is allowed to use the frame-pointer
register as an unallocated callee-saves register for purposes
of optimization.
-xregs=no%frameptr Tells the compiler it is NOT allowed to use the frame=pointer
register for purposes of optimization.
The x86 default is -xregs=no%frameptr unless you specify the -fast macro option whose expansion includes -xregs=frameptr.
-xregs=frameptr allow the compiler to use the frame-pointer register (%ebp on IA32, %rbp on AMD64) as an unallocated callee-saves register. Using this register as an unallocated callee-saves register may improve program run time. However, it also reduces the capacity of some tools to inspect and follow the stack. This stack inspection capability is important for system performance measurement and tuning. Therefor, using this optimization may improve local program performance at the expense of global system performance.
- Tools, such as the Performance Analyzer, that dump the stack for postmortem diagnosis will not work.
- Debuggers (e.g adb, mdb, dbx) will not be able to dump the stack or directly pop stack frames.
- The dtrace performance analysis facility will be unable to collect information on any frames on the stack before the most recent frame missing the frame pointer.
- Posix pthread_cancel will fail trying to find cleanup handlers.
- C++ exceptions cannot propagate through C functions.
Note some might also be confused by the following bullet item in the C man page ...
The documentation at the top of the cc man page about -xregs=no%frameptr is incorrect, it currently says:
o A new x86-only flag for the -xregs option,
-xregs=[no%]frameptr, lets you use the frame-pointer regis-
ter as an unallocated callee-saves register to increase the
run-time performance of applications.
This needs to be corrected to say:
o A new x86-only flag for the -xregs option,
-xregs=frameptr, lets you use the frame-pointer regis-
ter as an unallocated callee-saves register to increase the
run-time performance of applications.
Note the Sun Studio 10 C User's guide does not have these errors, i.e. it correctly describes -xregs=frameptr and -fast ( Jun 02 2006, 02:59:24 PM PDT ) Permalink Comments [0]