Estime User Guide

Once installed (see the Installation Guide), the Estime library is easy to use. In order to use it in your C code, you have to include the header file <estime.h> and compile your code with the library option -lestime. The Estime package provides a few examples.

Function Calls

ESTIME *	estime_init()
	Initialization step that must be performed once.
estime_t	estime_get_time()
	Gets the current cycle count.
estime_t	estime_get_virtual()
	Gets the virtual time of the own process.
ESTIME *	estime_open(pid_t pid)
	Opens a timer for another process.
estime_t	estime_get_pid_virtual(ESTIME *timer)
	Gets the virtual time of another process.
double	estime_cycles_per_sec()
	Gets the number of cycles per second for this cpu.

estime_init

Initialization step that must be performed once.

Returns:
   the timer for this process or NULL on error

Effects:
   initializes the library internal structures

estime_get_time

Gets the current cycle count.

Returns:
   the current cycle count

estime_get_virtual

Gets the virtual time of the own process.

Returns:
   the virtual time in cycles for this process

Requires:
   estime_init() called

estime_open

Opens a timer for another process.

Returns:
   a timer for the process identified by the given pid or NULL on error

Requires:
   pid refers to a live process

estime_get_pid_virtual

Gets the virtual time of another process.

Returns:
   the virtual time in cycles for the process of the given timer

Requires:
   estime_init() called && timer refers to a live process

estime_cycles_per_sec

Gets the number of cycles per second for this cpu.

Returns:
   the number of cycles per second for this cpu

Requires:
   estime_init() called