racket/collects/scribblings/reference/futures-logging.scrbl
2012-09-07 09:11:16 -06:00

138 lines
5.8 KiB
Racket

#lang scribble/doc
@(require "mz.rkt" (for-label racket/future future-visualizer/trace))
@title[#:tag "future-logging"]{Future Performance Logging}
Racket traces use logging (see @secref["logging"]) extensively to
report information about how futures are evaluated. Logging output is
useful for debugging the performance of programs that use futures.
Though textual log output can be viewed directly (or retrieved in
code via @racket[trace-futures]), it is much
easier to use the graphical profiler tool provided by
@racketmodname[future-visualizer].
Future events are reported to a logger named @racket['future].
In addition to its string message, each event logged for a future has
a data value that is an instance of a @racket[future-event]
@tech{prefab} structure:
@racketblock[
(define-struct future-event (future-id proc-id action time)
#:prefab)
]
The @racket[future-id] field is an exact integer that identifies a
future, or it is @racket[#f] when @racket[action] is
@racket['missing]. The @racket[future-id] field is particularly useful
for correlating logged events.
The @racket[proc-id] fields is an exact, non-negative integer that
identifies a parallel process. Process 0 is the main Racket process,
where all expressions other than future thunks evaluate.
The @racket[time-id] field is an inexact number that represents time in
the same way as @racket[current-inexact-milliseconds].
The @racket[action] field is a symbol:
@itemlist[
@item{@racket['create]: a future was created.}
@item{@racket['complete]: a future's thunk evaluated successfully, so
that @racket[touch] will produce a value for the future
immediately.}
@item{@racket['start-work] and @racket['end-work]: a particular
process started and ended working on a particular future.}
@item{@racket['start-0-work]: like @racket['start-work], but for a
future thunk that for some structural reason could not be
started in a process other than 0 (e.g., the thunk requires too
much local storage to start).}
@item{@racket['start-overflow-work]: like @racket['start-work], where
the future thunk's work was previously stopped due to an
internal stack overflow.}
@item{@racket['sync]: blocking (processes other than 0) or initiation
of handing (process 0) for an ``unsafe'' operation in a future
thunk's evaluation; the operation must run in process 0.}
@item{@racket['block]: like @racket['sync], but for a part of
evaluation that must be delayed until the future is
@racket[touch]ed, because the evaluation may depend on the
current continuation.}
@item{@racket['touch] (never in process 0): like @racket['sync] or
@racket['block], but for a @racket[touch] operation within a
future thunk.}
@item{@racket['overflow] (never in process 0): like @racket['sync] or
@racket['block], but for the case that a process encountered an
internal stack overflow while evaluating a future thunk.}
@item{@racket['result] or @racket['abort]: waiting or handling for
@racket['sync], @racket['block], or @racket['touch] ended with
a value or an error, respectively.}
@item{@racket['suspend] (never in process 0): a process blocked by
@racket['sync], @racket['block], or @racket['touch] abandoned
evaluation of a future; some other process may pick up the
future later.}
@item{@racket['touch-pause] and @racket['touch-resume] (in process 0,
only): waiting in @racket[touch] for a future whose thunk is
being evaluated in another process.}
@item{@racket['missing]: one or more events for the process were lost
due to internal buffer limits before they could be reported,
and the @racket[time-id] field reports an upper limit on the time
of the missing events; this kind of event is rare.}
]
Assuming no @racket['missing] events, then @racket['start-work],
@racket['start-0-work], @racket['start-overflow-work] is always paired with @racket['end-work];
@racket['sync], @racket['block], and @racket['touch] are always paired
with @racket['result], @racket['abort], or @racket['suspend]; and
@racket['touch-pause] is always paired with @racket['touch-resume].
In process 0, some event pairs can be nested within other event pairs:
@racket['sync], @racket['block], or @racket['touch] with
@racket['result] or @racket['abort]; and @racket['touch-pause] with
@racket['touch-resume].
An @racket['block] in process 0 is generated when an unsafe operation
is handled. This type of event will contain a symbol in the
@racket[unsafe-op-name] field that is the name of the operation. In all
other cases, this field contains @racket[#f].
The @racket[prim-name] field will always be @racket[#f] unless the event occurred
on process 0 and its @racket[action] is either @racket['block] or @racket['sync]. If
these conditions are met, @racket[prim-name] will contain the name
of the Racket primitive which required the future to synchronize with the runtime
thread (represented as a symbol).
The @racket[user-data] field may take on a number of different
values depending on both the @racket[action] and @racket[prim-name] fields:
@itemlist[
@item{@racket['touch] on process 0: contains the integer ID of the future
being touched.}
@item{@racket['sync] and @racket[prim-name] = @racket[|allocate memory|]:
The size (in bytes) of the requested allocation.}
@item{@racket['sync] and @racket[prim-name] = @racket[|jit_on_demand|]:
The runtime thread is performing a JIT compilation on behalf of the
future @racket[future-id]. The field contains the name of the function
being JIT compiled (as a symbol).}
@item{@racket['create]: A new future was created. The field contains the integer ID
of the newly created future.}
]