Software monitor
Domenico Ferrari · Encyclopedia of Computer Science · 2003
A software monitor is, according to its most general definition, a piece of software used for performance measurement purposes. Like other types of instruments (e.g. hardware monitors), a software monitor is capable of measuring the performance of two kinds of objects--computer systems and computer programs. A system-oriented monitor usually measures system performance indices (e.g. response or turnaround times, throughput (q.v.) rates, component utilizations), as well as system and workload variables (e.g. CPU time demands, memory space demands, paging rates, degrees of multiprogramming--q.v.). A program-oriented monitor is usually capable of measuring such program performance indices as execution times, instruction execution counts and frequencies, total CPU times, uniterrupted CPU interval durations, numbers and types of I/O operations performed, and so on.