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README
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1996-11-11
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Optimization Documents
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documentation on optimizing programs is our focus
The following documents are included herein:
* Optimization for Real-Time Graphics Applications, February, 1996
* MIPSpro(TM) Compiling and Performance Tuning Guide, March 1996
* IRIX 6.2 MIPSpro 64-Bit Porting and Transition Guide, March 1996
* REACT(TM) Real-Time Programmer's Guide, March 1996
* Build-time alternatives relating to ld
* overview of Quickstart, Requickstart and tasks performed by RLD
SEE ALSO: the Performance Tuning/Issues Topical Listing
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* Optimization for Real-Time Graphics Applications, February, 1996
o HTML format -- 1, complete, image-rich document
--also accessible via this separate Table of Contents entry-point
file
(generated with CERN WebMaker and a good dose of futzing!)
o View HTML format with this Table of Contents to separate,
broken-out files
NOTE: in this version, "Section" links will work but "Figure"
links won't.
o compressed PostScript (37 pages)
Real-time entertainment applications are very sensitive to image
quality, performance, and system cost. Graphics workstations provide
full product lines with a full range of price points and performance
options. At the high end, they provide many traditional Image Generator
features such as real-time texture mapping and full scene antialiasing.
They can also support many channels, or players, per workstation to
offset the cost of getting the high-end features. At the low end, they
have entry prices and performance that are often competitive with PCs.
Graphics workstations can provide a very powerful, flexible solution
with a rich development environment. Additionally, because of binary
compatibility across product lines and standards in graphics APIs,
graphics workstations offer the possibility of portability of both
applications and databases to different and future architectures.
However, this power and flexibility increases the complexity for
achieving the full quoted performance from such a machine. This paper
presents a strategy for performance for developing and tuning real-time
graphics applications on graphics workstations.
The following topics are covered:
o typical application requirements for graphics workstations
o multi-processing issues for graphics subsytems
o graphics workstation pipelines and performance trade-offs
o strategies for diagnosing pipeline bottlenecks
o database structure for traversal
o designing and tuning a real-time application
o run-time diagnostics and load-management strategies
o tools for debugging graphics performance
Developing a designed-for-performance application requires
understanding the potential performance problems, identifying which
factors are limiting performance, and then making the trade-offs to
achieve maximum frame rate with the highest quality scene content.
* MIPSpro(TM) Compiling and Performance Tuning Guide, March 1996
o HTML format
o compressed PostScript Table Of Contents (chapters as separate
files)
This guide discusses a variety of issues and tools involved in
programming under the IRIX operating system. It describes the
components of MIPSpro compiler system, other programming tools and
interfaces, and dynamic shared objects. It also explains ways to
improve program performance.
The compiler system produces either 64-bit object code, new 32-bit
(n32) object code, or old 32-bit object code. This guide describes the
MIPSpro compilers that produce n32-bit and 64-bit objects. For
additional information about n32, see the MIPSpro N32 ABI Handbook. For
information about compilers that produce old 32-bit objects, refer to
the MIPS Compiling and Performance Tuning Guide.
What You Should Know Before Reading This Guide
This guide is for anyone who wants to program effectively using the
MIPSpro compilers. We assume you are familiar with the IRIX (or UNIX)
operating system and a programming language such as C or Fortran. This
guide does not explain how to write and compile programs.
This guide does not cover the differences between n32-bit, 64-bit,
and 32-bit compilation modes. Refer to MIPSpro Application Porting and
Transition Guide and MIPSpro N32 ABI Handbook for information about the
differences between these modes, language implementation differences,
source code porting, compilation issues, and run-time execution.
* IRIX 6.2 MIPSpro(TM) 64-Bit Porting and Transition Guide, March 1996
This document describes porting and transitioning to the MIPSpro
32-bit, 64-bit and high performance 32-bit (N32) compilers, and how to
employ them with IRIX 6.2, as well as providing techniques for tuning
the performance of your R8000 applications.
* REACT(TM) Real-Time Programmer's Guide, March 1996
o HTML format
o compressed PostScript Table Of Contents (chapters as separate
files)
A real-time program is one that must maintain a fixed timing
relationship to external hardware. In order to respond to the hardware
quickly and reliably, a real-time program must have special support
from the system software and hardware.
This guide describes the support that IRIX and the Silicon Graphics
CHALLENGE, Onyx, and POWERCHALLENGE computers provide to real-time
programs. The support bundled with all versions of IRIX is called
REACT. A set of extra-cost features is called REACT/Pro. This guide
covers REACT for IRIX 6.2, and REACT/Pro 3.0.
This guide is designed to be read online, using IRIS InSight. You
are encouraged to read it in non-linear order using all the navigation
tools that Insight provides. In the online book, the name of a
reference page ("man page") is red in color (for example: mpin(2),
sproc(2)). You can click on these names to cause the reference page to
open automatically in a separate terminal window.
Who This Guide Is For
This guide is written for real-time programmers. You, a real-time
programmer, are assumed to be
o an expert in the use of your programming language, which must be
either C, Ada, or FORTRAN to use the features described here
o knowledgeable about the hardware interfaces used by your real-time
program
o familiar with system-programming concepts such as interrupts,
device drivers, multiprogramming, and semaphores
You are not assumed to be an expert in UNIX system programming,
although you do need to be familiar with UNIX as an environment for
developing software.
The below files are old, but still included until we get something more
current.
* ld.showcase: showcase slides presented in-house
covers Build-time alternatives relating to ld, including using the
"-update_registry" and "-no_unresolved" flags, Transitive Links, and
Delayed Load.
* rld.overview: ascii version of showcase slides presented in-house
provides an overview of Quickstart, Requickstart and tasks performed by
RLD, the dynamic linker.
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Copyright ⌐ 1995-96, Silicon Graphics, Inc.