How to use gprof, the GNU profiler

Instructions on compiling your ADMB executable to work with the GNU profiler, which records the amount of time spent on individual tasks within the code

These steps successfully created a profile for a model compiled and run on linux. This was all based on instructions for gprof at http://sourceware.org/binutils/docs-2.20/gprof/index.html and trial and error. There may be an easier way already built in to ADMB for all I know. Please correct this as you wish. -Ian T. Nov 15, 2010.

  1. Within the admb/bin directory, create a file “adcomp_pg” which is identical to “adcomp”, except that the line near the end has the additional command “-pg”:

    CMD="g++ -c -O3 -Wno-deprecated ${g}${dll}${opt}-D__GNUDOS__ -Dlinux -DUSE_LAPLACE -fpermissive -I. -I$ADMB_HOME/include ${ARG}$model.cpp -pg"

  2. Also in that directory, create a file “adlink_pg” which is identical to “adlink”, except that the line near the end has the additional command “-pg”:

    CMD="g++ ${s}${shared}-L$ADMB_HOME/lib $model.o $df1b2lib -ladmod -ladt $adlib $df1b2lib -ladmod -ladt $adlib ${ARG}$out -pg"

  3. Compile the model using these scripts instead of the usual ones with the additional of the “-g” option, which will “insert debugging symbols” in the executable (all this could presumably be rolled into something like the “admb” script):

    tpl2cpp mymodel
adcomp_pg -g mymodel
adlink_pg -g mymodel

  4. Run the model as you normally would, which should go slightly slower and produce an additional file called “gmon.out”

    ./mymodel

  5. Convert the gmon.out file into something useful using the “gprof” command:

    gprof mymodel > myprofile.txt

  6. Look at the file myprofile.txt. What to actually do with this information is something that I haven’t figured out yet.

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