pw_perf_test#

Pigweed’s perf test module provides an easy way to measure performance on any test setup. By using an API similar to GoogleTest, this module aims to bring a comprehensive and intuitive testing framework to our users, much like pw_unit_test.

Warning

The PW_PERF_TEST macro is still under construction and should not be relied upon yet

Perf Test Interface#

The user experience of writing a performance test is intended to be as friction-less as possible. With the goal of being used for micro-benchmarking code, writing a performance test is as easy as:

void TestFunction(::pw::perf_test::State& state) {
  // space to create any needed variables.
  while (state.KeepRunning()){
    // code to measure here
  }
}
PW_PERF_TEST(PerformanceTestName, TestFunction);

However, it is recommended to read this guide to understand and write tests that are suited towards your platform and the type of code you are trying to benchmark.

State#

Within the testing framework, the state object is responsible for calling the timing interface and keeping track of testing iterations. It contains only one publicly accessible function, since the object is intended for internal use only. The KeepRunning() function collects timestamps to measure the code and ensures that only a certain number of iterations are run. To use the state object properly, pass it as an argument of the test function and pass in the KeepRunning() function as the condition in a while() loop. The KeepRunning() function collects timestamps to measure the code and ensures that only a certain number of iterations are run. Therefore the code to be measured should be in the body of the while() loop like so:

// The State object is injected into a performance test by including it as an
// argument to the function.
void TestFunction(::pw::perf_test::State& state_obj) {
  while (state_obj.KeepRunning()) {
    /*
      Code to be measured here
    */
  }
}

Macro Interface#

The test collection and registration process is done by a macro, much like pw_unit_test.

PW_PERF_TEST(test_name, test_function, ...)#

Registers a performance test. Any additional arguments are passed to the test function.

PW_PERF_TEST_SIMPLE(test_name, test_function, ...)#

Like the original PW_PERF_TEST macro it registers a performance test. However the test function does not need to have a state object. Internally this macro runs all of the input function inside of its own state loop. Any additional arguments are passed into the function to be tested.

// Declare performance test functions.
// The first argument is the state, which is passed in by the test framework.
void TestFunction(pw::perf_test::State& state) {
  // Test set up code
  Items a[] = {1, 2, 3};

  // Tests a KeepRunning() function, similar to Fuchsia's Perftest.
  while (state.KeepRunning()) {
    // Code under test, ran for multiple iterations.
    DoStuffToItems(a);
  }
}

void TestFunctionWithArgs(pw::perf_test::State& state, int arg1, bool arg2) {
  // Test set up code
  Thing object_created_outside(arg1);

  while (state.KeepRunning()) {
    // Code under test, ran for multiple iterations.
    object_created_outside.Do(arg2);
  }
}

// Tests are declared with any callable object. This is similar to Benchmark's
// BENCMARK_CAPTURE() macro.
PW_PERF_TEST(Name1, [](pw::perf_test::State& state) {
      TestFunctionWithArgs(1, false);
    })

PW_PERF_TEST(Name2, TestFunctionWithArgs, 1, true);
PW_PERF_TEST(Name3, TestFunctionWithArgs, 2, false);

void Sum(int a, int b) {
  return a + b;
}

PW_PERF_TEST_SIMPLE(SimpleExample, Sum, 4, 2);
PW_PERF_TEST_SIMPLE(Name4, MyExistingFunction, "input");

Warning

Internally, the testing framework stores the testing function as a function pointer. Therefore the test function argument must be converible to a function pointer.

Event Handler#

The performance testing framework relies heavily on the member functions of EventHandler to report iterations, the beginning of tests and other useful information. The EventHandler class is a virtual interface meant to be overridden, in order to provide flexibility on how data gets transferred.

class pw::perf_test::EventHandler#

Handles events from a performance test.

virtual void RunAllTestsStart(const TestRunInfo &summary)#

Called before all tests are run

virtual void RunAllTestsEnd()#

Called after all tests are run

virtual void TestCaseStart(const TestCase &info)#

Called when a new performance test is started

virtual void TestCaseIteration(const IterationResult &result)#

Called to output the results of an iteration

virtual void TestCaseEnd(const TestCase &info, const Results &end_result)#

Called after a performance test ends

Logging Event Handler#

The default method of running performance tests is using the LoggingEventHandler. This event handler only logs the test results to the console and nothing more. It was chosen as the default method due to its portability and to cut down on the time it would take to implement other printing log handlers. Make sure to set a pw_log backend.

Timing API#

In order to provide meaningful performance timings for given functions, events, etc a timing interface must be implemented from scratch to be able to provide for the testing needs. The timing API meets these needs by implementing either clock cycle record keeping or second based recordings.

Time-Based Measurement#

For most host applications, pw_perf_test depends on pw_chrono for its timing needs. At the moment, the interface will only measure performance in terms of nanoseconds. To see more information about how pw_chrono works, see the module documentation.

Cycle Count Measurement#

In the case of running tests on an embedded system, clock cycles may give more insight into the actual performance of the system. The timing API gives you this option by providing time measurements through a facade. In this case, by setting the ccynt timer as the backend, perf tests can be measured in clock cycles for ARM Cortex devices.

This implementation directly accesses the registers of the Cortex, and therefore needs no operating system to function. This is achieved by enabling the DWT register through the DEMCR register. While this provides cycle counts directly from the CPU, notably it is vulnerable to rollover upon a duration of a test exceeding 2^32 clock cycles. This works out to a 43 second duration limit per iteration at 100 mhz.

Warning

The interface only measures raw clock cycles and does not take into account other possible sources of pollution such as LSUs, Sleeps and other registers. Read more on the DWT methods of counting instructions.

Build System Integration#

As of this moment, pw_perf_test provides build integration with Bazel and GN. Performance tests can be built in CMake, but must be built as regular executables.

While each build system has their own names for their variables, each test must configure an EventHandler by choosing an associated main() function, and they must configure a timing interface. At the moment, only a pw_log based event handler exists, timing is only supported where pw_chrono is supported, and cycle counts are only supported on ARM Cortex M series microcontrollers with a Data Watchpoint and Trace (DWT) unit.

GN#

To get tests building in GN, set the pw_perf_test_TIMER_INTERFACE_BACKEND variable to whichever implementation is necessary for timings. Next, set the pw_perf_test_MAIN_FUNCTION variable to the preferred event handler. Finally use the pw_perf_test template to register your code.

import("$dir_pw_perf_test/perf_test.gni")

pw_perf_test("foo_perf_test") {
  sources = [ "foo_perf_test.cc" ]
}

Note

If you use pw_watch, the template is configured to build automatically with pw_watch. However you will still need to add your test group to the pw_perf_tests group in the top level BUILD.gn.

pw_perf_test template#

pw_perf_test defines a single perf test suite. It creates two sub-targets.

  • <target_name>: The test suite within a single binary. The test code is linked against the target set in the build arg pw_unit_test_MAIN.

  • <target_name>.lib: The test sources without pw_unit_test_MAIN.

Arguments

  • All GN executable arguments are accepted and forwarded to the underlying pw_executable.

  • enable_if: Boolean indicating whether the test should be built. If false, replaces the test with an empty target. Default true.

Example

import("$dir_pw_perf_test/perf_test.gni")

pw_perf_test("large_test") {
  sources = [ "large_test.cc" ]
  enable_if = device_has_1m_flash
}

Grouping#

For grouping tests, no special template is required. Simply create a basic GN group() and add each perf test as a dependency.

Example

import("$dir_pw_perf_test/perf_test.gni")

pw_perf_test("foo_test") {
  sources = [ "foo.cc" ]
}

pw_perf_test("bar_test") {
  sources = [ "bar.cc" ]
}

group("my_perf_tests_collection") {
  deps = [
    ":foo_test",
    ":bar_test",
  ]
}

Running#

To run perf tests from gn, locate the associated binaries from the out directory and run/flash them manually.

Bazel#

Bazel is a very efficient build system for running tests on host, needing very minimal setup to get tests running. To configure the timing interface, set the pw_perf_test_timer_backend variable to use the preferred method of timekeeping. Right now, only the logging event handler is supported for Bazel.

Template#

To use the pw_ccp_perf_test() template, load the pw_cc_perf_test template from //pw_build:pigweed.bzl.

Arguments

  • All bazel executable arguments are accepted and forwarded to the underlying native.cc_binary.

Example

load(
  "//pw_build:pigweed.bzl",
  "pw_cc_test",
)

pw_cc_perf_test(
  name = "foo_test",
  srcs = ["foo_perf_test.cc"],
)

Running#

Running tests in Bazel is like running any other program. Use the default bazel run command: bazel run //path/to:target.