Trace performs the same function as an airplane flight recorder. It monitors the processor bus, and stores each bus cycle. This execution history is used to verify proper behavior, or to backtrack once a problem is discovered.

Clock cycle trace
Most emulators capture only bus cycles. Microtek provides an optional feature that allows you to capture each clock cycle. Since bus cycles are typically the result of many clock cycles, clock capture provides much finer resolution. The trace can be used to determine when signals do not reach specified values within the various clock cycles of a bus cycle.

Timestamp
Each line in a trace buffer has a timestamp. This timestamp can be used to identify the amount of time between two events, such as interrupts. It can also be used to gauge performance within the system.

Memory reads and writes
Memory reads and writes are important pieces of information captured by the trace system. By viewing reads and writes, you can determine exactly what was written into memory, and when it occurred. This can be valuable when debugging a problem where an incorrect value is found in a system.

Executed vs. fetched instructions
A typical bus trace displays all bus activity, including data and instructions that were fetched but not executed.

Microtek tools show you which instructions were actually executed, and which were fetched but never executed. Tracing through the executed instructions allows you to determine how the processor reached its present state.

What is an emulator?
What is trigger, and how can it help?