Configure Projects

Intel® Inspector User Guide for Windows* OS

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ID 767798

Date 3/22/2024

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Configure Projects

When you set basic target application properties to configure the Intel Inspector projects, make sure you choose small, representative data sets to produce the most accurate and complete analysis results at the least cost.

You can also:

Set advanced target application properties.
Manage suppression rules.
Configure a project to search non-standard directories.

Set Basic Target Application Properties

Most basic application properties are not specific to Intel Inspector projects and their purpose should be self-evident. Some are inheritable from the Visual Studio* property pages of the Startup project (Configuration Properties > Debugging). The following are of special note:

Use This	To Do This
*Microsoft runtime environment** drop-down list	Automatically detect the Microsoft* runtime environment based on binary executable type (choose Auto). Potentially speed up collection by excluding application managed code from inspection (choose Native only). Potentially speed up collection by excluding application native code from inspection (choose Managed only). Inspect all code, regardless of whether it is native or managed (choose Mixed). NOTE: Microsoft .NET* 3.5 software support is deprecated in the Intel Inspector and will be removed after August, 2020. This deprecation does not apply to the Intel® VTune™ Profiler. See Release Notes for details. During threading analysis, the Intel Inspector analyzes both native and managed code. During memory analysis, the Intel Inspector analyzes only native code. If you choose Mixed, there is no analysis of the managed portion of your code. During threading or memory analysis, the Intel Inspector supports interactive debugging only for pure native applications. If you choose Mixed or Managed only, the debug options are disabled.
Store result... radio buttons	Store results in the default project location or a custom location. TIP: Consider storing results in - and linking to - a custom location if: You have limited space in the project directory. You customarily back up the project directory but do not want to back up results.
Result location field (read-only)	Verify the result location and current result directory name template.

Use This

To Do This

Microsoft* runtime environment drop-down list

Automatically detect the Microsoft* runtime environment based on binary executable type (choose Auto).
Potentially speed up collection by excluding application managed code from inspection (choose Native only).
Potentially speed up collection by excluding application native code from inspection (choose Managed only).
Inspect all code, regardless of whether it is native or managed (choose Mixed).

NOTE:

Microsoft .NET* 3.5 software support is deprecated in the Intel Inspector and will be removed after August, 2020. This deprecation does not apply to the Intel® VTune™ Profiler. See Release Notes for details.
During threading analysis, the Intel Inspector analyzes both native and managed code.
During memory analysis, the Intel Inspector analyzes only native code. If you choose Mixed, there is no analysis of the managed portion of your code.
During threading or memory analysis, the Intel Inspector supports interactive debugging only for pure native applications. If you choose Mixed or Managed only, the debug options are disabled.

Store result... radio buttons

Store results in the default project location or a custom location.

TIP:

Consider storing results in - and linking to - a custom location if:

You have limited space in the project directory.
You customarily back up the project directory but do not want to back up results.

Result location field (read-only)

Verify the result location and current result directory name template.

Choose Small, Representative Data Sets

When you run an analysis, the Intel Inspector executes an application. Data set size and workload have a direct impact on application execution time and analysis speed.

For example, it takes longer to process a 1000x1000 pixel image than a 100x100 pixel image. A possible reason for the longer processing time: You may have loops with an iteration space of 1...1000 for the larger image, but only 1...100 for the smaller image. The exact same code paths may be executed in both cases. The difference is the number of times these code paths are repeated.

You may control analysis cost without sacrificing completeness by removing this kind of redundancy from your data set.

Instead of choosing large, repetitive data sets, choose small, representative data sets that fully create threads with minimal to moderate work per thread. Minimal to moderate means just enough work to demonstrate all the different behaviors a thread can perform.

Your objective: In as short a runtime period as possible, execute as many paths and the maximum number of tasks (parallel activities) as you can afford, while minimizing the redundant computation within each task to the bare minimum needed for good code coverage.

Data sets that run a few seconds are ideal. Create additional data sets to ensure all your code is inspected.

NOTE:

If you plan to run threading analyses and your programming model uses dynamic scheduling, ensure sufficient work is available for assignment to more than one thread.

Set Advanced Target Application Properties

Advanced target application properties are specific to Intel Inspector projects.

Use This	To Do This
Suppressions radio buttons	Not collect result data impacted by the suppression rules in files and directories specified in the Suppressions tab of the Project Properties dialog box (choose Apply suppressions). Ignore all suppression rules (choose Do not apply suppressions).
Child application field	Inspect a file that is not the starting application. For example: Inspect an .exe file (identified in this field) called by a script (identified in the Application field).
Enable collection progress information checkbox	Display thread activity during collection to confirm the application is still executing.
Modules radio buttons, Modify button, and field	Potentially speed up collection by limiting application module(s) for inspection. You can limit by inclusion or exclusion. For example, you can: Inspect specific modules and disable inspection of all other modules (click the Include only the following module(s) radio button and choose the modules). Disable inspection of specific modules and inspect all other modules (click the Exclude the following module(s) radio button and choose the modules). NOTE: By default, the Intel Inspector inspects all modules in the application.

Manage Suppression Rules

You (and your development team) will always know more about your code than the Intel Inspector can ever know. For example:

Your team lead may know of error-prone third-party code.
Your team architect may know specific code passages are correct as coded.
You may know you are currently fixing a specific bug.

Suppressing known issues based on rules you define can improve your productivity by helping you focus on only those issues that currently require your attention.

You can manage the suppression rules applied to each project during analysis by adding information to or removing information from the Suppressions tab of the Project Properties dialog box.

Search Non-standard Directories

Intel Inspector is designed to search all standard directories for the supporting files necessary to execute an application during analysis and manage result data after analysis.

You can also configure the Intel Inspector to search non-standard directories. This can be useful when:

The binary is built outside the Visual Studio* IDE.
Specific PATH settings are required for correct operation.
Source files reside somewhere other than where debug information indicates.
Debug information files are not located with binary files.

Alert the Intel Inspector to search non-standard directories using the Binary/Symbol Search tab and the Source Search tab of the Project Properties dialog box.

NOTE:

If you take full advantage of the solutions/projects paradigm to create application software in the Visual Studio* IDE, searching for non-standard directories should be unnecessary.

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Intel® Inspector User Guide for Windows* OS

Configure Projects

Set Basic Target Application Properties

Choose Small, Representative Data Sets

Set Advanced Target Application Properties

Manage Suppression Rules

Search Non-standard Directories

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