Summary:

NVIDIA Nsight Systems 2022.1 introduces significant improvements in performance analysis, including support for Vulkan 1.3, system-wide CPU backtrace sampling, and CPU context switch tracing on Linux. This update enhances the profiling experience, allowing developers to tune and scale software across CPUs and GPUs more effectively.

NVIDIA Nsight Systems 2022.1: Unlocking Performance Analysis

NVIDIA Nsight Systems, part of the NVIDIA Nsight Tools Suite, is a powerful performance analysis tool designed to help developers optimize software performance across CPUs and GPUs. The latest update, Nsight Systems 2022.1, brings several key improvements that enhance the profiling experience.

Vulkan 1.3 Support

One of the major highlights of Nsight Systems 2022.1 is its support for Vulkan 1.3. This update includes nearly two dozen new extensions that simplify code and improve readability. For example, VK_KHR_dynamic_rendering helps simplify rendering pipelines, while VK_KHR_shader_integer_dot_product and VK_EXT_pipeline_creation_cache_control provide new functionalities for building better graphics applications.

Key Vulkan 1.3 Extensions

  • VK_KHR_dynamic_rendering: Simplifies rendering pipelines by reducing the need for explicit render passes.
  • VK_KHR_shader_integer_dot_product: Adds support for integer dot product operations in shaders.
  • VK_EXT_pipeline_creation_cache_control: Provides better control over pipeline creation caches.

System-Wide CPU Backtrace Sampling and CPU Context Switch Tracing

Nsight Systems 2022.1 introduces system-wide CPU backtrace sampling and CPU context switch tracing on Linux. This feature allows developers to see if other applications, OS processes, or kernel activities are interfering with the processes being profiled. By providing a comprehensive view of system activities, developers can identify and address performance bottlenecks more effectively.

Benefits of System-Wide Profiling

  • Identify Interference: Detect if other applications or system processes are impacting the performance of your application.
  • Comprehensive Analysis: Get a detailed view of system activities to pinpoint performance issues.

NVIDIA NIC Metrics Sampling Improvements

The update also includes improvements in NVIDIA NIC metrics sampling. This enhancement provides more accurate and detailed network performance data, helping developers optimize network-intensive applications.

NIC Metrics Sampling Benefits

  • Detailed Network Performance Data: Get accurate and detailed metrics on network performance.
  • Optimize Network-Intensive Applications: Use detailed metrics to identify and address network performance bottlenecks.

MPI Trace Improvements

Nsight Systems 2022.1 includes improvements in MPI trace functionality. These enhancements provide better support for profiling MPI applications, helping developers optimize parallel computing performance.

MPI Trace Benefits

  • Improved Profiling Support: Get better insights into MPI application performance.
  • Optimize Parallel Computing: Use detailed traces to identify and address performance issues in parallel computing applications.

Remote Profiling Over SSH

The update also includes improvements in remote profiling over SSH. This feature allows developers to profile applications on remote systems more efficiently, making it easier to optimize performance in distributed computing environments.

Remote Profiling Benefits

  • Efficient Remote Profiling: Profile applications on remote systems with improved efficiency.
  • Distributed Computing Optimization: Optimize performance in distributed computing environments with ease.

Key Takeaways

  • Vulkan 1.3 Support: Simplify code and improve readability with new Vulkan extensions.
  • System-Wide Profiling: Identify performance bottlenecks with comprehensive system-wide profiling.
  • NIC Metrics Sampling: Optimize network-intensive applications with detailed network performance data.
  • MPI Trace Improvements: Improve parallel computing performance with enhanced MPI trace functionality.
  • Remote Profiling: Efficiently profile applications on remote systems for distributed computing optimization.

Conclusion

NVIDIA Nsight Systems 2022.1 offers significant enhancements in performance analysis, including Vulkan 1.3 support, system-wide CPU backtrace sampling, and CPU context switch tracing on Linux. These improvements provide developers with powerful tools to tune and scale software across CPUs and GPUs, leading to better performance and efficiency. By leveraging these features, developers can create more optimized and efficient applications, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in computing.