RUN-TIME DATA TYPE DESCRIPTION MECHANISM FOR PERFORMANCE INFORMATION IN AN EXTENSIBLE COMPUTER SYSTEM

A run-time data type extension mechanism describes the kinds of performance information collected within a registry located in a main memory of a computer. The data type extension mechanism comprises a base node of a multi-linked tree data structure having associated therewith a buffer portion for storing the collected performance information and a description portion for describing that information. Writer entities specify the contents of these latter portions, i.e., the collected information and its description, at run time to provide an arrangement for dynamically extending the kinds of information collected at the registry.