CPUZeitraum

CPUZeitraum is a concept in computer performance analysis that denotes the amount of CPU time consumed by a process, task, or thread within a defined time window. The term mixes English "CPU" with German "Zeitraum" (time period) and is used in some German-language texts and practitioner discussions to describe a fixed evaluation interval for measuring CPU usage. It is not a universally standardized metric, and its definition can vary by context.

In typical usage, CPUZeitraum refers to a window of length W starting at time t0. Within that window, the total CPU time spent executing the entity is recorded. This total can be aggregated across cores in a multi-core system. When reporting utilization, one can present either the per-core fraction CPU time / W or the global fraction CPU time / (W times C) where C is the number of cores considered.

Calculation notes: CPU time includes both user mode and kernel mode execution, while I/O wait is usually excluded unless explicitly counted as part of the window. Measuring tools can rely on OS facilities (for example, performance counters or process accounting) or instrumentation in schedulers and simulators. The choice of window length W influences responsiveness and smoothness of the metric.

Applications: CPUZeitraum is used in capacity planning, real-time scheduling, QoS guarantees, and performance debugging to understand how workloads utilize CPU resources over time, rather than at a single instant. It can help compare workloads that spike at different times and inform admission control decisions.

Limitations: interpreting CPUZeitraum requires care in multi-core environments, where parallelism can inflate CPU time beyond wall-clock duration. The absence of a formal standard means definitions may vary, potentially hindering cross-system comparisons. Users should document window length, core counting, and included time components when reporting the metric.

See also: CPU time, CPU utilization, performance counters, real-time scheduling.