Run Matlab application, CPU usage continuously rising

Runing stand along Maltab application on Mac. This application is desinged to run my experiments for long periods of time (more then a week)

The CPU starts at 15% and goes to 170% after 10 days of operation, and keeps going up.

Under high CPU usage, I can see the pause() function is unstable, which affects my experiments a lot.

Is there any way to debug the CPU usage issue? Thanks!

Answer 1

[Adithya]

To debug the CPU usage issue in your standalone MATLAB application running on Mac, you can follow these steps:

1. Profile your code: Use MATLAB's built-in profiler to identify the parts of your code that are consuming excessive CPU resources. Run your application with profiling enabled and analyze the profiler report to pinpoint the hotspots in your code that contribute to high CPU usage. This will help you identify specific functions or sections of code that may need optimization.
2. Check for memory leaks: High CPU usage can sometimes be caused by memory leaks in your code. Monitor the memory usage of your application over time to see if there is a gradual increase in memory consumption. Use MATLAB's memory profiling tools, such as the memory function or the Memory Profiler, to identify any potential memory leaks and address them accordingly.
3. Optimize your code: Once you have identified the sections of code that are causing high CPU usage, focus on optimizing those areas. Look for opportunities to improve algorithm efficiency, reduce unnecessary computations, or optimize resource-intensive operations. Consider vectorizing your code, using efficient data structures, or implementing parallel processing techniques to distribute the workload and reduce CPU usage.
4. Monitor system resources: Keep an eye on other system resources, such as memory usage and disk I/O, as they can also impact CPU performance. Use system monitoring tools, such as Activity Monitor on Mac, to track the overall system resource usage during the long-running experiments. This will help you identify any potential bottlenecks or resource limitations that may be contributing to the CPU usage issue.
5. Use debugging tools: If you suspect that the pause() function is causing instability under high CPU usage, you can use MATLAB's debugging tools to investigate further. Set breakpoints in your code, inspect variable values, and step through the code to identify any issues related to the pause() function or its usage. You can also use the dbstop command to automatically pause execution when certain conditions are met, allowing you to examine the state of your program at specific points.

By following these steps, you should be able to gain insights into the CPU usage issue in your standalone MATLAB application and take appropriate actions to optimize your code and improve its stability during long-running experiments.