Chip maker AMD has unveiled a plug-in that provides Eclipse developers with increased performance management and monitoring of Java software code.

Eclipse is an open source community whose projects are focused on building an open development platform. AMD's CodeSleuth plug-in delivers the functionality of AMD's CodeAnalyst Performance Analyzer tools that analyse software running on the manufacturer's processors, including Quad-Core AMD Opteron chips.

CodeSleuth allows developers to monitor how Java software code is performing on the processor. This ensures that the developer has pertinent information available to make informed coding choices and avoid the programming pitfalls that can result in performance bottlenecks. The application can also observe performance information from compiled code, which can provide further insight for the developer.

To help ensure that the plug-in is readily available to the Java technology community AMD is making CodeSleuth open source and available as a free download within the Eclipse Integrated Development Environment (IDE).

Earl Stahl, vice president of Software Development, AMD, said: "Java technology represents a prevalent development environment for the enterprise and CodeSleuth will help ensure that Java software developers have access to the tools and resources that are needed to take advantage of new hardware trends."