System and method for conditional tracing of computer programs

• US 20060242627A1
• Filed: 06/06/2006
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BMC Software Israel Ltd. (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ido Ben-Moshe, Shlomo Wygodny, Valery Golender, Vladimir Andreev
• Inventors: Andreev, Vladimir, Golender, Valery, Wygodny, Shlomo, Ben-Moshe, Ido
• Granted Patent: US 8,312,435 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program

Abstract

A software system is disclosed which facilitates the process of tracing the execution paths of a program, called the client. The tracing is performed without requiring modifications to the executable or source code files of the client. Trace data collected during the tracing operation is collected according to instructions in a trace options file. At run time, the tracing library attaches to the memory image of the client. The tracing library is configured to monitor execution of the client and to collect trace data, based on selections in the trace options file. Conditional tracing, through the use of triggers and actions taken in response to the triggers, allows the developer to control the tracing operation. The triggers can be conditional triggers in which the corresponding action is taken only if a conditional expression is satisfied. The system can trace multiple threads and multiple processes. The tracing system provides a remote mode and an online mode. In remote mode, the developer sends the trace control information (which can include triggers and corresponding actions) to a remote user site together with a small executable image called the agent that enables a remote customer, to generate a trace file that represents execution of the client application at the remote site. In online mode, the developer can generate trace options (including triggers and corresponding actions), run and trace the client, and display the trace results in near real-time on the display screen during execution of the client program.

Claims

1. A method of tracing the execution of a computer program comprising:

generating trace control information which specifies triggers and associated actions;

tracing executing of the computer program according to the trace control information, such that when one of said triggers occurs the corresponding action is performed; and

generating a trace log of said tracing, wherein the trace log reflects said actions performed during tracing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said triggers include at least one of the following:

the execution of the assembly code generated from a function entry, a function exit, or a source line;

the activation of a software exception;

the start or termination, normal or erroneous, of a process; and

a user action.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of said actions are activated only if a plurality of conditions are satisfied while said triggers are activated, said conditions including comparing values of data passed in said execution to other values.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said actions include at least one of the following:

writing to said trace log the stack dump of functions active at a time of a trigger;

saving said trace log to a file;

writing a comment to said trace log;

stopping said tracing of said execution; and

resuming said tracing of said execution.