SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING PROGRAM TRACKING INFORMATION

• US 20110029819A1
• Filed: 07/31/2009
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Mehta, Virendra Kumar, Zhang, Xiaohua
• Application Number:
  US12/533,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20110029819A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3644 by instrumenting at runtime

Abstract

There is provided a system and method of providing program tracking information. An exemplary method comprises compiling a program into a plurality of instruction bundles. The exemplary method also comprises placing an instruction to store program tracking information in a local path table or a global path table into at least one of the plurality of instruction bundles.

Claims

1. A method for providing program tracking information, the method comprising:

compiling a program into a plurality of instruction bundles; and

placing an instruction to store program tracking information in a local path table or a global path table into at least one of the plurality of instruction bundles.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the program tracking information stored in the local path table relates to execution of program loops.

3. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the global path table is of a fixed size.

4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the local path table is of a variable size.

5. The method recited in claim 1, comprising providing a core file containing the program tracking information.

6. The method recited in claim 1, comprising operating a debugger to read the program tracking information.

7. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the instruction to store program tracking information is placed at a location in the instruction bundle that would otherwise be occupied by a no-operation instruction to minimize a performance impact on the program.

8. The method recited in claim 1, comprising:

reading the program tracking information; and

determining an execution path leading to a fatal error or crash based on the program tracking information.

9. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the program tracking information is added after a process of in-lining and prior to a process of if-conversion.

10. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the program tracking information comprises a program counter address of each executed basic block of the program.

11. A system for providing program tracking information, the system comprising:

a processor that is adapted to execute machine-readable program instructions; and

a compiler that is adapted to run on the processor, to compile a program into a plurality of instruction bundles, and to place an instruction to store program tracking information in a local path table or a global path table into at least one of the plurality of instruction bundles.

12. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the program tracking information stored in the local path table relates to execution of program loops.

13. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the global path table is of a fixed size.

14. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the local path table is of a variable size.

15. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the program tracking information is included in a core file.

16. The system recited in claim 11, comprising a debugger that is adapted to read the program tracking information.

17. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the compiler is adapted to place the instruction to store program tracking information at a location in the instruction bundle that would otherwise be occupied by a no-operation instruction to minimize a performance impact on the program.

18. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the program tracking information is used to determine an execution path leading to a fatal error or crash.

19. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the program is adapted to add the program tracking information after a process of in-lining and prior to a process of if-conversion.

20. A system for providing program tracking information, the system comprising:

means for compiling a program into a plurality of instruction bundles; and

means for placing an instruction to store program tracking information in a local path table or a global path table into at least one of the plurality of instruction bundles.