Call Stack Inspection For A Thread Of Execution

• US 20120159449A1
• Filed: 12/15/2010
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Arnold, Jeremy A., Moore, Scott A., Olson, Gregory A., Stec, Eric J.
• Application Number:
  US12/968,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20120159449A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/125
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3604 Software analysis for verifying properties of programs byte-code verification G06F9/44589
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software

Abstract

Call stack inspection for a thread of execution, including, for each stack frame in the call stack, beginning with the stack frame at the top of the call stack: inspecting the stack frame; determining whether the stack frame was present in the call stack on a previous inspection of the call stack; if the stack frame was not present on a previous inspection, indicating in the stack frame the stack frame'"'"'s presence on the current inspection of the call stack; and if the stack frame was present on a previous inspection, notifying a user.

Claims

1. A method of call stack inspection for a thread of execution, the method comprising:

for each stack frame in the call stack, beginning with the stack frame at the top of the call stack;

inspecting the stack frame;

determining whether the stack frame was present in the call stack on a previous inspection of the call stack;

if the stack frame was not present on a previous inspection, indicating in the stack frame the stack frame'"'"'s presence on the current inspection of the call stack; and

if the stack frame was present on a previous inspection, notifying a user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein notifying a user further comprises recording, in a thread dump, an indication that the stack frame was present on a previous inspection of the call stack.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein notifying a user further comprises displaying, in a graphical user interface (‘

GUI’

) presented by a system analysis tool during execution of the thread, an indication that the stack frame was present on a previous inspection of the call stack.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein notifying a user further comprises displaying, in a graphical user interface (‘

GUI’

) presented by a debugger, an indication that the stack frame was present on a previous inspection of the call stack.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising halting call stack inspection upon discovery of a first stack frame in the call stack present on a previous inspection.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, upon completion of the call stack inspection, a call stack inspection report including in the report indications of stack frames present on a previous inspection; and

repeating the call stack inspection a plurality of times, generating a plurality of call stack inspection reports; and

merging the plurality of call stack inspection reports into a single, global call stack inspection report in dependence upon indications of stack frames present on a previous inspection in the plurality of call stack inspection reports.

7. An apparatus for call stack inspection for a thread of execution, the apparatus comprising a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions capable, when executed by the computer processor, of causing the apparatus to carry out the steps of:

for each stack frame in the call stack, beginning with the stack frame at the top of the call stack;

inspecting the stack frame;

determining whether the stack frame was present in the call stack on a previous inspection of the call stack;

if the stack frame was not present on a previous inspection, indicating in the stack frame the stack frame'"'"'s presence on the current inspection of the call stack; and

if the stack frame was present on a previous inspection, notifying a user.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein notifying a user further comprises recording, in a thread dump, an indication that the stack frame was present on a previous inspection of the call stack.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein notifying a user further comprises displaying, in a graphical user interface (‘

GUI’

) presented by a system analysis tool, an indication that the stack frame was present on a previous inspection of the call stack.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein notifying a user further comprises displaying, in a graphical user interface (‘

GUI’

) presented by a debugger, an indication that the stack frame was present on a previous inspection of the call stack.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising computer program instructions capable, when executed by the computer processor, of causing the apparatus to carry out the step of halting call stack inspection upon discovery of a first stack frame in the call stack present on a previous inspection.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising computer program instructions capable, when executed by the computer processor, of causing the apparatus to carry out the steps of:

generating, upon completion of the call stack inspection, a call stack inspection report including in the report indications of stack frames present on a previous inspection; and

repeating the call stack inspection a plurality of times, generating a plurality of call stack inspection reports; and

merging each call stack inspection report into a single, global call stack inspection report in dependence upon indications of stack frames present on a previous inspection in the plurality of call stack inspection reports.

13. A computer program product for call stack inspection for a thread of execution, the computer program product disposed upon a computer readable medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable, when executed, of causing a computer to carry out the steps of:

for each stack frame in the call stack, beginning with the stack frame at the top of the call stack;

inspecting the stack frame;

determining whether the stack frame was present in the call stack on a previous inspection of the call stack;

if the stack frame was not present on a previous inspection, indicating in the stack frame the stack frame'"'"'s presence on the current inspection of the call stack; and

if the stack frame was present on a previous inspection, notifying a user.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein notifying a user further comprises recording, in a thread dump, an indication that the stack frame was present on a previous inspection of the call stack.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein notifying a user further comprises displaying, in a graphical user interface (‘

GUI’

) presented by a system analysis tool, an indication that the stack frame was present on a previous inspection of the call stack.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein notifying a user further comprises displaying, in a graphical user interface (‘

GUI’

) presented by a debugger, an indication that the stack frame was present on a previous inspection of the call stack.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising computer program instructions capable, when executed, of causing a computer to carry out the step of halting call stack inspection upon discovery of a first stack frame in the call stack present on a previous inspection.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising computer program instructions capable, when executed, of causing a computer to carry out the steps of:

generating, upon completion of the call stack inspection, a call stack inspection report including in the report indications of stack frames present on a previous inspection; and

repeating the call stack inspection a plurality of times, generating a plurality of call stack inspection reports; and

merging each call stack inspection report into a single, global call stack inspection report in dependence upon indications of stack frames present on a previous inspection in the plurality of call stack inspection reports.

19. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a storage medium.

20. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a transmission medium.