Machine and Methods for Evaluating Failing Software Programs

• US 20140250336A1
• Filed: 03/01/2013
• Published: 09/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Tepus, Cristian
• Granted Patent: US 9,384,117 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/38.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program

Abstract

A machine for evaluating failing software programs, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an error analysis program stored thereon and an error analysis program executed by a microprocessor are disclosed. In one embodiment a machine for investigating an error source in a software program includes a microprocessor coupled to a memory, wherein the microprocessor is programmed to determine whether a failure of an error-prone program step occurs reproducibly by providing the software program with the error-prone program step, executing program steps preceding the error-prone program step, executing the error-prone program step a number of times and calculating a failure probability for the error-prone program step.

Claims

1. A machine for investigating an error source in a software program, the machine comprising:

a microprocessor coupled to a memory, wherein the microprocessor is programmed to determine whether a failure of an error-prone program step occurs reproducibly by

providing the software program with the error-prone program step;

executing program steps preceding the error-prone program step;

executing the error-prone program step a number of times; and

calculating a failure probability for the error-prone program step.

2. The machine according to claim 1, further comprising recording an outcome for each execution of the error-prone program step in the memory.

3. A machine for investigating an error source in a software program, the machine comprising:

a microprocessor coupled to a memory, wherein the microprocessor is programmed to determine whether a failure of an error-prone program step occurs reproducibly by

providing a multi-step sequence ending in the error-prone program step;

executing the multi-step sequence a number of times; and

calculating a failure probability for the multi-step sequence.

4. The machine according to claim 3, further comprising recording an outcome for each execution of the multi-step sequence in the memory.

5. A machine for investigating an error source in a software program, the machine comprising:

a microprocessor coupled to a memory, wherein the microprocessor is programmed to determine the error source of an error-prone program step by

providing a first set of multi-step sequences ending in the error-prone program step;

executing each multi-step sequence of the first set of multi-step sequences; and

recording every failed step sequence in the memory.

6. The machine according to claim 5, wherein the first set of multi-step sequences comprises different multi-step sequences, and wherein each multi-step sequence is different from another multi-step sequence by one step.

7. The machine according to claim 5, wherein the first set of multi-step sequences comprises different multi-step sequences, and wherein each multi-step sequence is different from another multi-step sequence in more than one steps except for the error-prone program step.

8. The machine according to claim 5, wherein the first set of multi-step sequences comprises the same multi-step sequences, and wherein each multi-step sequence is different from another multi-step sequence by an order of steps.

9. The machine according to claim 5, further comprising

executing program steps preceding the error-prone program step;

executing the error-prone program step a number of times; and

calculating a failure probability for the error-prone program step.

10. The machine according to claim 5, further comprising

providing a second set of multi-step sequences ending in the error-prone program step, wherein the second set of multi-step sequences comprises different multi-step sequences, and wherein each of the multi-step sequences differ from another multi-step sequence by omission of a step;

executing each multi-step sequence of the second set of multi-step sequences; and

recording the missing step when the multi-step sequence fails.

11. The machine according to claim 5, further comprising

providing a set of failing sequences all ending in the same error-prone program step;

analyzing the failing sequences regarding a plurality of program steps common to the failing sequences; and

ranking the plurality of program steps according a failure probability.

12. A machine for investigating an error source in a software program, the machine comprising:

a microprocessor coupled to a memory, wherein the microprocessor is programmed to determine the error source of an error-prone program step by

providing a set of multi-step sequences ending in the error-prone program step, wherein the set of multi-step sequences comprises different multi-step sequences, and each of the multi-step sequences differ from another multi-step sequence by omission of a step;

executing each multi-step sequence of the set of multi-step sequences; and

recording the missing step when the multi-step sequence fails.

13. The machine according to claim 12, wherein the omission of a step comprises omission of a single step.

14. The machine according to claim 12, wherein the omission of a step comprises omission of a plurality of steps.

15. A machine for investigating an error source in a software program, the machine comprising:

a microprocessor coupled to a memory, wherein the microprocessor is programmed to determine the error source of an error-prone program step by

providing a set of failing sequences all ending in the same error-prone program step;

analyzing the failing sequences regarding a plurality of program steps common to the failing sequences; and

ranking the plurality of program steps according a failure probability.

16. The machine according to claim 15, wherein ranking comprises storing the plurality of program steps in a falling order in the memory.

17. The machine according to claim 15, wherein common to the failing sequences comprises common to all of the failing sequences of the set of failing sequences.

18. The machine according to claim 15, wherein common to the failing sequences comprises common to a subset of the set of failing sequences.

19. The machine according to claim 15, wherein the program steps comprise groups of consecutive steps.

20. A machine for investigating an error source in a software program, the machine comprising:

a microprocessor coupled to a memory, wherein the microprocessor is programmed to determine the error source of an error-prone program step by

providing a first group of program steps preceding an error-prone program step;

providing a second group of program steps different from the error-prone program step;

executing for each of the program steps of the second group of program steps the first group of program steps and a selected program step of the second group; and

recording failing steps of the second group in the memory.