Snapshotting Executing Code with a Modifiable Snapshot Definition

• US 20150052403A1
• Filed: 08/19/2013
• Published: 02/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Concurix Corporation
• Inventors: GARRETT, Charles D., Gounares, Alexander G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,465,721 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/38.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/366 using diagnostics G06F11/0703 takes precedence

Abstract

A tracing and debugging system may take a snapshot of an application in response to an event, and may continue executing the program after the snapshot is captured. The snapshot may be stored and retrieved later in a debugging tool where a programmer may browse the snapshot or the snapshot may have some other analysis performed. The snapshot may contain a subset of the state of the application, such as call stacks, portions of source code, the values of local and global variables, and various metadata. The snapshot may be defined in a snapshot configuration that may include an event description and data to be collected.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

an execution environment executing on said at least one processor, said execution environment executing an application;

a snapshot manager operating with said execution environment, said snapshot manager that;

receives a snapshot definition, said snapshot definition comprising a condition definition and a dataset definition;

identifies a first condition for a snapshot, said first condition matching said condition definition in said snapshot definition;

when said first condition is satisfied, causes said application to pause execution;

while said application is paused, collecting a first dataset;

causes said application to continue execution after said first dataset is collected; and

stores said first dataset as a first snapshot instance.

2. The system of claim 1, said snapshot manager that further:

identifies a second instance of said first condition;

when said second instance of said first condition is satisfied, causes said application to pause execution;

while said application is paused during said second instance, collecting a second dataset;

causes said application to continue execution after said second dataset is collected; and

stores said second dataset as a second snapshot instance.

3. The system of claim 2, said first snapshot instance and said second snapshot instance being collected from the same run of said application.

4. The system of claim 3, said first dataset comprising at least one of a group composed of:

call stack;

local variable values;

global variable values; and

application source code.

5. The system of claim 2, said first condition being defined by a function call within said application.

6. The system of claim 5, said function call being added by a programmer.

7. The system of claim 5, said function call being added by said snapshot manager.

8. The system of claim 7, said function call being added by said snapshot manager prior to compilation.

9. The system of claim 7, said function call being added by said snapshot manager after compilation.

10. The system of claim 7, said function call being added by a snapshot setting within a debugging environment.

11. The system of claim 2, said first condition comprising an event descriptor.

12. The system of claim 11, said event descriptor being a descriptor for an input/output event.

13. The system of claim 11, said event descriptor comprising an expression, said expression comprising a reference to a variable within said application.

14. The system of claim 13, said variable being a local variable.

15. The system of claim 2, said descriptor comprising device state descriptors.

16. The system of claim 2, said first dataset being gathered by traversing a call stack and gathering at least one local variable at one frame in said call stack.

17. The system of claim 1, said execution environment being a process virtual machine.

18. The system of claim 1, said execution environment being an operating system.

19. A method executed on at least one processor, said method comprising:

executing an application;

while said application is executing, determining that a first instance of a condition has been satisfied and causing said application to pause execution;

while said application is paused, collecting a first dataset;

storing said first dataset; and

causing said application to continue execution.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

while said application is executing, determining that a second instance of said condition has been satisfied and causing said application to pause execution;

while said application is paused, collecting a second dataset;

storing said second dataset; and

causing said application to continue execution.

21. The method of claim 20, said first instance and said second instance occurring during a single execution of said application.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

receiving a snapshot definition, said snapshot definition comprising a definition for said condition.

23. The method of claim 20, said snapshot definition further comprising a definition for said dataset.

24. The method of claim 23, said snapshot definition for said dataset comprising executable code, said executable code defining at least one parameter to be collected.

25. The method of claim 24, said definition for said condition comprising executable code that defines said condition.

26. The method of claim 25, said executable code being executed in a thread different from said application.

Combined Performance Tracer and Snapshot Debugging System

27. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

an execution environment executing on said at least one processor, said execution environment executing an application;

a snapshot manager operating with said execution environment, said snapshot manager that;

receives a snapshot definition, said snapshot definition comprising a condition definition and a dataset definition;

identifies a first condition for a snapshot, said first condition matching said condition definition in said snapshot definition;

when said first condition is satisfied, causes said application to pause execution;

while said application is paused, collecting a first dataset;

causes said application to continue execution after said first dataset is collected; and

stores said first dataset as a first snapshot instance.

28. The system of claim 27, said snapshot manager that further:

identifies a second instance of said first condition;

when said second instance of said first condition is satisfied, causes said application to pause execution;

while said application is paused during said second instance, collecting a second dataset;

causes said application to continue execution after said second dataset is collected; and

stores said second dataset as a second snapshot instance.

29. The system of claim 28, said first snapshot instance and said second snapshot instance being collected from the same run of said application.

30. The system of claim 29, said first dataset comprising at least one of a group composed of:

call stack;

local variable values;

global variable values; and

application source code.

31. The system of claim 28, said first condition being defined by a function call within said application.

32. The system of claim 31, said function call being added by a programmer.

33. The system of claim 31, said function call being added by said snapshot manager.

34. The system of claim 33, said function call being added by said snapshot manager prior to compilation.

35. The system of claim 33, said function call being added by said snapshot manager after compilation.

36. The system of claim 33, said function call being added by a snapshot setting within a debugging environment.

37. The system of claim 28, said first condition comprising an event descriptor.

38. The system of claim 37, said event descriptor being a descriptor for an input/output event.

39. The system of claim 37, said event descriptor comprising an expression, said expression comprising a reference to a variable within said application.

40. The system of claim 39, said variable being a local variable.

41. The system of claim 28, said descriptor comprising device state descriptors.

42. The system of claim 28, said first dataset being gathered by traversing a call stack and gathering at least one local variable at one frame in said call stack.

43. The system of claim 27, said execution environment being a process virtual machine.

44. The system of claim 27, said execution environment being an operating system.

45. A method executed on at least one processor, said method comprising:

executing an application;

while said application is executing, determining that a first instance of a condition has been satisfied and causing said application to pause execution;

while said application is paused, collecting a first dataset;

storing said first dataset; and

causing said application to continue execution.

46. The method of claim 45 further comprising:

while said application is executing, determining that a second instance of said condition has been satisfied and causing said application to pause execution;

while said application is paused, collecting a second dataset;

storing said second dataset; and

causing said application to continue execution.

47. The method of claim 46, said first instance and said second instance occurring during a single execution of said application.

48. The method of claim 47 further comprising:

receiving a snapshot definition, said snapshot definition comprising a definition for said condition.

49. The method of claim 46, said snapshot definition further comprising a definition for said dataset.

50. The method of claim 49, said snapshot definition for said dataset comprising executable code, said executable code defining at least one parameter to be collected.

51. The method of claim 50, said definition for said condition comprising executable code that defines said condition.

52. The method of claim 51, said executable code being executed in a thread different from said application.

Breakpoint Setting Through a Debugger User Interface

53. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

a debug user interface comprising;

a source code viewing area; and

a local variable viewing mechanism.

a debug viewer executing on said at least one processor, said debug viewer that;

retrieves a first instance of a snapshot, said first instance of said snapshot being taken during execution of an application and containing local variable values and call stack data;

said first instance comprising a first value for a first local variable, said first instance being stored in a first repository;

displays said first value in said debug user interface and displays at least some source code relating to said first local variable in said user interface;

retrieves a second instance of a snapshot, said second instance of said snapshot being taken during said execution of said application;

said second instance comprising a second value for a first local variable, said second instance being stored in said first repository; and

displays said second value in a user interface and displays at least some source code relating to said first local variable in said user interface;

54. The system of claim 53, said first instance of said snapshot comprising at least a portion of source code for said application.

55. The system of claim 53, said first instance of said snapshot comprising at least a pointer to a location in source code.

56. The system of claim 55, said system further comprising:

a source code library comprising a first version of said source code, said first version being executed as said application when said first instance of said snapshot is taken;

said first instance of said snapshot comprising a reference to said first version of said source code.

57. The system of claim 53, said debug user interface comprising:

a timeline comprising a plurality of indicators, each of said indicators representing an instance of said snapshot.

58. The system of claim 57, said debug user interface further comprising:

a snapshot mechanism by which a user may select said first instance of said snapshot.

59. The system of claim 53, said debug user interface further comprising:

controls comprising a pause mechanism, said pause mechanism causing said application to pause executing.

60. The system of claim 59, said debug user interface further comprising:

a browser that displays a plurality of local variables while said application has paused executing; and

a user control that selects said first local variable as a value to be collected during a future snapshot.

61. The system of claim 60, said debug user interface further comprising:

a user input mechanism that identifies a condition for taking said first snapshot.

62. The system of claim 61, said condition comprising a predefined value for a second local variable.

63. The system of claim 61, said condition comprising a predefined value for a global variable.

64. The system of claim 61, said condition comprising a predefined event.

65. A method performed by at least one computer processor, said method comprising:

retrieving a first instance of a snapshot from a repository, said snapshot being generated by collecting a set of values while an application is paused, prior to continuing executing said application, said snapshot defining a set of data to collect and an event that when satisfied causes said set of data to be collected;

displaying at least a portion of said first instance on a user interface, said first instance comprising a value for a first local variable and at least a portion of a call stack;

browsing said first instance of said snapshot by receiving a first input to display a second local variable value and displaying said second local variable value; and

retrieving a first portion of source code related to said first instance of said snapshot and displaying said first portion of source code.

66. The method of claim 65, said first portion of source code being contained in said first instance of said snapshot.

67. The method of claim 65, said first portion of source code being retrieved from a source code repository, said first instance of said snapshot being stored in a snapshot repository.

68. The method of claim 65 further comprising:

causing said application to pause execution;

while said application is paused, receiving a current value for said first local variable and displaying said current value.

69. The method of claim 68 further comprising:

identifying a second local variable; and

adding said second local variable to said snapshot definition.

70. The method of claim 69 further comprising:

receiving an event description, said event description defining said event.

71. The method of claim 70, said event description comprising an expression comprising said second local variable.

72. The method of claim 70, said event description comprising an expression comprising a global variable.