System, method and program for debugging external programs in client/server-based relational database management systems

• US 6,324,683 B1
• Filed: 02/23/1996
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Meier, Michael Stephen, Fuh, You-Chin Gene, Pan, Hsin
• Primary Examiner(s): Banankhah, Majid
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAO, SUE X
• Application Number:
  US08/606,172
• Time in Patent Office: 2,104 Days
• Field of Search: 709/302, 709/300, 709/303, 709/328, 709/310, 395/792, 395/708, 717/4, 714/38
• US Class Current: 717/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/362 Software debugging

Abstract

The present invention provides a method, system, and program for debugging external programs, such as user-defined functions, stored procedures, and triggers executed in relational database management systems (RDBMS), in a client-server, i.e., distributed, environment. In the present invention, a debugger is initiated from within a process running the external program by executing a special segment of code prior to the execution of the external program. In one embodiment of the invention, this debugging function is triggered by including a variation of this special segment of program code within the external program, itself. In another embodiment of the invention, this debugging triggering function is provided within an enhanced RDBMS with extensions to SQL to activate the debugging ability in the RDBMS. The invention can be implemented by using present day serial debuggers or parallel and/or distributed debuggers. One such parallel and distributed debugger utilized in a preferred embodiment is the Parallel and Distributed Dynamic Analyzer (PDDA) debugger. In addition, although the following invention is described with reference to a debugger, the invention can be applicable for any application development tool.

Claims

1. A method for debugging an external program, said method comprising:

initiating a debugger to debug an external program stored on a server, wherein the debugger is initiated from within a process running the external program by executing a special segment of code with the execution of the external program; and

creating a debugger process for the initiated debugger, wherein execution breaks at a first executable statement of the external program being debugged.

2. A method for debugging an external program, said method comprising:

initiating a debugger to debug an external program stored on a server from within a process running the DBMS external program to be debugged by executing a special segment of code with the execution of the external program; and

creating a debugger process wherein execution will break at a specified executable statement of the external program being debugged.

3. A method for debugging an external program, said method comprising:

initiating a debugger process to debug an external program stored on a server from within a process running the DBMS external program to be debugged by executing a special segment of code with the execution of the external program; and

creating the debugger process to execute the external program being debugged.

4. A system for debugging an external program, said system comprising:

means for initiating a debugger to debug an external program stored on a server from within a process running the external program to be debugged by executing a special segment of code with the execution of the external program; and

means for creating a debugger process wherein execution will break at a specified executable statement of the external program being debugged.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the external program is a user-defined function and the external program process is a UDF process.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein the external program is a stored procedure and the external program process is a stored procedure process.

8. The system of claim 4 wherein the means for initiating the debugger from within the external program process is performed by a database management system.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the database management system comprises means for preparing a shell command for invoking a debugger;

means for spawning a new process for running the shell command as a background job while returning to a calling process; and

means for keeping the new process idle for a period of time to allow attachment of the debugger before the calling process executes the external program.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the means for preparing a shell command further comprises means for identifying the external program process being debugged;

means for specifying where a source file of the external program is located;

means for informing the debugger to break at a specified function;

means for specifying a name of the external program to be debugged; and

means for redirecting a display output and mapping input devices to an address of a machine of a user interested in debug information if the machine is remote from the debugger.

5. A system for debugging an external program, said system comprising:

means for initiating a debugger process to debug an external program stored on a server from within a process running the external program to be debugged by executing a special segment of code with the execution of the external program; and

means for creating the debugger process to execute the external program being debugged.

11. The system of claim 5 wherein the special segment of code comprises means for preparing a shell command for invoking a debugger;

means for spawning a new process for running the shell command as a background job while returning to a calling process; and

means for keeping the new process idle for a period of time to allow attachment of the debugger before the calling process executes the external program.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the means for preparing a shell command further comprises means for identifying the external program process being debugged;

means for specifying where a source file of the external program is located;

means for specifying a name of the external program to be debugged; and

means for redirecting a display output and mapping input devices to an address of a machine of a user interested in debug information if the machine is remote from the debugger.

13. The system of claim 5 wherein the special segment of code comprises a macro DEBUG_UDF for specifying debugging information.

14. The system of claim 5 wherein the special segment of code further comprises means for registering a current debugging session with a database management system;

and means for bringing up the debugger if a current process is not being traced and no attempt was made previously to bring up the debugger.

15. The system of claim 5 wherein the special segment of code further comprises means for registering a current debugging session with a database management system;

means for returning a token uniquely identifying the current debugging session if a name of the current debugging session is not an existing registered debugging session; and

means for returning a token identifying a previously registered debugging session if the name of the current debugging session is previously registered.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the means for registering the current debugging session is contained in a programming line DEBUG_UDF which specifies the debugger, a source directory of the external function, a client machine, and a name of the external function.

17. The system of claim 5 wherein the external program specifies the debugger, a source directory of the external program, a client machine, and a name of the external program.

18. The system of claim 16 further comprising means for invoking the external function;

an means for bringing up the debugger and breaking at the DEBUG_UDF programming line.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising means for displaying a debugger window on the client machine.