Determining that a routine has stalled

• US 7,797,580 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2005
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cirne, Lewis K., Cobb, Jeffrey R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bonzo; Bryce P
• Application Number:
  US11/167,333
• Publication Number:
  US 20050240908A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,905 Days
• Field of Search: 714/38, 714/51
• US Class Current: 714/38.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3612 by runtime analysis performance monitoring G06F11/3466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/88 Monitoring involving counting

Abstract

A system is disclosed that can determine whether a routine is stalled. The system does not require the developer of the routine to add code for the purpose of detecting whether the routine is stalled. Furthermore, the system can be used to monitor various routines at different levels of granularity, such as at the thread level, method level, or other levels. One embodiment of the present invention allows a user to specify a method and an expected time frame. Code for that method is modified to add additional code that implements a timing mechanism. The timing mechanism is used to detect when a thread enters that method and does not return within an approximation of the expected time frame. Other embodiments are also within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for detecting whether a routine has stalled, comprising:

receiving a call from within a particular routine indicating that said particular routine has started, said particular routine is one of a plurality of routines that comprise a process;

receiving a call from within said particular routine indicating that said particular routine has completed, if said particular routine has completed;

automatically determining that said particular routine has stalled if said call indicating that said particular routine has completed is not provided prior to being overdue, such that being overdue is based on said call indicating that a particular routine has started; and

reporting that said particular routine has stalled, if said particular routine has stalled.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said particular routine is a thread;

said plurality of routines are threads; and

at least two or more of said threads, including said particular routine, are run concurrently.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said particular routine is a method.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein:

said automatically determining includes detecting whether a thread enters said method and does not return within an approximation of an expected time frame.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

modifying existing object code for said particular routine to add said call indicating that said particular routine has started, said call is a call to a start method.

6. A method for detecting whether a method has stalled, comprising:

receiving an indication that a particular method of an object is running; and

automatically determining whether said particular method has stalled by detecting whether a thread entered said particular method and did not return within an approximation of an expected time frame.

7. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied on said processor readable storage devices, said processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

receiving a call from within a first routine indicating that said first routine has started;

starting a timing mechanism in response to said call indicating that said first routine has started;

receiving a call from within said first routine indicating that said first routine has completed, if said first routine has completed;

stopping said timing mechanism in response to receiving said call indicating that said first routine has completed; and

reporting said first routine as stalled if said timing mechanism is not stopped prior to a determination that said timing mechanism is overdue.

8. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 7, wherein said method further comprises:

accessing a current time;

verifying that said first routine is not known to be stalled or completed;

accessing a due time for said first routine; and

determining whether said due time is earlier than said current time, said timing mechanism is overdue if said step of determining concludes that said first due time is earlier than said current time.

9. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 7, wherein said step of stopping said timing mechanism comprises the steps of:

determining whether said first routine has been reported as being stalled;

changing said reporting to no longer indicate that said first routine is stalled if said first routine has been reported as being stalled; and

stopping said timing mechanism if said first routine has not been reported as being stalled.

10. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 7, wherein said method further comprises:

modifying existing object for said first routine to create said timing mechanism.

11. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied on said processor readable storage devices, said processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

receiving a call from within a particular routine indicating that said particular routine has started;

receiving a call from within said particular routine indicating that said particular routine has completed, if said particular routine has completed; and

reporting said particular routine as stalled if said call indicating that said particular routine has completed is not received prior to being overdue in relation to said call indicating that said particular routine has started.

12. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 11, wherein:

said steps of receiving a call indicating that a particular routine has started and receiving a call indicating that a particular routine has completed include detecting whether a thread enters a method and does not return within an approximation of an expected time frame.

13. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 11, wherein:

said particular routine is a thread.

14. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 11, wherein:

said particular routine is a method.

15. A method for detecting whether a routine has stalled, comprising:

receiving a first call from within a particular routine indicating that said particular routine has started;

receiving a second call from within said particular routine indicating that said particular routine has completed;

automatically determining whether said particular routine is stalled based on said first call and said second call; and

reporting said particular routine as being stalled if said particular routine is determined to be stalled.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein:

said particular routine is a thread of a plurality of threads that comprise a process; and

at least two or more of said threads, including said particular routine, are run concurrently.

17. A method according to claim 15, wherein:

said particular routine is a method.

18. A method according to claim 15, wherein:

said automatically determining includes detecting whether a thread enters a method and does not return within an approximation of an expected time frame.

19. A method according to claim 15, wherein:

said automatically determining includes calculating a due time based on said first call and determining whether said particular routine is still running after said due time.

20. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied on said processor readable storage devices, said processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

receiving a first call from within a particular routine indicating that said particular routine has started, said particular routine is one of a plurality of routines that comprise a process;

receiving a second call from within said particular routine indicating that said particular routine has completed;

automatically determining whether said particular routine is stalled based on said first call and said second call; and

reporting said particular routine as being stalled if said particular routine is determined to be stalled.

21. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 20, wherein:

said particular routine is a thread; and

said process includes a plurality of additional threads.

22. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 20, wherein:

said particular routine is a method.

23. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 20, wherein:

said automatically determining includes detecting whether a thread enters a method and does not return within an approximation of an expected time frame.