Persistent context-based behavior injection or testing of a computing system

• US 7,831,864 B1
• Filed: 05/19/2008
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Network Appliance Incorporated (NetApp, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schoenthal, Scott, Viswanathan, Srinivasan
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman; Scott T
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHELL, JOSEPH O
• Application Number:
  US12/123,385
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 714/27, 714/32, 714/34, 714/35, 714/41
• US Class Current: 714/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3672 Test management

Abstract

The invention provides a method and system for persistent context-based behavior injection in a computing system, such as in a redundant storage system or another system having a layered or modular architecture. Behaviors that are injected can be specified to have triggering conditions, such that the behavior is not injected unless the conditions are true. Triggering conditions may include a selected ordering of conditions and a selected context for each behavior. In a system having a layered architecture, behavior injection might be used to evaluate correct responses in the face of cascaded errors in a specific context or thread, other errors that are related by context, concurrent errors, or multiple errors. Behavior injection uses non-volatile memory to preserve persistence of filter context information across possible system errors, for reporting of the results of behavior injection, and to preserve information across recovery from system errors. Multiple behavior injection threads are also provided. Behavior injection can also be performed in a logically distributed system or from a logically remote system.

Claims

1. A method of execution by a processor to inject behaviors into a code block, the method comprising:

invoking, upon execution of a breakout line in the code block, a behavior action block specified in a behavior injection filter if a current context of the code block matches a trigger condition for the behavior injection filter, wherein the behavior injection filter is one of a plurality of behavior injection filters corresponding to multiple contexts, and the breakout line indicating a location to inject a behavior; and

invoking, upon execution of a scope update line in the code block, a scope action block specified in the behavior injection filter, wherein the scope update line indicates a change in scope of the current context.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing the current context of the code block in non-volatile storage to preserve the context of the code block across execution failures.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the non-volatile storage further stores state information for the behavior injection filter.

4. The method of claim, wherein the scope update line indicates that execution of the code block is exiting the scope of the current context.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the scope action block causes the behavior action block to be invoked if the behavior action block has not been invoked prior to exiting the scope of the current context.

6. A system comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory through a bus, wherein the memory stores a code block for execution by the processor, the code block comprising breakout lines indicating locations to inject behavior, and scope update lines indicating changes in scope of a current context of the code block;

operations executed from the memory to cause the processor to manage a plurality of behavior injection filters corresponding to multiple contexts;

operations executed from the memory to cause the processor, upon execution of a breakout line, to invoke a behavior action block specified in a behavior injection filter if the current context matches a trigger condition for the behavior injection filter; and

operations executed from the memory to cause the processor, upon execution of a scope update line in the code block, to invoke a scope action block specified in the behavior injection filter.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising:

non-volatile storage coupled to the processor through the bus, the non-volatile storage storing the current context to preserve the context of the code block across execution failures.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the non-volatile storage further stores state information for the behavior injection filter.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein a scope update line indicates to the processor that execution of the code block is exiting the scope of the current context.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the scope action block causes the processor to invoke the behavior action block if the behavior action block has not been invoked prior to exiting the scope of the current context.