State synchronization in recording and replaying computer programs

• US 7,958,497 B1
• Filed: 06/07/2006
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Replay Solutions Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lindo, Jonathan, Daudel, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): DAO, THUY CHAN
• Application Number:
  US11/449,156
• Time in Patent Office: 1,826 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/128
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/497 Partially or entirely replaying previous game actions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/60 Generating or modifying game content before or while executing the game program, e.g. authoring tools specially adapted for game development or game-integrated level editor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3632 of specific synchronisation aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program

Abstract

Recording and replaying computer programs includes state synchronization and thread management techniques that facilitate accurately replaying the recorded execution of a multithreaded application program. State synchronization comprises, during execution of an application program in a computer system, detecting an operation of the application program to write a memory; preventing the operation to write the memory; storing a representation of the memory; permitting the operation to write the memory, resulting in written memory; comparing the written memory to the stored representation; and in response to determining that the written memory is different than the stored representation, generating a notification that a memory state synchronization exception occurred.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

during a replay execution of an application program in a computer system,

receiving a memory allocation request from the application program;

requesting the computer system to allocate memory;

intercepting an operation of the application program to write the allocated memory;

storing a copy of at least a portion of the allocated memory;

permitting one or more operations to write the allocated memory, resulting in written memory;

comparing the written memory to the stored copy; and

in response to determining that changes made to the allocated memory during the replay execution are different than previously recorded changes captured and stored during a recorded execution of the application program, generating a notification that a memory state synchronization exception occurred;

wherein the recorded execution and the replay execution are separate executions of the application program.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising installing an exception handler that the computer system invokes when a memory write exception occurs, wherein the exception handler performs the storing and permitting.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting the computer system to set an allocated memory to allow only read operations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a notification comprises generating a notification that a memory state synchronization exception occurred at a point in executing the program associated with the request to write.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises any of:

static memory in the computer system, and heap memory in the computer system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting the operating system to permit reading and writing the allocated memory after the storing.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing further comprises storing a current execution location in association with the copy.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a notification comprises setting a debugger breakpoint at the point of execution, and invoking a debugger at the debugger breakpoint.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting one or more groups of bytes in the written memory at which the written memory is different than the stored copy, and storing information identifying the groups of bytes in a recording of execution of the program.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the comparing, deleting the copy and requesting the operating system to set the allocated memory for read-only access again.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer system is a computer game platform.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein storing a copy of at least a portion of the allocated memory comprises storing a copy of a page of allocated memory.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein storing a copy of at least a portion of the allocated memory comprises storing any of a checksum, hash, message authentication code, and a unique identifier of the allocated memory.

14. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

during a replay execution of an application program in a computer system,

detecting an operation of the application program to write a memory;

preventing the operation to write the memory;

storing a copy of at least a portion of the memory;

permitting one or more operations to write the memory, resulting in written memory;

comparing the written memory to the stored copy; and

in response to determining that changes made to the memory during the replay execution are different than previously recorded changes captured and stored during a recorded execution of the application program, generating a notification that a memory state synchronization exception occurred;

wherein the recorded execution and the replay execution are separate executions of the application program.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium carrying computer program instructions which when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

during a replay execution of an application program in a computer system,

receiving a memory allocation request from the application program;

requesting the computer system to allocate memory;

intercepting an operation of the application program to write an allocated memory;

storing a copy of at least a portion of the allocated memory;

permitting one or more operations to write the allocated memory, resulting in written memory;

comparing the written memory to the stored copy; and

in response to determining that changes made to the allocated memory during the replay execution are different than previously recorded changes captured and stored during a recorded execution of the application program, generating a notification that a memory state synchronization exception occurred;

wherein the recorded execution and the replay execution are separate executions of the application program.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions which when executed cause the one or more processors to perform installing an exception handler that the computer system invokes when a memory write exception occurs, wherein the exception handler performs the storing and permitting.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions which when executed cause the one or more processors to perform requesting the computer system to set an allocated memory to allow only read operations.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions for generating a notification comprises instructions which when executed cause the one or more processors to perform generating a notification that a memory state synchronization exception occurred at a point in executing the program associated with the request to write.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the memory comprises any of:

static memory in the computer system, and heap memory in the computer system.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions which when executed cause the one or more processors to perform requesting the operating system to permit reading and writing the allocated memory after the storing.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions for storing further comprise instructions which when executed cause the one or more processors to perform storing a current execution location in association with the copy.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions for generating a notification comprise instructions which when executed cause the one or more processors to perform setting a debugger breakpoint at the point of execution, and invoking a debugger at the debugger breakpoint.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions which when executed cause the one or more processors to perform selecting one or more groups of bytes in the written memory at which the written memory is different than the stored copy, and storing information identifying the groups of bytes in a recording of execution of the program.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions which when executed cause the one or more processors to perform, after the comparing, deleting the copy and requesting the operating system to set the allocated memory for read-only access again.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer system is a computer game platform.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions for storing a copy of at least a portion of the allocated memory comprise instructions which when executed cause the one or more processors to perform storing a copy of a page of allocated memory.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions for storing a copy of at least a portion of the allocated memory comprise instructions which when executed cause the one or more processors to perform storing any of a checksum, hash, message authentication code, and a unique identifier of the allocated memory.