Apparatus and method to debug a software program

• US 8,230,396 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2006
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Reed, David Charles, Smith, Max Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Puente, Emerson
• Assistant Examiner(s): Labud, Jonathan R
• Application Number:
  US11/326,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20070168980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,391 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3624 by performing operations on the source code, e.g. via a compiler
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3648 using additional hardware

Abstract

A method is disclosed to debug a computer program. The method provides a computer program comprising source code, and a listing of that source code. The method further provides a computing device comprising a data storage medium, and stores the computer program in that data storage medium. The method then runs the computer program, and subsequently detects an error condition. The method creates and saves to the data storage medium a dump file comprising (N) save areas. Using information abstracted from the dump file and the source code listing, the method reproduces the source code execution at the time the error condition was detected.

Claims

1. A method to debug a computer program, comprising in the following order:

providing a computer program comprising source code;

providing a listing of said source code;

providing a first computing device comprising RAM memory and a first data storage medium;

storing said computer program in said first data storage medium;

executing said computer program;

loading said computer program into said RAM memory;

generating in said RAM memory a plurality of RAM save areas (N), wherein each RAM save area comprises a plurality of register values, and wherein said RAM save areas are interconnected by blocks of machine language;

determining if an error condition is detected;

operative if an error condition is not detected, continuing execution of said computer program;

operative if an error condition is detected;

creating and saving to said first data storage medium a dump file comprising said plurality of RAM save areas and said register values; and

reproducing the source code execution at the time said error condition was encountered.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said reproducing step further comprises the steps of:

locating said error condition in an (i)th save area, wherein (i) is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (N);

selecting the (i)th save area, wherein said (i)th save area comprises the (i)th register values;

matching one or more of the steps of said source code listing with said (i)th register values;

executing said matched source code step by step to form for each matched step (i)th modified register values;

creating a log associating each matched source code step with said modified (i)th register values.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

electing whether to add one or more prior source code steps to said log;

operative if electing to add one or more prior source code steps to said log, selecting a (j)th save area, wherein said (j)th save area comprises the (j)th register values, and wherein (j) is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (N), and wherein (j) is less than (i);

matching one or more of the steps of said source code listing with said (j)th register values;

executing said matched source code step by step to form for each matched step (j)th modified register values;

adding to said log each matched source code step and the associated modified (j)th register values.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

electing whether to add one or more subsequent source code steps to said log;

operative if electing to add one or more subsequent source code steps to said log, selecting a (k)th save area, wherein said (k)th save area comprises the (k)th register values, and wherein (k) is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (N), and wherein (k) is greater than (i);

matching one or more of the steps of said source code listing with said (k)th register values;

executing said matched source code step by step to form for each matched step (k)th modified register values;

adding to said log each matched source code step and the associated modified (k)th register values.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein:

said creating and saving step is performed at a first time;

said locating step is performed at a second time, wherein said second time is one or more hours after said first time.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

providing a second computing device comprising second data storage medium;

saving said dump file to said second data storage medium.

7. An article of manufacture comprising a data storage medium, RAM memory, and a computer usable medium having computer readable program code disposed therein to debug a computer program written to said data storage medium, said computer program comprising source code, the computer readable program code comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect:

executing said computer program;

loading said computer program into said RAM memory;

generating in said RAM memory a plurality of RAM save areas (N), wherein each RAM save area comprises a plurality of register values, and wherein said RAM save areas are interconnected by blocks of machine language;

determining if an error condition is detected;

operative if an error condition is not detected, continuing execution of said computer program;

operative if an error condition is detected;

creating and saving to said first data storage medium a dump file comprising said plurality of RAM save areas and said register values; and

reproducing the source code execution at the time said error condition was encountered.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 7, said computer readable program code further comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect:

locating said error condition in an (i)th save area, wherein (i) is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (N);

selecting the (i)th save area, wherein said (i)th save area comprises the (i)th register values;

matching one or more of the steps of said source code listing with said (i)th register values;

executing said matched source code step by step to form for each matched step (i)th modified register values;

creating a log associating each matched source code step with said modified (i)th register values.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 8, said computer readable program code further comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect:

selecting a (j)th save area, wherein said (j)th save area comprises the (j)th register values, and wherein (j) is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (N), and wherein (j) is less than (i);

matching one or more of the steps of said source code listing with said (j)th register values;

executing said matched source code step by step to form for each matched step (j)th modified register values;

adding to said log each matched source code step and the associated modified (j)th register values.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 8, said computer readable program code further comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect:

selecting a (k)th save area, wherein said (k)th save area comprises the (k)th register values, and wherein (k) is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (N), and wherein (k) is greater than (i);

matching one or more of the steps of said source code listing with said (k)th register values;

executing said matched source code step by step to form for each matched step (k)th modified register values;

adding to said log each matched source code step and the associated modified (k)th register values.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein:

said computer readable program code comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect said creating and saving said dump file is performed at a first time;

said computer readable program code comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect locating said error condition in the (i)th save area is performed at a second time, wherein said second time is one or more hours after said first time.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein said computer readable program code comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect encountering an error condition step further comprises computer readable program code comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect causing said error condition.

13. A computer program product usable with a programmable computer processor having computer readable program code embodied therein to debug a computer comprising source code, comprising:

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to execute said computer program;

loading said computer program into said RAM memory;

generating in said RAM memory a plurality of RAM save areas (N), wherein each RAM save area comprises a plurality of register values, and wherein said RAM save areas are interconnected by blocks of machine language;

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to determine if an error condition is detected;

computer readable program code which, if an error condition is not detected, causes said programmable computer processor to continue execution of said computer program;

computer readable program code which, if an error condition is detected, causes said programmable computer processor to create and save to a data storage medium a dump file comprising said plurality of RAM save areas and said register values; and

reproduce the source code execution at the time said error conditions were detected.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to locate said error condition in an (i)th save area, wherein (i) is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (N);

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to select the (i)th save area, wherein said (i)th save area comprises the (i)th register values;

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to match one or more of the steps of said source code listing with said (i)th register values

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to execute said matched source code step by step to form for each matched step (i)th modified register values;

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to create a log associating each matched source code step with said modified (i)th register values.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to select a (j)th save area, wherein said (j)th save area comprises the (j)th register values, and wherein (j) is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (N), and wherein (j) is less than (i);

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to match one or more of the steps of said source code listing with said (j)th register values;

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to execute said matched source code step by step to form for each matched step (j)th modified register values;

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to add to said log each matched source code step and the associated modified (j)th register values.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to select a (k)th save area, wherein said (k)th save area comprises the (k)th register values, and wherein (k) is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (N), and wherein (k) is greater than (i);

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to match one or more of the steps of said source code listing with said (k)th register values;

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to execute said matched source code step by step to form for each matched step (k)th modified register values;

computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to add to said log each matched source code step and the associated modified (k)th register values.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein:

said computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to create and save said dump file is executed at a first time;

said computer readable program code which causes said programmable computer processor to locate said error condition in the (i)th save area is performed at a second time, wherein said second time is one or more hours after said first time.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein said computer readable program code comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect encountering an error condition step further comprises computer readable program code comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect causing said error condition.