Simple method optimization

• US 8,418,145 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2003
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cirne, Lewis K., Bley, John B., Puryear, Daryl L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam, Tuan Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wei, Zheng
• Application Number:
  US10/700,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20040230956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,445 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3612 by runtime analysis performance monitoring G06F11/3466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3624 by performing operations on the source code, e.g. via a compiler
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program

Abstract

Methods are classified as simple or complex. Complex methods are modified to add a tracer. Methods classified as simple are not modified to add a tracer. There are many different standards that can be used within the spirit of the present invention to classify methods as simple or complex. In one embodiment, a method is complex if it meets three criteria: (1) the method has an access level of public or package; (2) the method is non-synthetic and (3) the method calls at least one other method. Methods that do not satisfy all three criteria are classified as simple methods.

Claims

1. A process for monitoring, comprising:

accessing a method;

automatically determining whether to modify said method, said step of automatically determining whether to modify said method includes automatically determining whether said method calls another method and whether said method has an access level that satisfies a criterion, wherein said criterion is a level of access control for said method that is provided by a programming language; and

modifying said method for a particular purpose only if said method calls another method and said access level satisfies said criterion.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein:

said determining whether to modify said method includes automatically determining whether said method is a synthetic method; and

said modifying includes modifying said method only if said method is not a synthetic method, said access level satisfies said criterion and said method calls another method.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein:

said determining whether to modify said method includes automatically determining whether said method is a synthetic method and has an access level of public or package in the JAVA programming language; and

said modifying includes modifying said method only if said method is not a synthetic method, has said access level of public or package, and said method calls another method.

4. The process according to claim 3, wherein:

said modifying includes adding a tracer for said method.

5. The process according to claim 1, wherein:

said determining whether said method has an access level that satisfies a criterion includes automatically determining whether said method can be called by a sufficient scope of one or more other methods; and

said modifying said method includes modifying said method only if said method can be called by said sufficient scope of one or more other methods and said method calls another method.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein:

said modifying includes modifying object code.

7. The process according to claim 1, wherein:

said modifying includes adding a tracer for said method.

8. The process according to claim 1, wherein:

said modifying includes adding a timer for said method.

9. The process according to claim 1, wherein:

said modifying includes adding exit code and start code to existing object code.

10. The process according to claim 9, wherein:

said start code starts a tracing process;

said exit code stops said tracing process;

said exit code is positioned to be executed subsequent to original object code;

said adding exit code includes adding an instruction to jump to said exit code from said original object code;

said adding exit code includes adding an entry in an exceptions table; and

said adding an entry in said exceptions table includes adding a new entry into said exceptions table for said method, said new entry indicates a range of indices corresponding to said original object code, said new entry includes a reference to said exit code and said new entry indicates that said new entry pertains to all types of exceptions.

11. The process according to claim 1, wherein:

said particular purpose is to add a first tracer.

12. A process for monitoring, comprising:

automatically determining which methods of a set of methods call one or more other methods and are synthetic, wherein a synthetic method is a compiler generated method; and

using a first tracing mechanism for said methods that call one or more other methods and are not synthetic without using said first tracing mechanism for methods that do not call one or more other methods or are synthetic.

13. The process according to claim 12, wherein:

said automatically determining includes automatically determining whether said methods have an access level of public or package in the JAVA programming language; and

said using includes using said first tracing mechanism only if said methods are not synthetic methods, have said access level of public or package in the JAVA programming language, and said methods call one or more other methods.

14. The process according to claim 12, wherein:

said determining includes automatically determining whether said methods can be called by a sufficient scope of one or more other methods; and

said using includes using said first tracing mechanism only if said methods can be called by said sufficient scope of one or more other methods, said methods are not synthetic, and said methods call one or more other methods.

15. The process according to claim 12, wherein:

said using a first tracing mechanism includes adding and using timers for said methods.

16. The process according to claim 12, wherein:

said using a first tracing mechanism includes modifying existing object code to add said first tracing mechanism.

17. The process according to claim 16, wherein:

said first tracing mechanism includes timers for said methods.

18. One or more non-transitory 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 process comprising:

automatically determining which methods of a set of methods to modify, said step of determining includes automatically determining which methods call one or more other methods and have an access level of either public or package in the JAVA programming language; and

modifying for a particular purpose only those methods that call one or more other methods and have an access level of either public or package in the JAVA programming language.

19. The one or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 18, wherein:

said automatically determining includes automatically determining whether said methods are not synthetic methods; and

said modifying includes modifying said methods only if said methods are determined to not be synthetic methods, said methods have an access level of either public or package in the JAVA programming language and said methods call one or more other methods.

20. The one or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 18, wherein:

said modifying includes modifying existing object code.

21. The one or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 18, wherein:

said modifying includes adding tracers.

22. The one or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 18, wherein:

said modifying includes adding timers.

23. The one or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 18, wherein:

said start code starts a tracing process;

said exit code stops said tracing process;

said exit code is positioned to be executed subsequent to original object code;

said step of adding exit code includes adding an instruction to jump to said exit code from said original object code;

said adding exit code includes adding an entry in an exceptions table; and

said adding an entry in said exceptions table includes adding a new entry into said exceptions table for said method, said new entry indicates a range of indices corresponding to said original object code, said new entry includes a reference to said exit code and said new entry indicates that said new entry pertains to all types of exceptions.

24. One or more non-transitory 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 process comprising:

automatically determining whether to trace a method, said step of determining includes automatically determining whether said method calls another method and if said method has an access level that satisfies a criterion, wherein said criterion is a level of access control for said method that is provided by a programming language; and

tracing said method for a particular purpose only if said method calls another method and said access level satisfies the criterion.

25. The one or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 24, wherein:

said determining includes automatically determining whether or not said method is flagged by a compiler as being synthetic; and

said tracing includes tracing said method only if said method is not flagged by said compiler as being synthetic and said method calls another method.

26. The one or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 24, wherein:

said automatically determining includes automatically determining whether said method has an access level of public or package in the JAVA programming language, an access level of public indicates that a method can be called by a method in a class of any parentage, an access level of package indicates that a method can be called by methods in classes in the same package regardless of parentage; and

said tracing includes tracing said method only if said method is determined to have said access level of public or package and said method calls another method.

27. The one or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 24, wherein:

said automatically determining includes automatically determining whether said method is not a synthetic method and has an access level of public or package, said access level is one of a plurality of access levels in a JAVA programming language; and

said tracing includes tracing said method only if said method is determined to not be a synthetic method, have said access level of public or package, and said method calls another method.

28. The one or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 24, wherein:

said tracing includes timing said method.

29. An apparatus capable of monitoring, comprising:

means for automatically determining whether a method calls another method;

means for automatically determining whether said method can be called by a sufficient scope of one or more other methods;

means for automatically determining whether said method is not a synthetic method; and

means for tracing said method for a particular purpose only if said method calls another method, said method can be called by a sufficient scope of one or more other methods, and said method is not a synthetic method.

30. An apparatus capable of monitoring, comprising:

a storage device; and

one or more processors in communication with said storage device, said one or more processors perform a process comprising;

accessing a method,

determining whether said method calls one or more different methods and can be called by a sufficient scope of one or more other methods, wherein the sufficient scope comprises determining a level of access control for said method that is provided by a programming language, and

tracing said method for a particular purpose only if said method calls one or more different methods and can be called by a sufficient scope of one or more other methods.

31. The apparatus according to claim 30, wherein:

said determining includes determining whether said method is not a synthetic method; and

said tracing includes tracing said method only if said method is determined to not be a synthetic method and said method calls one or more different methods.

32. The apparatus according to claim 30, wherein:

said determining includes determining whether said method has an access level of public or package in the JAVA programming language; and

said tracing includes tracing said method only if said method is determined to have said access level of public or package and said method calls one or more different methods.

33. The apparatus according to claim 30, wherein:

said process further includes modifying existing object code for said method in order to add a first tracing mechanism.

34. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein:

said first tracing mechanism includes a timer.

35. The apparatus according to claim 30, wherein:

said tracing includes timing said method.

36. The apparatus according to claim 30, wherein:

said determining includes determining whether said method is not a synthetic method and whether said method has an access level of public or package in the JAVA programming language; and

said tracing includes tracing said method only if said method is determined to not be a synthetic method, said method is determined to have an access level of public or package, and said method calls one or more different methods.

37. A process for monitoring, comprising:

accessing a method;

automatically determining whether said method is complex, said step of automatically determining includes automatically determining that said method is complex if said method satisfies the following criteria;

said method calls another method;

said method has an access level of public or package in the JAVA programming language; and

said method is not flagged by a compiler as being synthetic; and

adding a tracer to said method only if said method is automatically determined to be complex.