Executable high-level trace file generation system

• US 8,429,619 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2007
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Albert, Jason T., Engel, Christopher J., Farrugia, John, Van Leeuwen, Paul G., Wieman, Brent M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Tuan A
• Application Number:
  US11/772,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20090013312A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,121 Days
• Field of Search: 717/106, 717/109, 717/115, 717/124, 717127-129, 717/130, 719/310, 719/320, 709/218, 709/223, 709/320, 715/804, 715/513, 706/45, 716/106, 379/265.06, 455/425, 713/189, 703/22
• US Class Current: 717/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program

Abstract

An executable high-level trace file generation system provides reduced debugging effort and time, particularly on initial startup of new or modified hardware. An executable program invokes high-level application programming interfaces (APIs), to perform various tasks. Instructions within the APIs generate a trace file documenting the invoked sequence of APIs by writing a line to a trace file that documents the API and input parameters received by the API. Upon completion of execution of the API, the return value may be documented as a comment line in the trace file. The resulting trace file is then re-executable as a script and may be edited to alter the sequence of APIs invoked and/or the arguments provided. The script interpreter may be a command line interface through which the APIs are invoked, and trace files may be similarly generated that document sequences of manually entered commands.

Claims

1. A system, comprising a processor coupled to a memory for storing program instructions for execution by the processor, wherein the program instructions comprise program instructions for:

controlling execution of an instruction stream that invokes a sequence of high-level procedures automatically and without user intervention, wherein the executable instruction stream is a binary instruction stream and the invocation of the sequence of high-level procedures is a sequence of function calls performed by the executable instruction stream; and

generating a trace file during execution of the executable instruction stream that represents invocations of the high-level procedure invocations as a human-readable script that can be executed to repeat the invocation of the sequence of high-level procedures, wherein the trace file is generated such that return parameters supplied from the high-level procedures to the executable instruction stream are documented in the trace as comments;

editing the trace file to alter a behavior specified by the trace file to alter the sequence of the high-level procedures; and

responsive to a subsequent command, executing the trace file as a script to reproduce at least part of the behavior of the executable instruction stream as modified by the editing of the trace file.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions for generating are trace file-generating instructions embedded within the high-level procedures.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising program instructions for:

receiving a call at one of the high-level procedures;

determining whether or not a configuration parameters set indicating that the trace file should be generated;

responsive to determining that the configuration parameter is set, performing the generating; and

responsive to determining that the configuration parameter is not set, skipping the generating.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising program instructions for receiving a sequence of user input commands invoking the high-level procedures via a command interface, wherein the program instructions for controlling execution of the executable instruction stream are executed in response to the sequence of user input commands, and wherein the program instructions for generating generate a record of the sequence of user input commands that is subsequently repeated by the program instructions for executing controlling execution of the trace file.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the program instructions for receiving further cause execution of the program instructions for executing controlling execution of the trace file in response to receiving a command that specifies the trace file as a command script.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the high-level procedures are procedures for controlling another processing system via a command port of a service processor that controls operation of the other processing system, whereby startup or maintenance operations are documented by the trace file.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions for generating generate the trace file such that input parameters supplied to the high-level procedures by the executable instruction stream are documented in the trace file as immediate fixed values.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions for editing insert or remove one or more representations of invocations of the high-level procedures to alter the sequence of invocations of the high-level procedures performed by executing the trace file.

9. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage device storing program instructions for execution by a processor, the program instructions comprising:

program instructions for controlling execution of an executable instruction stream that invokes a sequence of high-level procedures automatically and without user intervention, wherein the executable instruction stream is a binary instruction stream and the invocation of the sequence of high-level procedures is a sequence of function calls performed by the executable instruction stream; and

program instructions for generating a trace file during execution of the executable instruction stream that represents invocations of the high-level procedure invocations as a human-readable script that can be executed to repeat the invocation of the sequence of high-level procedures, wherein the trace file is generated such that return parameters supplied from the high-level procedures to the executable instruction stream are documented in the trace file as comments;

program instructions for editing the trace file to alter a behavior specified by the trace file to alter the sequence of high-level procedures; and

program instructions for, responsive to a subsequent command, executing the trace file as a script to reproduce at least part of the behavior of the executable instruction stream as modified by the editing of the trace file.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the program instructions for generating are trace file-generating instructions embedded within the high-level procedures.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising program instructions for:

receiving a call at one of the high-level procedures;

determining whether or not a configuration parameters set indicating that the trace file should be generated;

responsive to determining that the configuration parameter is set, performing the generating; and

responsive to determining that the configuration parameter is not set, skipping the generating.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising program instructions for receiving a sequence of user input commands invoking the high-level procedures via a command interface, wherein the program instructions for controlling the execution of the executable instruction stream are executed in response to the sequence of user input commands, and wherein the program instructions for generating generate a record of the sequence of user input commands that is subsequently repeated by the program instructions for executing controlling the execution of the trace file.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the program instructions for receiving further cause execution of the program instructions for executing of the trace file in response to receiving a command that specifies the trace file as a command script.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the high-level procedures are procedures for controlling another processing system via a command port of a service processor that controls operation of the other processing system, whereby startup or maintenance operations are documented by the trace file.

15. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the program instructions for generating generate the trace file such that input parameters supplied to the high-level procedures by the executable instruction stream are documented in the trace file as immediate fixed values.

16. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the program instructions for editing insert or remove one or more representations of invocations of the high-level procedures to alter the sequence of invocations of the high-level procedures performed by executing the trace file.