Collaborative software debugging in a distributed system with execution resumption on consensus

• US 8,656,360 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2011
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bates, Cary L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERMAN, STEPHEN DAVID
• Application Number:
  US13/090,503
• Publication Number:
  US 20120272217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/125
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/362 Software debugging

Abstract

In a distributed system that includes a debug server and debug clients coupled for data communications, where the debug server includes a debug administrator, a message router, a back-end debugger, and a debuggee, collaborative software debugging includes receiving a number of application-level messages including a request to resume execution of the debuggee; routing the messages by the message router, providing distributed control of the back-end debugger to the debug clients, including: polling one or more debug clients for approval to resume execution of the debuggee and resuming execution of the debuggee only if a number of debug clients providing approval to resume execution of the debuggee exceeds a predefined threshold, and returning, by the debug server to the debug clients in response to the application-level messages routed to the back-end debugger, client-specific debug results.

Claims

1. A method of collaborative software debugging in a distributed system, the distributed system comprising a debug server, a plurality of debug clients, and a data communications network, the debug server coupled for data communications to the plurality of debug clients through the data communications network, the debug server comprising a debug administrator, a message router, a back-end debugger, and a debuggee, the method comprising:

receiving, by the debug server from the debug clients asynchronously during a debug session of the debuggee, a plurality of application-level messages including receiving, from a requesting debug client, a request to resume execution of the debuggee;

routing, by the message router in accordance with an application-level message passing protocol, the application-level messages among the debug clients, the debug administrator, and the back-end debugger, thereby providing distributed control of the back-end debugger to the debug clients with application-level messages routed to the back-end debugger, including;

polling one or more debug clients for approval to resume execution of the debuggee including informing, with one or more application-level messages, each debug client having not responded to the polling for approval of a number of debug clients having provided an approval to resume execution;

and resuming execution of the debuggee only if a number of debug clients providing approval to resume execution of the debuggee exceeds a predefined threshold including commanding the back-end debugger to resume execution; and

returning, by the debug server to the debug clients in response to the application-level messages routed to the back-end debugger, client-specific debug results.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a plurality of application-level messages further comprises receiving, from at least one debug client, a request to hold execution of the debuggee prior to debug client consensus to resume execution.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein polling one or more of the debug clients for approval to resume execution of the debuggee further comprises polling only debug clients having a predefined amount of activity during a predefined period of time prior to the receiving the request to resume execution of the debuggee.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein resuming execution of the debuggee further comprises resuming execution only if the number of debug clients providing approval to resume execution exceeds the predefined threshold and no debug clients denies approval to resume execution.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein polling one or more of the debug clients for approval to resume execution of the debuggee further comprises forwarding, to the requesting debug client with one or more application-level messages, an identification of a debug client that denies approval to resume execution.

6. An apparatus for collaborative software debugging in a distributed system, the distributed system comprising a debug server, a plurality of debug clients, and a data communications network, the debug server coupled for data communications to the plurality of debug clients through the data communications network, the debug server comprising a debug administrator, a message router, a back-end debugger, and a debuggee, the apparatus comprising a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of:

receiving, by the debug server from the debug clients asynchronously during a debug session of the debuggee, a plurality of application-level messages including receiving, from a requesting debug client, a request to resume execution of the debuggee;

routing, by the message router in accordance with an application-level message passing protocol, the application-level messages among the debug clients, the debug administrator, and the back-end debugger, thereby providing distributed control of the back-end debugger to the debug clients with application-level messages routed to the back-end debugger, including;

polling one or more debug clients for approval to resume execution of the debuggee including informing, with one or more application-level messages, each debug client having not responded to the polling for approval of a number of debug clients having provided an approval to resume execution;

and resuming execution of the debuggee only if a number of debug clients providing approval to resume execution of the debuggee exceeds a predefined threshold including commanding the back-end debugger to resume execution; and

returning, by the debug server to the debug clients in response to the application-level messages routed to the back-end debugger, client-specific debug results.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein receiving a plurality of application-level messages further comprises receiving, from at least one debug client, a request to hold execution of the debuggee prior to debug client consensus to resume execution.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein polling one or more of the debug clients for approval to resume execution of the debuggee further comprises polling only debug clients having a predefined amount of activity during a predefined period of time prior to the receiving the request to resume execution of the debuggee.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein resuming execution of the debuggee further comprises resuming execution only if the number of debug clients providing approval to resume execution exceeds the predefined threshold and no debug clients denies approval to resume execution.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein polling one or more of the debug clients for approval to resume execution of the debuggee further comprises forwarding, to the requesting debug client with one or more application-level messages, an identification of a debug client that denies approval to resume execution.

11. A computer program product for collaborative software debugging in a distributed system, the distributed system comprising a debug server, a plurality of debug clients, and a data communications network, the debug server coupled for data communications to the plurality of debug clients through the data communications network, the debug server comprising a debug administrator, a message router, a back-end debugger, and a debuggee, the computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by a computer processor of a computer, cause the computer to carry out the steps of:

receiving, by the debug server from the debug clients asynchronously during a debug session of the debuggee, a plurality of application-level messages including receiving, from a requesting debug client, a request to resume execution of the debuggee;

routing, by the message router in accordance with an application-level message passing protocol, the application-level messages among the debug clients, the debug administrator, and the back-end debugger, thereby providing distributed control of the back-end debugger to the debug clients with application-level messages routed to the back-end debugger, including;

polling one or more debug clients for approval to resume execution of the debuggee including informing, with one or more application-level messages, each debug client having not responded to the polling for approval of a number of debug clients having provided an approval to resume execution;

and resuming execution of the debuggee only if a number of debug clients providing approval to resume execution of the debug gee exceeds a predefined threshold including commanding the back-end debugger to resume execution; and

returning, by the debug server to the debug clients in response to the application-level messages routed to the back-end debugger, client-specific debug results.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein receiving a plurality of application-level messages further comprises receiving, from at least one debug client, a request to hold execution of the debuggee prior to debug client consensus to resume execution.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein polling one or more of the debug clients for approval to resume execution of the debuggee further comprises polling only debug clients having a predefined amount of activity during a predefined period of time prior to the receiving the request to resume execution of the debuggee.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein resuming execution of the debuggee further comprises resuming execution only if the number of debug clients providing approval to resume execution exceeds the predefined threshold and no debug clients deny approval to resume execution.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein polling one or more of the debug clients for approval to resume execution of the debuggee further comprises forwarding, to the requesting debug client with one or more application-level messages, an identification of a debug client that denies approval to resume execution.

16. A method of collaborative software debugging in a distributed system, the distributed system comprising a debug server, a plurality of debug clients, and a data communications network, the debug server coupled for data communications to the plurality of debug clients through the data communications network, the debug server comprising a debug administrator, a message router, a back-end debugger, and a debuggee, the method comprising:

presenting, by each debug client to a user of the debug client, a client-specific graphical user interface (‘

GUI’

), the client-specific GUI comprising a client-specific display of a debug session of the debuggee, including presenting, by one or more of the debug clients, a polling request to resume execution of the debuggee wherein the polling request comprises, for each debug client having not responded to the polling request, a number of debug clients having provided an approval to resume execution;

detecting, by each debug client, user input through the client-specific GUI, including detecting, by the one or more debug clients presenting the polling request, user input representing a response to the polling request;

generating, by each debug client in dependence upon the detected user input, one or more application-level messages, including generating, by each of the one or more debug clients presenting the polling request, one or more application-level message comprising the response to the polling request;

sending, by each debug client, the application-level messages to the debug server including sending, to the debug server by each of the one or more debug clients presenting the polling requests, the response to the polling request;

receiving, by each debug client responsive to the application-level messages, client-specific debug results, including receiving, by the debug clients from the debug server, information describing resumed execution of the debuggee if a number of debug clients providing approval to resume execution of the debuggee exceeds a predefined threshold; and

displaying, by each debug client in the client-specific GUI, the client-specific debug results.