Collaborative software debugging in a distributed system with client-specific display of local variables

• US 8,850,397 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2010
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bates, Cary L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu, Daxin
• Application Number:
  US12/943,620
• Publication Number:
  US 20120117543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,420 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/323 Visualisation of programs or trace data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/362 Software debugging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software

Abstract

In a distributed system that includes a debug server and debug clients coupled for data communications through a network, collaborative software debugging includes presenting a client-specific GUI that includes a client-specific local variables pane; detecting user input including detecting, by at least one particular debug client, user input setting the client-specific local variables pane to display local variables of a stack frame associated with an active routine owned by the particular debug client; generating and sending to the debug server application-level messages; receiving client-specific debug results; and displaying the client-specific debug results, including: displaying, in the particular debug client'"'"'s client-specific local variables pane, the local variables of the stack frame associated with the active routine owned by the particular debug client; and displaying, in another debug client'"'"'s client-specific local variables pane, local variables of another stack frame.

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:

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 a client-specific local variables pane;

detecting, by each debug client, user input through the client-specific GUI, including detecting, by at least one particular debug client, user input setting the client-specific local variables pane to display local variables of a stack frame associated with an active routine owned by the particular debug client;

generating, by each debug client in dependence upon the detected user input, one or more application-level messages;

sending, by each debug client, the application-level messages to the debug server;

receiving, by each debug client responsive to the application-level messages, client-specific debug results including receiving, by the particular debug client, one or more application-level messages comprising a REQUEST REPLY message and a payload that includes a value of each local variable of the stack frame associated with the active routine owned by the particular debug client, wherein the debug server generates the client-specific debug results by providing distributed control to each debug client; and

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

displaying, in the particular debug client'"'"'s client-specific local variables pane, the local variables of the stack frame associated with the active routine owned by the particular debug client; and

displaying, in another debug client'"'"'s client-specific local variables pane, local variables of another stack frame.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting user input setting the client-specific local variables pane to display local variables of a stack frame associated with an active routine owned by the particular debug client further comprises receiving a user selection of the stack frame.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting user input setting the client-specific local variables pane to display local variables of a stack frame associated with an active routine owned by the particular debug client further comprises receiving a user selection of the routine.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying, by the particular debug client from routine ownership records maintained by the particular debug client, one or more routines owned by the particular debug client.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising requesting, from the debug server, routine ownership assignments for the particular debug client.

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:

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 a client-specific local variables pane;

detecting, by each debug client, user input through the client-specific GUI, including detecting, by at least one particular debug client, user input setting the client-specific local variables pane to display local variables of a stack frame associated with an active routine owned by the particular debug client;

generating, by each debug client in dependence upon the detected user input, one or more application-level messages;

sending, by each debug client, the application-level messages to the debug server;

receiving, by each debug client responsive to the application-level messages, client-specific debug results including receiving, by the particular debug client, one or more application-level messages comprising a REQUEST REPLY message and a payload that includes a value of each local variable of the stack frame associated with the active routine owned by the particular debug client, wherein the debug server generates the client-specific debug results by providing distributed control to each debug client; and

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

displaying, in the particular debug client'"'"'s client-specific local variables pane, the local variables of the stack frame associated with the active routine owned by the particular debug client; and

displaying, in another debug client'"'"'s client-specific local variables pane, local variables of another stack frame.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein detecting user input setting the client-specific local variables pane to display local variables of a stack frame associated with an active routine owned by the particular debug client further comprises receiving a user selection of the stack frame.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein detecting user input setting the client-specific local variables pane to display local variables of a stack frame associated with an active routine owned by the particular debug client further comprises receiving a user selection of the routine.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the step of identifying, by the particular debug client from routine ownership records maintained by the particular debug client, one or more routines owned by the particular debug client.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the step of requesting, from the debug server, routine ownership assignments for the particular debug client.

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 disposed upon a computer readable medium, wherein the computer readable medium is not a signal 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:

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 a client-specific local variables pane;

detecting, by each debug client, user input through the client-specific GUI, including detecting, by at least one particular debug client, user input setting the client-specific local variables pane to display local variables of a stack frame associated with an active routine owned by the particular debug client;

generating, by each debug client in dependence upon the detected user input, one or more application-level messages;

sending, by each debug client, the application-level messages to the debug server;

receiving, by each debug client responsive to the application-level messages, client-specific debug results including receiving, by the particular debug client, one or more application-level messages comprising a REQUEST REPLY message and a payload that includes a value of each local variable of the stack frame associated with the active routine owned by the particular debug client, wherein the debug server generates the client-specific debug results by providing distributed control to each debug client; and

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

displaying, in the particular debug client'"'"'s client-specific local variables pane, the local variables of the stack frame associated with the active routine owned by the particular debug client; and

displaying, in another debug client'"'"'s client-specific local variables pane, local variables of another stack frame.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein detecting user input setting the client-specific local variables pane to display local variables of a stack frame associated with an active routine owned by the particular debug client further comprises receiving a user selection of the stack frame.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein detecting user input setting the client-specific local variables pane to display local variables of a stack frame associated with an active routine owned by the particular debug client further comprises receiving a user selection of the routine.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the computer to carry out the step of identifying, by the particular debug client from routine ownership records maintained by the particular debug client, one or more routines owned by the particular debug client.

15. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the computer to carry out the step of requesting, from the debug server, routine ownership assignments for the particular debug client.

16. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a computer readable storage medium.