Collaborative software debugging in a distributed system with multi-member variable expansion

• US 8,904,356 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2010
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bates, Cary L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Li B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Paulino, Lenin
• Application Number:
  US12/908,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20120102463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,504 Days
• Field of Search: 717/124, 717/125
• 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 through a data communications network, where the debug server includes a debug administrator, a message router, a back-end debugger, and a debuggee, collaborative software debugging includes receiving application-level messages, including a request from a requesting debug client to notify other debug clients of an expansion of a multi-member variable; routing the application-level messages among the debug clients, the debug administrator, and the back-end debugger, including providing distributed control of the back-end debugger to the debug clients and distributing, to the other debug clients, a notification of the expansion of the multi-member variable; and returning 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 notify other debug clients of an expansion of a multi-member variable, the request to notify other debug clients of an expansion of a multi-member variable comprising a DISTRIBUTE REQUEST message type, a specification of intended recipients of data to distribute including an identification of each of the other debug clients, and a payload to distribute, the payload comprising a notification of the expansion of the multi-member variable;

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, including providing distributed control of the back-end debugger to the debug clients with application-level messages routed to the back-end debugger and distributing, to the other debug clients, a notification of the expansion of the multi-member variable, including sending, to each of the other debug clients specified as intended recipients of the application-level message having the DISTRIBUTE REQUEST message type, a reply comprising an application-level message having a REQUEST REPLY message type and the payload of the application-level message having the DISTRIBUTE REQUEST message type; 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 the request to notify other debug clients of an expansion of the multi-member variable further comprises receiving a request to notify other debug clients of an expansion of a structure variable; and

returning client-specific debug results further comprises returning, upon a halt in debuggee execution by the back-end debugger, to the requesting debug client and to the other debug clients, a value of each member of the structure variable.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the request to notify other debug clients of an expansion of the multi-member variable further comprises receiving a request to notify other debug clients of an expansion of a union variable; and

returning client-specific debug results further comprises returning, upon a halt in debuggee execution by the back-end debugger, to the requesting debug client and to the other debug clients, a value of union variable and an identification of a member of the union presently storing the value.

4. 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;

detecting, by each debug client, user input through the client-specific GUI, including detecting, by a requesting debug client, user input indicating an expansion of a multi-member variable to view one or more members of the multi-member variable;

generating, by each debug client in dependence upon the detected user input, one or more application-level messages, including generating, by the requesting debug client, a request to notify other debug clients of the expansion of the multi-member variable;

sending, by each debug client, the application-level messages to the debug server, including sending, by the requesting debug client to the debug server, the request to notify other debug clients of the expansion of the multi-member variable, the request to notify other debug clients of the expansion of the multi-member variable comprising a DISTRIBUTE REQUEST message type, a specification of intended recipients of data to distribute including an identification of each of the other debug clients, and a payload to distribute, the payload comprising a notification of the expansion of the multi-member variable, wherein the message router;

routes, 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, and

distributes, to the other debug clients, a notification of the expansion of the multi-member variable, including sending, to each of the other debug clients specified as intended recipients of the application-level message having the DISTRIBUTE REQUEST message type, a reply comprising an application-level message having a REQUEST REPLY message type and the payload of the application-level message having the DISTRIBUTE REQUEST message type;

receiving, by each debug client responsive to the application-level messages, client-specific debug results, including receiving, by the other debug clients, a notification of the requesting debug client'"'"'s expansion of the multi-member variable; and

displaying, by each debug client in the client-specific GUI, the client-specific debug results, including displaying, by each of the other debug clients, a graphical indication of the expansion of the multi-member variable.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the multi-member variable comprises a structure variable; and

displaying the client-specific debug results further comprises highlighting, by each of the other debug clients, upon a halt in debuggee execution by the back-end debugger, source code text comprising the structure variable and source code text comprising one or more members of the structure variable.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the multi-member variable comprises a union variable; and

displaying the client-specific debug results further comprises highlighting, by each of the other debug clients, upon a halt in debuggee execution by the back-end debugger, source code text comprising the union variable and source code text comprising one or more members of the union variable.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein displaying the client-specific debug results further comprises:

displaying, by each of the other debug clients upon the halt in debuggee execution, a value of the union variable; and

featuring, by each of the other debug clients, a union variable member presently storing the value relative to union variable members not presently storing the value.

8. 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;

detecting, by each debug client, user input through the client-specific GUI, including detecting, by a requesting debug client, user input indicating an expansion of a multi-member variable to view one or more members of the multi-member variable;

generating, by each debug client in dependence upon the detected user input, one or more application-level messages, including generating, by the requesting debug client, a request to notify other debug clients of the expansion of the multi-member variable;

sending, by each debug client, the application-level messages to the debug server, including sending, by the requesting debug client to the debug server, the request to notify other debug clients of the expansion of the multi-member variable, the request to notify other debug clients of the expansion of the multi-member variable comprising a DISTRIBUTE REQUEST message type, a specification of intended recipients of data to distribute including an identification of each of the other debug clients, and a payload to distribute, the payload comprising a notification of the expansion of the multi-member variable, wherein the message router;

routes, 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, and

distributes, to the other debug clients, a notification of the expansion of the multi-member variable, including sending, to each of the other debug clients specified as intended recipients of the application-level message having the DISTRIBUTE REQUEST message type, a reply comprising an application-level message having a REQUEST REPLY message type and the payload of the application-level message having the DISTRIBUTE REQUEST message type;

receiving, by each debug client responsive to the application-level messages, client-specific debug results, including receiving, by the other debug clients, a notification of the requesting debug client'"'"'s expansion of the multi-member variable; and

displaying, by each debug client in the client-specific GUI, the client-specific debug results, including displaying, by each of the other debug clients, a graphical indication of the expansion of the multi-member variable.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

the multi-member variable comprises a structure variable; and

displaying the client-specific debug results further comprises highlighting, by each of the other debug clients, upon a halt in debuggee execution by the back-end debugger, source code text comprising the structure variable and source code text comprising one or more members of the structure variable.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

the multi-member variable comprises a union variable; and

displaying the client-specific debug results further comprises highlighting, by each of the other debug clients, upon a halt in debuggee execution by the back-end debugger, source code text comprising the union variable and source code text comprising one or more members of the union variable.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein displaying the client-specific debug results further comprises:

displaying, by each of the other debug clients upon the halt in debuggee execution, a value of the union variable; and

featuring, by each of the other debug clients, a union variable member presently storing the value relative to union variable members not presently storing the value.

12. 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 storage medium, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a signal, 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;

detecting, by each debug client, user input through the client-specific GUI, including detecting, by a requesting debug client, user input indicating an expansion of a multi-member variable to view one or more members of the multi-member variable;

generating, by each debug client in dependence upon the detected user input, one or more application-level messages, including generating, by the requesting debug client, a request to notify other debug clients of the expansion of the multi-member variable;

sending, by each debug client, the application-level messages to the debug server, including sending, by the requesting debug client to the debug server, the request to notify other debug clients of the expansion of the multi-member variable, the request to notify other debug clients of the expansion of the multi-member variable comprising a DISTRIBUTE REQUEST message type, a specification of intended recipients of data to distribute including an identification of each of the other debug clients, and a payload to distribute, the payload comprising a notification of the expansion of the multi-member variable, wherein the message router;

routes, 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, and

distributes, to the other debug clients, a notification of the expansion of the multi-member variable, including sending, to each of the other debug clients specified as intended recipients of the application-level message having the DISTRIBUTE REQUEST message type, a reply comprising an application-level message having a REQUEST REPLY message type and the payload of the application-level message having the DISTRIBUTE REQUEST message type;

receiving, by each debug client responsive to the application-level messages, client-specific debug results, including receiving, by the other debug clients, a notification of the requesting debug client'"'"'s expansion of the multi-member variable; and

displaying, by each debug client in the client-specific GUI, the client-specific debug results, including displaying, by each of the other debug clients, a graphical indication of the expansion of the multi-member variable.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein:

the multi-member variable comprises a structure variable; and

displaying the client-specific debug results further comprises highlighting, by each of the other debug clients, upon a halt in debuggee execution by the back-end debugger, source code text comprising the structure variable and source code text comprising one or more members of the structure variable.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein:

the multi-member variable comprises a union variable; and

displaying the client-specific debug results further comprises highlighting, by each of the other debug clients, upon a halt in debuggee execution by the back-end debugger, source code text comprising the union variable and source code text comprising one or more members of the union variable.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein displaying the client-specific debug results further comprises:

displaying, by each of the other debug clients upon the halt in debuggee execution, a value of the union variable; and

featuring, by each of the other debug clients, a union variable member presently storing the value relative to union variable members not presently storing the value.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable storage medium further comprises a recordable medium.