Advancing and rewinding a replayed program execution

• US 9,122,601 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2014
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lindo, Jonathan, Jakab, Arpad, Cherukuri, Suman, Daudel, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Das, Chameli
• Application Number:
  US14/462,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20140380102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 379 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0778 Dumping, i.e. gathering error/state information after a fault for later diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3624 by performing operations on the source code, e.g. via a compiler

Abstract

In an embodiment, a data processing system comprises a storage system coupled to a unit under test comprising a heap memory, a static memory and a stack; second logic operable to perform: detecting one or more changes in a first state of the heap memory and the static memory; storing, in the storage system, as a state point of the unit under test, the one or more changes in the first state of the heap memory and the static memory; third logic operable to perform: receiving a request to change the memory under test to a particular state point; in response to the request, loading the particular state point from the storage system and applying the particular state point to the heap memory and the static memory to result in changing the heap memory and the static memory to a second state that is substantially equivalent to the first state.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a data connection from a testing system to a unit under test, the unit under test comprising unit under test memory that comprises dynamically allocated memory and static memory;

receiving, at the testing system, a trigger mechanism from a user for establishing state points of the unit under test during a record phase of execution of an application program;

storing, in a storage system of the testing system, data about a state of the dynamically allocated memory and the static memory for each of a plurality of state points of the unit under test during the record phase, wherein the testing system stores the plurality of state points in response to the trigger mechanism, comprising;

i) detecting a change in a first state of the unit under test memory during the record phase; and

ii) storing, in the storage system of the testing system, as a first state point of the unit under test, information about the change in the first state of the under test memory;

detecting, by the testing system, that a call involving operating system resources is to be executed next by the unit under test during the record phase, wherein the call is an Application Program Interface (API) call from the application program to a specified operation of the operating system;

storing, as a marker state point in the storage system of the testing system, a state of the unit under test memory responsive to detecting the call, wherein the marker state point is in addition to the plurality of state points, including storing the marker state point regardless of the trigger mechanism;

detecting, by the testing system, a write operation to the under test memory during a replay phase of execution of the application program;

determining, by the testing system, whether the storage system comprises data about the write operation of the unit under test memory;

detecting by the testing system, that a replay synchronization error has occurred at a particular point in execution of the application program when the storage system does not comprise data about the write operation to the unit under test memory;

receiving, by the testing system, a request to skip to a first state point of the plurality of state points that would result in skipping the marker state point during the replay phase; and

preventing, by the testing system, skipping the marker state point during the replay phase when responding to the request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to detecting that a replay synchronization error has occurred;

setting, by the testing system, the unit under test to a second state point of the plurality of state points that is earlier in time than the particular point in execution, comprising sequentially updating the unit under test memory utilizing changes associated with a set of state points of the plurality of state points, wherein said set of state points occur between said second state point and said particular point in execution in time.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to detecting that a replay synchronization error has occurred;

setting, by the testing system, the unit under test to a second state point of the plurality of state points that is earlier in time than the particular point in execution, comprising retrieving a stored page of the unit under test memory associated with the second state point and copying the retrieved stored page of the unit under test memory associated with the second state point to the unit under test memory;

applying, by the testing system to the unit under test memory, all changes associated with a next state point in time of the plurality of state points after the second state point;

repeating the applying until reaching another state point of the plurality of state points that is closest in time before the particular point in execution.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting a write operation of the unit under test memory comprises receiving data about a write exception to a page of either the dynamically allocated memory or a page of the static memory.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the preventing skipping the marker state point during the replay phase comprises:

changing, by the testing system, the unit under test to a state represented by the marker state point;

causing, by the testing system, the unit under test to execute the call involving operating system resources when the unit under test is in the state represented by the marker state point; and

changing, by the testing system, the unit under test to the next state point in time after the marker state point after the call involving operating system resources has completed.

6. A system, comprising:

a storage system; and

a processor coupled to the storage system, wherein the processor;

establishes a data connection to a unit under test comprising unit under test memory that comprises dynamically allocated memory and static memory;

receives a trigger mechanism from a user for establishing state points of the unit under test during a recording phase of execution of an application program on the unit under test;

stores data in the storage system about a state of the dynamically allocated memory and the static memory for each of a plurality of state points of the unit under test during the recording phase, wherein the processor stores the plurality of state points in response to the trigger mechanism, in which the processor;

i) detects a change in a first state of the unit under test memory during the recording phase; and

ii) stores, in the storage system, as a first state point of the plurality of state points, information about the change in the first state of the under test memory;

detects that a call involving operating system resources of the unit under test is to be executed next by the unit under test during the recording phase, wherein the call is an Application Program Interface (API) call from the application program to a specified operation of the operating system of the unit under test;

stores, as a marker state point, a state of the unit under test memory responsive to detecting the call, wherein the marker state point is in addition to the plurality of state points, wherein the processor stores the marker state point regardless of the trigger mechanism;

detects a write operation to the under test memory during a replay phase of execution of the application program;

determines whether the storage system comprises data about the write operation of the under test memory; and

detects that a replay synchronization error has occurred at a particular point in execution of the application program when the storage system does not comprise data about the write operation to the unit under test memory;

receives a request to skip to a state point of the plurality of state points that would result in skipping the marker state point during the replay phase; and

prevents skipping the marker state point during the replay phase when responding to the request.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor:

sets the unit under test to a second state point of the plurality of state points that is earlier in time than the particular point in execution responsive to detecting that a replay synchronization error has occurred, in which the processor sequentially updates the under test memory utilizing changes associated with a set of state points of the plurality of state points, wherein said set of state points occur between said second state point and said particular point in execution in time.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein when the processor detects a write operation to the under test memory the processor receives data about a write exception to a page of either the dynamically allocated memory or the static memory.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein when the processor prevents skipping the marker state point during the replay phase, the processor:

changes the unit under test to a state represented by the marker state point;

causes the unit under test to execute the call when the unit under test is in the state represented by the marker state point; and

changes the unit under test to the next state point in time after the marker state point after the call involving operating system resources has completed.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the trigger mechanism is a specified interval period, wherein the processor records the plurality of states points in the storage system at the specified interval periods, wherein the processor records the marker state point at a point in addition to any of the specified interval periods.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the API call is a windowing operation.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the call involving operating system resources is a call to a function that creates a window in a particular location of a display screen.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

establish a data connection to a unit under test comprising unit under test memory that comprises dynamically allocated memory and static memory;

receive a trigger mechanism from a user for establishing state points of the unit under test during a recording phase of execution of an application program on the unit under test;

stores data about a state of the dynamically allocated memory and the static memory for each of a plurality of state points of the unit under test during the recording phase, wherein the processor stores the plurality of state points in response to the trigger mechanism, in which the processor;

i) detects a change in a first state of the unit under test memory during the recording phase; and

ii) stores, as a first state point of the plurality of state points, information about the change in the first state of the under test memory;

detects that a call involving operating system resources of the unit under test is to be executed next by the unit under test during the recording phase, wherein the call is an Application Program Interface (API) call from the application program to a specified operation of the operating system of the unit under test;

stores, as a marker state point, a state of the unit under test memory responsive to detecting the call, wherein the marker state point is in addition to the plurality of state points, wherein the processor stores the marker state point regardless of the trigger mechanism;

receives a request to skip to a first state point of the plurality of state points that would result in skipping the marker state point during the replay phase; and

prevents skipping the marker state point during the replay phase when responding to the request.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the processor being caused to prevent skipping the marker state point during the replay phase comprises the processor being caused to:

change the unit under test to a state represented by the marker state point;

cause the unit under test to execute the call involving operating system resources when the unit under test is in the state represented by the marker state point; and

change the unit under test to the next state point in time after the marker state point after the call involving operating system resources has completed.