Tracing values of method parameters

• US 9,129,056 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2009
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Schmelter, Ralf, Wintergerst, Michael, Mostowoj, Dietrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Jr., Lewis A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lu, Kevin X
• Application Number:
  US12/631,694
• Publication Number:
  US 20110138385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,104 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/301 where the computing system is a virtual computing platform, e.g. logically partitioned systems virtual machines G06F9/45533; logical partitioning of resources G06F9/5077
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/32 with visual or acoustical indication of the functioning of the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual middleware or OS functionality using virtual machines to implement generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking G06F11/1484
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/865 Monitoring of software

Abstract

Implementations of the present disclosure provide methods including receiving one or more specifications at a virtual machine that is executed using one or more processors, each specification indicating one or more methods and one or more parameters to be traced, the one or more parameters corresponding to the one or more methods, executing an application, the application calling a method of the one or more methods using the virtual machine, determining a subset of the one or more received specifications, the subset corresponding to specifications that are applicable to the method, generating an entry event corresponding to the method based on the subset, the entry event comprising event data including values of the one or more parameters, and reporting the entry event.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for tracing values of one or more method parameters, comprising:

receiving a plurality of specifications at a virtual machine that is executed using one or more processors, each specification indicating one or more methods and one or more parameters to be traced, the one or more parameters corresponding to the one or more methods, at least one of the one or more specifications indicating a transformation to be applied to a plurality of resulting parameter values associated with at least one method of the one or more methods, wherein the transformation is processed by the virtual machine and comprises a chain of modifiers to transform the plurality of resulting parameter values from an initial type to a traceable type, wherein each modifier in the chain of modifiers defining a suitable input type, and wherein two or more of the plurality of specifications are directed to same one or more method'"'"'s same one or more parameters to be traced, wherein the modifiers of the respective two or more specifications generate a respective resulting parameter value;

executing an application, the application calling a method of the one or more methods using the virtual machine;

determining, by the virtual machine, during execution of the application a subset of the two or more received specifications, the subset corresponding to specifications that are applicable to the method;

generating an entry event corresponding to the method based on the subset, the entry event comprising event data comprising values of the one or more parameters, the values comprising at least one modified value based on the transformation and the values comprising at least one modified value based on the transformation and the values generated by combining the respective resulting parameter values transformed by the two or more specifications operating on the same parameter; and

reporting the entry event.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving one or more specifications occurs while executing the method.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

grouping the values into a first group and a second group;

writing values of the first group directly to the entry event;

transforming values of the second group based on one or more modifiers in the chain of modifiers to provide one or more modified values; and

writing the one or more modified values to the entry event.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each modifier in the chain of modifiers having an input and an output, an output of one modifier being an input of another modifier in the chain of modifiers, wherein an output of a last modifier in the chain of modifiers comprises a modified value.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each specification comprises a method signature.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

exiting the method at the virtual machine;

generating an exit event, the exit event comprising event data;

reporting the exit event; and

determining a duration of a method call with specific parameters based on the event data of the entry event and the event data of the exit event, the event data of the exit event comprising at least one of a timestamp and a processing unit time.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein reporting comprises at least one of transmitting the entry event to a user interface and writing the entry event to a file in a storage device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the event data of the entry event further comprises at least one of a timestamp and a processing unit time upon corresponding to entering the method.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

tagging the method based on a version of the method, the version being one of a plurality of versions; and

providing an index based on the tagging when reporting the entry event.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to one or more processors and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving a plurality of specifications at a virtual machine that is executed using one or more processors, each specification indicating one or more methods and one or more parameters to be traced, the one or more parameters corresponding to the one or more methods, at least one of the one or more specifications indicating a transformation to be applied to a plurality of resulting parameter values associated with at least one method of the one or more methods, wherein the transformation is processed by the virtual machine and comprises a chain of modifiers to transform the plurality of resulting parameter values from an initial type to a traceable type, wherein each modifier in the chain of modifiers defining a suitable input type, and wherein two or more of the plurality of specifications are directed to same one or more method'"'"'s same one or more parameters to be traced, wherein the modifiers of the respective two or more specifications generate a respective resulting parameter value;

executing an application, the application calling a method of the one or more methods using the virtual machine;

determining, by the virtual machine, during execution of the application a subset of the two or more received specifications, the subset corresponding to specifications that are applicable to the method;

generating an entry event corresponding to the method based on the subset, the entry event comprising event data comprising values of the one or more parameters, the values comprising at least one modified value based on the transformation and the values comprising at least one modified value based on the transformation and the values generated by combining the respective resulting parameter values transformed by the two or more specifications operating on the same parameter; and

reporting the entry event.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein receiving one or more specifications occurs while executing the method.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

grouping the values into a first group and a second group;

writing values of the first group directly to the entry event;

transforming values of the second group based on one or more modifiers in the chain of modifiers to provide one or more modified values; and

writing the one or more modified values to the entry event.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein each modifier in the chain of modifiers having an input and an output, an output of one modifier being an input of another modifier in the chain of modifiers, wherein an output of a last modifier in the chain of modifiers comprises a modified value.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein each specification comprises a method signature.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

exiting the method at the virtual machine;

generating an exit event, the exit event comprising event data;

reporting the exit event; and

determining a duration of a method call with specific parameters based on the event data of the entry event and the event data of the exit event, the event data of the exit event comprising at least one of a timestamp and a processing unit time.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein reporting comprises at least one of transmitting the entry event to a user interface and writing the entry event to a file in a storage device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the event data of the entry event further comprises at least one of a timestamp and a processing unit time upon corresponding to entering the method.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

tagging the method based on a version of the method, the version being one of a plurality of versions; and

providing an index based on the tagging when reporting the entry event.

19. A system, comprising:

a server comprising a computer-readable storage medium coupled to one or more processors and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving a plurality of specifications at a virtual machine that is executed using one or more processors, each specification indicating one or more methods and one or more parameters to be traced, the one or more parameters corresponding to the one or more methods, at least one of the one or more specifications indicating a transformation to be applied to a plurality of resulting parameter values associated with at least one method of the one or more methods, wherein the transformation is processed by the virtual machine and comprises a chain of modifiers to transform the plurality of resulting parameter values from an initial type to a traceable type, wherein each modifier in the chain of modifiers defining suitable input type, and wherein two or more of the plurality of specifications are directed to same one or more method'"'"'s same one or more parameters to be traced, wherein the modifiers of the respective two or more specifications generate a respective resulting parameter value;

executing an application, the application calling a method of the one or more methods using the virtual machine;

determining, by the virtual machine, during execution of the application a subset of the one two or more received specifications, the subset corresponding to specifications that are applicable to the method;

generating an entry event corresponding to the method based on the subset, the entry event comprising event data comprising values of the one or more parameters, the values comprising at least one modified value based on the transformation and the values comprising at least one modified value based on the transformation and the values generated by combining the respective resulting parameter values transformed by the two or more specifications operating on the same parameter; and

reporting the entry event.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein receiving one or more specifications occurs while executing the method.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

grouping the values into a first group and a second group;

writing values of the first group directly to the entry event;

transforming values of the second group based on one or more modifiers in the chain of modifiers to provide one or more modified values; and

writing the one or more modified values to the entry event.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein each modifier in the chain of modifiers having an input and an output, an output of one modifier being an input of another modifier in the chain of modifiers, wherein an output of a last modifier in the chain of modifiers comprises a modified value.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein each specification comprises a method signature.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

exiting the method at the virtual machine;

generating an exit event, the exit event comprising event data;

reporting the exit event; and

determining a duration of a method call with specific parameters based on the event data of the entry event and the event data of the exit event, the event data of the exit event comprising at least one of a timestamp and a processing unit time.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein reporting comprises at least one of transmitting the entry event to a user interface and writing the entry event to a file in a storage device.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the event data of the entry event further comprises at least one of a timestamp and a processing unit time upon corresponding to entering the method.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

tagging the method based on a version of the method, the version being one of a plurality of versions; and

providing an index based on the tagging when reporting the entry event.