Automated debug trace specification

• US 9,223,681 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2013
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Delporte, Franck
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRANCO, CHRISTOPHER J
• Application Number:
  US13/768,396
• Publication Number:
  US 20140237454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0721 within a central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0778 Dumping, i.e. gathering error/state information after a fault for later diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3604 Software analysis for verifying properties of programs byte-code verification G06F9/44589
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/362 Software debugging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3624 by performing operations on the source code, e.g. via a compiler
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/366 using diagnostics G06F11/0703 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3692 for test results analysis

Abstract

Debugging a debug target software by: (i) generating a first log file set, including at least one log file, based upon how the computer hardware set executes the instructions of the computer software set; (ii) responsive to a first error in the execution of the computer software set, examining at least a portion of the first log file set; and (iii) creating, based at least in part upon the examination of the first log file set, augmented logging instructions for generating augmented logging information, which is helpful for debugging.

Claims

1. A method for using a computer hardware set to execute instructions of a computer software set, the method comprising:

generating a first log file set, including at least one log file, based upon how the computer hardware set executes the instructions of the computer software set;

responsive to a first error in the execution of the computer software set, examining at least a portion of the first log file set; and

creating, based at least in part upon the examination of the first log file set, augmented logging instructions for generating, upon any occurrence of an error similar to the first error, augmented logging information including state information relating to the occurrence of the respective error, wherein the state information includes a set of arguments passed to one or more methods of the computer software set;

causing an occurrence of a second error similar to the first error;

generating augmented logging information responsive to the occurrence of the second error according to the augmented logging instructions; and

performing debugging based, at least in part, on the augmented logging information

wherein;

at least a portion of the augmented logging information is not included in the first log file set; and

the examining, creating, and causing steps are performed automatically, and substantially without human intervention, by agent software running on the computer hardware set.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the augmented logging instructions cause the augmented logging information to be included in a second set of log files, including at least one log file.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the augmented logging information includes call trace information.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the creating step includes the following sub-steps:

creating a trace specification designed to specify the augmented logging information; and

instrumenting the trace specification by providing machine readable instructions to obtain the augmented logging information.

5. A computer program product for use with a computer hardware set that executes instructions of a computer software set, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage media set including at least one storage medium; and

program instructions stored on the media set;

wherein;

the program instructions comprise;

first instructions programmed to generate a first log file set, including at least one log file, based upon how the computer hardware set executes the instructions of the computer software set,

second instructions programmed to, responsive to a first error in the execution of the computer software set, examine at least a portion of the first log file set,

third instructions programmed to create, based at least in part upon the examination of the first log file set, augmented logging instructions for generating, upon any occurrence of an error similar to the first error, augmented logging information including state information relating to the occurrence of the respective error, wherein the state information includes a set of arguments passed to one or more methods of the computer software set,

fourth instructions programmed to cause an occurrence of a second error similar to the first error,

fifth instructions programmed to generate augmented logging information responsive to the occurrence of the second error according to the augmented logging instructions, and

sixth instructions programmed to perform debugging based, at least in part, on the augmented logging information; and

at least a portion of the augmented logging information is not included in the first log file set.

6. The computer program product of claim 5 wherein the augmented logging instructions cause the augmented logging information to be included in a second set of log files, including at least one log file.

7. The computer program product of claim 5 wherein the augmented logging information includes call trace information.

8. The computer program product of claim 5 wherein the third instructions include the following:

instructions defining a trace specification designed to specify the augmented logging information; and

instructions programmed to instrument the trace specification to obtain the augmented logging information.

9. A computer hardware set that executes instructions of a computer software set, the computer hardware set comprising:

a processor set;

a non-transitory computer-readable storage media set including at least one storage medium; and

program instructions stored on the media set and executable on the processor set;

wherein;

the program instructions comprise;

first instructions programmed to generate a first log file set, including at least one log file, based upon how the computer hardware set executes the instructions of the computer software set,

second instructions programmed to, responsive to a first error in the execution of the computer software set, examine at least a portion of the first log file set, and

third instructions programmed to create, based at least in part upon the examination of the first log file set, augmented logging instructions for generating, upon any occurrence of an error similar to the first error, augmented logging information including state information relating to the occurrence of the respective error, wherein the state information includes a set of arguments passed to one or more methods of the computer software set,

fourth instructions programmed to cause an occurrence of a second error similar to the first error,

fifth instructions programmed to generate augmented logging information responsive to the occurrence of the second error according to the augmented logging instructions, and

sixth instructions programmed to perform debugging based, at least in part, on the augmented logging information; and

at least a portion of the augmented logging information is not included in the first log file set.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the augmented logging instructions cause the augmented logging information to be included in a second set of log files, including at least one log file.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the augmented logging information includes call trace information.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the third instructions include the following:

instructions defining a trace specification designed to specify the augmented logging information; and

instructions programmed to instrument the trace specification to obtain the augmented logging information.