US5794046A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and system for debugging parallel and distributed applications
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1997-06-05
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Granted: 1998-08-11
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Expires: 2017-06-05
Abstract
Abstract A debugger client/server application comprising a front-end and one or more back-ends, including a Director component which handles most of the initialization and parallel execution control issues and a rp -- client component and rp -- server component which handles most of the distributed execution issues. The Director allows a Debug Engine to be unaware of most of the parallel and distributed aspects of the application. Thus, the Debug Engine can be created by re-using a serial debugger for presenting the state information about the various programs that make up the application.
Inventors
- 👤 Michael S. Meier
- 👤 Hsin Pan
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 23:22
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F11/00; G06F11/36; G06F11/362
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
163 words
A system for debugging a distributed computer program comprising a plurality of processes, by a distributed debugger comprising a front end and a back end, said system comprising: an address-space data structure associated with each of the plurality of processes monitored by the back end, the address-space data structure storing a run-time state of the associated process wherein the run-time state comprises a value from a register or location in memory of the associated process; a controller data structure, allocated by the front end for each back end, the controller data structure pointing to the address-space data structure associated with the process monitored by the back end; a request by the front end of the run-time state of the monitored process from the back end monitoring the monitored process; storage of the run-time state of the monitored process in the address-space data structure; and a debug engine for accessing the address-space data structure via the controller data structure to display the run-time state.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
163 words
A system for debugging a distributed computer program comprising a plurality of processes, by a distributed debugger comprising a front end and a back end, said system comprising: an address-space data structure associated with each of the plurality of processes monitored by the back end, the address-space data structure storing a run-time state of the associated process wherein the run-time state comprises a value from a register or location in memory of the associated process; a controller data structure, allocated by the front end for each back end, the controller data structure pointing to the address-space data structure associated with the process monitored by the back end; a request by the front end of the run-time state of the monitored process from the back end monitoring the monitored process; storage of the run-time state of the monitored process in the address-space data structure; and a debug engine for accessing the address-space data structure via the controller data structure to display the run-time state.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
165 words
A method of debugging a distributed computer program comprising a plurality of processes, by a distributed debugger comprising a front end and a back end, said method comprising the steps of: allocating an address-space data structure associated with each of the plurality of processes monitored by the back end, the address-space data structure storing a run-time state of the associated process wherein the run-time state comprises a value from a register or location in memory of the associated process; allocating a controller data structure, by the front end for each back end, the controller data structure pointing to the address-space data structure associated with the process monitored by the back end; requesting by the front end the run-time state of the monitored process from the back end monitoring the monitored process; storing the run-time state of the monitored process in the address-space data structure; and accessing of the address-space data structure via the controller data structure by a debug engine to display the run-time state.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
165 words
A method of debugging a distributed computer program comprising a plurality of processes, by a distributed debugger comprising a front end and a back end, said method comprising the steps of: allocating an address-space data structure associated with each of the plurality of processes monitored by the back end, the address-space data structure storing a run-time state of the associated process wherein the run-time state comprises a value from a register or location in memory of the associated process; allocating a controller data structure, by the front end for each back end, the controller data structure pointing to the address-space data structure associated with the process monitored by the back end; requesting by the front end the run-time state of the monitored process from the back end monitoring the monitored process; storing the run-time state of the monitored process in the address-space data structure; and accessing of the address-space data structure via the controller data structure by a debug engine to display the run-time state.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
37 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the debug engine accesses the controller data structure to modify the run-time state, and wherein the front end requests the modification be performed by the back end on the monitored process.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The system of claim 1 wherein identifying information for the monitored process is stored in the controller data structure.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the front end polls the back end to determine a current status of the monitored process.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the front end sends a stop execution message request to another one of the plurality of processes.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of: accessing of the controller data structure by a debug engine to modify the run-time state; and requesting by the front end the modification be performed by the back end on the monitored process.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of storing identifying information for the monitored process in the controller data structure.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 2 wherein the front end polls the back end to determine a current status of the monitored process.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 2 wherein the front end sends a stop execution message request to another one of the plurality of processes.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-08-10 | 2002-02-09 | 2002-08-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-08-10 | 2006-02-09 | 2006-08-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-08-10 | 2010-02-09 | 2010-08-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |