Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for debugging a software program using dynamic debug patches and copy on write views

US6839894B1 · kind B1 · utility

20Cited by
32References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 20, 2000
Grant dateJan 4, 2005
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 2, 2022

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F11/3644
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus for debugging a software program is provided that is non-intrusive and allows multiple persons to debug concurrently in view private sessions. In one example, a method includes preserving a memory state of a portion of a software program, such as a database system. A second software program is compiled and dynamically linked, and which when executed, would normally cause modification to targeted data in the preserved portion of the software program. The second software program is executed by making a copy of the targeted data in the preserved portion of the software program. The copy is modified to generate a modified copy of the targeted data without modifying the data that is in the preserved portion of the software program. In subsequent accesses, the user that issued that executed the second software program accesses the modified copy whenever the user would have otherwise accessed the corresponding preserved portion. The second software program is made accessible to other users of the database system by publishing in the preserved portion a corresponding symbolic name associated with the second software program. If another user accesses the second softwa…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.