Architectural support for automated assertion checking
US8589895B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 13, 2010 |
| Grant date | Nov 19, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 19, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F11/3692
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A mechanism is provided for automatic detection of assertion violations. An application may write assertion tuples to the assertion checking mechanism. An assertion tuple forms a Boolean expression (predicate or invariant) that the developer of the application wishes to check. If the assertion defined by the tuple remains true, then the application does not violate the assertion. For any instruction that stores a value to a memory location or register at a target address, the assertion checking mechanism compares the target address to the addresses specified in the assertion tuples. If the target address matches one of the tuple addresses, then the assertion checking mechanism reads a value from the other address in the tuple. The assertion checking mechanism then recomputes the assertion using the retrieved value along with the value to be stored. If the assertion checking mechanism detects an assertion violation, the assertion checking mechanism raises an exception.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.