System and method for checking the use of synchronization locks in a multi-threaded target program

Patent 5822588 Issued on October 13, 1998. Estimated Expiration Date:

June 9, 2015. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

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Inventors

Assignee

Sun Microsystem, Inc.

Application

No. 489197 filed on 06/09/1995

US Classes:

717/131, Including analysis of program execution717/146Including intermediate code

Examiners

Primary: Trammell, James P.
Assistant: Chavis, John Q.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Basinski; Erwin J.

International Class

G06F 012/06

Abstract

The present invention is a system and method for "checking the use of synchronization locks in a multi-threaded computer program" (hereinafter "WARLOCK II"). In Warlock II a set of source code representing a process which includes multiple threads may be annotated by the developer using a "NOTE" macro to describe the desired operation of the locks. This annotated source code is passed to a modified ANSI C compiler which outputs a special file designated a ".ll" file, as for example, file "foo.ll". This special ".ll" file is then processed as input along with other designated ".ll" files which might be related, by a "wlanalyze" program which will check the source code of the target programs in the ".ll" files to determine whether their use of synchronization locks is consistent with the intended use as specified in the annotations.

Other References

"Solaris^™ Multithreaded Programming Guide", SunSoft, pp. iii-158
"Sema: a Lint-like Tool for Analyzing Semaphore Usage in a Multithreaded UNIX Kernal", Joseph A. Korty, MODCOMP, an AEG Company, USENIX-Winter '89, pp. 113-123
"WARLOCK-A static Data Race Analysis Tool", Nicholas Sterling, SunSoft, Inc., 1993 Winter USENIX-Jan. 25-29, 1993-San Diego, CA, pp. 97-106
"lock_- Lint User's Guide", SunSoft, pp. iii-6