International Business Machines Corporation

Michael S Meier

Hsin Pan

You-Chin Gene Fuh

Josyula R Rao

Donald Philip Pazel

Kevan Lee Miller

James Robert Russell

The present invention provides a method, system, and program for debugging external programs, such as user-defined functions, stored procedures, and triggers executed in relational database management systems (RDBMS), in a client-server, i.e., distributed, environment. In the present invention, a debugger is initiated from within a process running the external program by executing a special segment of code prior to the execution of the external program. In one embodiment of the invention, this debugging function is triggered by including a variation of this special segment of program code within the external program, itself. In another embodiment of the invention, this debugging triggering function is provided within an enhanced RDBMS with extensions to SQL to activate the debugging ability in the RDBMS. The invention can be implemented by using present day serial debuggers or parallel and/or distributed debuggers. One such parallel and distributed debugger utilized in a preferred embodiment is the Parallel and Distributed Dynamic Analyzer (PDDA) debugger. In addition, although the following invention is described with reference to a debugger, the invention can be applicable for any application development tool.

System, method and program for debugging external programs in client/server-based relational database management systems

The present invention provides a dynamic connection for distributed applications that need to locate application development tools, including but not limited to debuggers, trace collection tools, compilers, etc.) which may be running on different machines, and to send the tools messages. The program requesting debugging service (i.e., a debugger client) sends, to a tool locator, criteria which specifies the properties of a desired debugger. The tool locator maintains a registry of all tools, e.g. debuggers, and their properties, which remain active within the network by receiving tool registration information from each tool as it is started on any machine within the network. When a message is received by the tool locator from a debugger client specifying the criteria of a desired debugger, the tool locator searches its registry and returns a list of debuggers matching the specified properties along with a communication endpoint address that can be used to establish a connection with a debugger meeting the criteria. The debugger client then sends a message, using the established connection, to the desired debugger requesting debugging services on behalf of the debugger client or another program. As a result, a dynamic connection is made, at run time, between an application program and a debugger having certain desired properties wherein the debugger may be active, if at all, at any time on any machine within the network.

Dynamic connection to a remote tool in a distributed processing system

When displaying the caller stack of a distributed client/server program that uses Remote Procedure Calls (RPC), the user is provided the capability of viewing the RPC calls in the same manner as normal procedure calls. When a breakpoint is encountered in an RPC server program while using a debugger for distributed programs, the call stacks for the client and server program are appended together into a single distributed call stack. In the case of nested RPC calls (e.g. program A executes an RPC call to program B which executes an RPC call to C and so on) all of the call stacks are appended together in the order they were created. The distributed call stack may span many programs, threads of execution, and computing machines. The distributed call stack may be used to select a routine from the call stack when setting a context for a tool that displays program state information. For example, when the user selects a particular routine from the distributed call stack, the source listing, variables that are currently in scope, and thread executing the routine may be shown in various display windows.

Method of walking-up a call stack for a client/server program that uses

This invention provides a small and efficient set of primitives for debugging a distributed application that runs on a plurality of processors connected by a common network. These primitives permit a user to debug a distributed application in a manner similar to debugging a non-distributed application. The invention allows a user to step into and return from a remote procedure call in exactly the same manner as a local procedure call. The invention also allow a user to set breakpoints in a server for specific clients and to specify conditions under which a particular remote call from a client should trap in a server. These capabilities greatly simplify the process of debugging distributed applications such as client-server programs.

System and method for debugging distributed programs

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.sub.-- client component and rp.sub.-- 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.

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Newark, CA, United States of America

Michael S Meier