Method for instruction sequence execution analysis and visualization
| DWPI Title: Method for facilitating visualization of execution instance of computer instruction sequence, involves allowing analyst to expand or contract parts of visualization to focus on portions of execution instance that are of interest to analyst |
| Abstract: Various technologies pertaining to computer-executable instruction sequence forensics are described herein. In a general embodiment, an application development framework supports a function library that includes a plurality of recording functions. Calls to these functions are inserted into source code or bytecode of the computer-executable instruction sequence. The source code is then compiled, resulting in formation of instrumented machine code of the computer-executable instruction sequence. Alternately, the runtime environment interprets instrumented bytecode for the instruction sequence. A processor executes the machine code, and the called functions cause the processor to generate forensic data pertaining to portions of the computer-executable instruction sequence that correspond to locations in the source code where the calls were inserted. An execution instance of the computer-executable instruction sequence is visualized based upon the forensic data. |
| Use: Method for facilitating visualization of an execution instance of a computer instruction sequence. |
| Advantage: The method enables configuring a conventional logging tool to output less data in an operational system to improve overall system performance. The method enables expanding or contracting the parts of the visualization by the analyst, thus allowing the analyst to focus on the portions of the execution instance that are of interest to the analyst. The method enables retaining execution data in a memory that is accessible to the processor. |
| Novelty: The method involves generating visualization (312) of specific execution instance responsive to receipt of a request based upon stored instrumentation data (208), where the visualization comprises a first graphical shape and a second graphical shape, the first graphical shape is representative of a first control structure of an operational computer instruction sequence, the second graphical shape is representative of a second control structure of the operational computer instruction sequence, the first graphical shape is vertically offset from the second graphical shape to indicate that the first control structure is reached prior to the second control structure during the specific execution instance. The visualization is displayed on a display (308) to an analyst. The analyst is allowed to review the shapes of the visualization and expand or contract parts of the visualization to focus on portions of the execution instance that are of interest to the analyst. |
| Filed: 7/29/2015 |
| Application Number: US14812842A |
| Tech ID: SD 13190.1 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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