Patent ID: 8245211
Filing Date: 2012-08-14
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. Method for detecting problems caused by access to incompletely initialized data storage in assembler programs comprising: generating an internal representation of control flow of the source code of the assembler program by using standard techniques of compiler constructions, wherein said internal representation contains nodes for every statement found in said source code and a directed edge for every possible flow of control between said nodes; attributing data attributes to said nodes and/or said edges, wherein said data attributes are used to store information about which bits within the data storage can be guaranteed to be initialized; applying a data-flow analysis method to said internal representation of the control flow of the source code for determining which bits of the data storage can be guaranteed to be initialized, wherein said applying further comprises: checking for each node whether the instruction reads bits that are not guaranteed to be initialized; generating one or more error messages responsive to said problem; and recording which statement is the reason why certain bits of the data storage are not initialized; and wherein said calculation of said values additionally provides information about which statement is the reason why certain bits of the respective data storage are not initialized in addition to a report of the accesses to the only partly initialized data storage.