Abstract:
A method for identifying a storage location for a requested storage address. The method includes receiving a request to view data at a storage address and determining the requested storage address corresponding to a plurality of storage locations. The method includes determining whether the requested storage address identifies memory related to a dump file being analyzed by a dump formatter. Then, in response to determining the requested storage address identifies memory related to the dump file being analyzed by the dump formatter, the method includes identifying one of the plurality of storage locations. The method includes directing the request to the identified storage location.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of software debuggers, and more particularly to identifying a storage location for a storage address requested during debugging. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In software support, a customer will often provide evidence of a software problem in the form of output provided by the computer program itself, called “dump files.” Dump files contain the recorded state of the working memory of a computer program at a specific time, generally when the program has crashed, and are used to assist in diagnosing errors in computer programs. Dump files can include reports of the problem, recent activity, and the current state of the computer at the time the problem occurred. Dump files allow a computer program to be analyzed without monopolizing the operating system and can be used to retrieve information from a no longer running program. Dump files are written in machine code, which can be converted into a readable form by dump formatters to allow service engineers to determine a cause of, and potentially a solution to, the customer&#39;s problem. 
     In addition to reviewing dump files, service engineers and software developers also use debugging software to study the computer program&#39;s behavior in detail. One example of debugging software is a source level debugger (SLD), which allows the service engineer or software developer to analyze line by line the problem source code. Debugging software can be used to debug dump formatters, either in the case of a customer problem or during the debugging of new code. When a dump formatter converts a dump file into readable form, the dump file itself is loaded into the dump formatter&#39;s memory. As a dump formatter is executed, the service engineer or software developer may want to browse specific memory locations or modify stored values. The dump file contains storage addresses, which are used to locate specific parts of memory. However, the dump formatter&#39;s memory locations are different to the memory locations where the contents were originally held for use by the computer program. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method, computer program product, and computer system for identifying a storage location for a requested storage address. The method includes receiving a request to view data at a storage address and determining, by one or more computer processors, the requested storage address corresponding to a plurality of storage locations. The method includes determining whether the requested storage address identifies memory related to a dump file being analyzed by a dump formatter and in response to determining the requested storage address identifies memory related to the dump file being analyzed by the dump formatter, identifying one of the plurality of storage locations. The method then includes directing the request to the identified storage location. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a functional block diagram illustrating a distributed data processing environment, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart depicting operational steps of a storage identifying program for identifying a requested storage address and redirecting the request to a relevant storage location, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  depicts a block diagram of internal and external components of a data processing system, such as the server computing device or the client computing device of  FIG. 1 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the present invention may be embodied as a system, method or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer-readable medium(s) having computer readable program code/instructions embodied thereon. 
     As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the present invention can be embodied as a method, computer system, or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that can all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present invention can take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer-readable storage medium(s) having computer readable program code/instructions embodied thereon. 
     Any combination of computer-readable storage media can be utilized. A computer-readable storage medium can be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of a computer-readable storage medium can include the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer-readable storage medium can be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. 
     Program code embodied can be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing. 
     Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java®, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on a user&#39;s computer, partly on the user&#39;s computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user&#39;s computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user&#39;s computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). 
     Aspects of the present invention are described below with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the Figures.  FIG. 1  is a functional block diagram illustrating a distributed data processing environment, generally designated  100 , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
     Distributed data processing environment  100  includes client computing device  120  and server computing device  130 , all interconnected over network  110 . Network  110  can be, for example, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) such as the internet, or a combination of the two, and can include wired, wireless, or fiber optic connections. In general, network  110  can be any combination of connections and protocols that will support communications between client computing device  120  and server computing device  130 . 
     Client computing device  120  includes client processing software  122  and storage location  124 . In various embodiments of the present invention, client computing device  120  can be a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a netbook computer, a personal computer (PC), a desktop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, or any programmable electronic device capable of communicating with server computing device  130  via network  110 . Client computing device  120  may include internal and external hardware components, as depicted and described in further detail with respect to  FIG. 3 . 
     Client processing software  122  can be any computer program, either system software or application software, running on a client device, for example, client computing device  120 , that can contain a problem, or bug. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, client processing software  122  is capable of producing output files and reports containing evidence of the problem, called “dump files.” Dump files can contain a log of recent events in client processing software  122 , the state of memory at the time of the problem, and other useful diagnostic information provided by the computer program itself. The dump files are loaded into a dump formatter, for example, dump formatter  136  on server computing device  130 , which converts the files into a form readable by a programmer or software engineer. Storage location  124  is the memory location containing data memory and storage for client processing software  122 . In various embodiments of the present invention, storage location  124  may be located external to, and can communicate with, client processing software  122  via network  110 . 
     Server computing device  130  includes debugger  132 , storage identifying program  134 , dump formatter  136 , and storage location  138 . Server computing device  130  can be a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a netbook computer, PC, a desktop computer, PDA, a smart phone, or any programmable electronic device capable of communicating with client computing device  120  via network  110 , and with various components and devices within distributed data processing environment  100 . In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, server computing device  130  can represent a computing system utilizing clustered computers and components to act as a single pool of seamless resources when accessed through a network. This is a common implementation for data centers and for cloud computing applications, and can be utilized in a customer support environment, such that a programmer addressing customer computer problems operates on server computing device  130 . Server computing device  130  may include internal and external hardware components, as depicted and described in further detail with respect to  FIG. 3 . 
     Debugger  132  can be any computer program or software tool used for testing and debugging another program. Debugging is a process to find and reduce, or resolve, problems and bugs in a computer program or a piece of electronic hardware. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, debugger  132  is a source level debugger (SLD), which allows a programmer to find and fix bugs in a computer program by showing the location of the bug in the program&#39;s original code. Debugger  132  may implement debugging using a command line interface (CLI) or a graphical user interface (GUI). 
     In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, debugger  132  operates to debug dump formatter  136 . Dump formatter  136  can be any software tool capable of converting data written by a computer program to a dump file, typically containing machine code (e.g., binary code), into a format able to be read and analyzed by a programmer. Storage location  138  is the memory location storing data memory and storage for dump formatter  136 . 
     In the exemplary embodiment, when debugging a dump file in dump formatter  136 , debugger  132  may request to view data at a storage location to aid in determining a problem and finding a solution. A request to view data at the storage location may include identifying the storage location by a storage address. The storage address for the storage location provided by dump formatter  136  links to a storage location within dump formatter  136 , for example, storage location  138 . However, the relevant storage location to help identify and solve the problem is located within the original program being formatted and debugged, such as storage location  124  in client processing software  122 . Storage identifying program  134  determines the storage location being requested and directs the request to the relevant storage location. 
     Storage identifying program  134  identifies that a program being analyzed is addressing memory within a different storage location than the storage location of dump formatter  136  being analyzed by debugger  132 . In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, storage identifying program  134  operates within debugger  132  to intercept, or receive, storage address requests from the debugger and determine the relevant storage location being requested. While in  FIG. 1 , storage identifying program  134  is included within debugger  132 , one of skill in the art will appreciate that in other embodiments, storage identifying program  134  may be located elsewhere within distributed data processing environment  100  and can communicate with debugger  132  via network  110 . 
       FIG. 2  is a flowchart depicting operational steps of storage identifying program  134  for identifying a requested storage address and redirecting the request to a relevant storage location, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     Storage identifying program  134  intercepts, or receives, requests to view a storage address (step  202 ). When debugging a dump file in dump formatter  136 , debugger  132  may request to view a memory or storage location, identified by a storage address, in order to view data, browse memory locations or modify stored values. For example, a programmer on server computing device  130  running debugger  132  to debug dump formatter  136  can be analyzing a dump file from client processing software  122 . The programmer may want to determine how a problem within dump formatter  136  handles data held in a certain part of a storage location associated with client processing software  122 . Through debugger  132 , a request can be made to view the data at the storage address. 
     Storage identifying program  134  determines the storage location associated with the requested storage address (step  204 ). When dump formatter  136  is executed to convert a dump file, the dump file itself is loaded into the dump formatter&#39;s storage location, for example, storage location  138  in server computing device  130 . Therefore, a request from debugger  132  to view a storage address in dump formatter  136  will not display the relevant storage location for the dump file. The storage addresses found in the dump file are associated with memory contents and data in the originating program, for example, client processing software  122  data stored in storage location  124 . 
     Storage identifying program  134  maintains data regarding memory loaded from the dump file into storage location  138  within dump formatter  136 . In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, storage identifying program  134  maintains the data in a table which maps storage addresses from storage location  124  to equivalent storage addresses in dump formatter  136  and storage location  138 . 
     Storage identifying program  134  directs the request to the storage location (step  206 ). Storage identifying program  134 , based on maintained data, directs the request to the relevant storage location, for example, storage location  124 . In various embodiments of the present invention, a storage request may return and display the data from the relevant storage location on a user interface or viewing panel for the programmer to view. 
       FIG. 3  depicts a block diagram of components of client computing device  120  or server computing device  130  in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. It should be appreciated that  FIG. 3  provides only an illustration of one implementation and does not imply any limitations with regard to the environments in which different embodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depicted environment may be made. 
     Client computing device  120  and server computing device  130  can include communications fabric  302 , which provides communications between computer processor(s)  304 , memory  306 , persistent storage  308 , communications unit  310 , and input/output (I/O) interface(s)  312 . Communications fabric  302  can be implemented with any architecture designed for passing data and/or control information between processors (such as microprocessors, communications and network processors, etc.), system memory, peripheral devices, and any other hardware components within a system. For example, communications fabric  302  can be implemented with one or more buses. 
     Memory  306  and persistent storage  308  are computer-readable storage media. In this embodiment, memory  306  includes random access memory (RAM)  314  and cache memory  316 . In general, memory  306  can include any suitable volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage media. 
     Client processing software  122  and storage location  124  on client computing device  120 , and debugger  132 , storage identifying program  134 , dump formatter  136 , and storage location  138  on server computing device  130  are stored in persistent storage  308  for execution and/or access by one or more of the respective computer processors  304  via one or more memories of memory  306 . In this embodiment, persistent storage  308  includes a magnetic hard disk drive. Alternatively, or in addition to a magnetic hard disk drive, persistent storage  308  can include a solid state hard drive, a semiconductor storage device, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, or any other computer-readable storage media that is capable of storing program instructions or digital information. 
     The media used by persistent storage  308  may also be removable. For example, a removable hard drive may be used for persistent storage  308 . Other examples include optical and magnetic disks, thumb drives, and smart cards that are inserted into a drive for transfer onto another computer-readable storage medium that is also part of persistent storage  308 . 
     Communications unit  310 , in these examples, provides for communications with other data processing systems or devices, including between client computing device  120  and server computing device  130 . In these examples, communications unit  310  includes one or more network interface cards. Communications unit  310  may provide communications through the use of either or both physical and wireless communications links. Client processing software  122 , storage location  124 , debugger  132 , storage identifying program  134 , dump formatter  136 , and storage location  138  may be downloaded to persistent storage  308  through communications unit  310 . 
     I/O interface(s)  312  allows for input and output of data with other devices that may be connected to client computing device  120  or server computing device  130 . For example, I/O interface  312  may provide a connection to external devices  318  such as a keyboard, keypad, a touch screen, and/or some other suitable input device. External devices  318  can also include portable computer-readable storage media such as, for example, thumb drives, portable optical or magnetic disks, and memory cards. Software and data used to practice embodiments of the present invention, e.g., client processing software  122 , storage location  124 , debugger  132 , storage identifying program  134 , dump formatter  136 , and storage location  138 , can be stored on such portable computer-readable storage media and can be loaded onto persistent storage  308  via I/O interface(s)  312 . I/O interface(s)  312  also connect to a display  320 . Display  320  provides a mechanism to display data to a user and may be, for example, a computer monitor or an incorporated display screen, such as is used in tablet computers and smart phones. 
     The programs described herein are identified based upon the application for which they are implemented in a specific embodiment of the invention. However, it should be appreciated that any particular program nomenclature herein is used merely for convenience, and thus the invention should not be limited to use solely in any specific application identified and/or implied by such nomenclature. 
     The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.