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System and method for debugging memory consistency models

A memory and model technology, applied in the field of program analysis, can solve problems such as the difficulty of inferring loose memory models

Inactive Publication Date: 2012-07-18
IBM CORP
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However, these additional complexities make relaxed memory models difficult to reason about

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  • System and method for debugging memory consistency models
  • System and method for debugging memory consistency models
  • System and method for debugging memory consistency models

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Embodiment Construction

[0025] Memory models are difficult to reason about due to their complexity. The memory model needs to strike a balance between ease of programming and allowing compiler and hardware optimizations. Automated tools according to the present principles help debug and infer memory models. The tool takes as input a memory model axiomatically described by a set of constraints, and a multithreaded test program containing an assertion, and outputs a program trace if one can be found for satisfying the assertion. The tool is fully automatic, requires no guidance from the user and is based on satisfiability (eg SAT) solvers.

[0026] If the tool cannot find a trajectory, it outputs the minimal subset of unsatisfiable constraints. This feature helps the user debug the memory model because it shows which constraints cause the test program not to have an execution that satisfies all of its assertions.

[0027] This principle not only provides an extensible framework for defining memory m...

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Abstract

A system and method for analyzing a test program (P) with respect to a memory model (M) includes preprocessing a test program into an intermediate form and translating (204) the intermediate form of the test program into a relational logic representation. The relational logic representation is combined (206) with a memory model to produce a legality formula. A set of bounds are computed (208) on a space to be searched for the memory model or on a core of the legality formula. A relational satisfiability problem is solved (212), which is defined by the legality formula and the set of bounds to determine a legal trace of the test program or debug the memory model.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to program analysis, and more particularly to systems and methods for analyzing memory models. Background technique [0002] In a multithreaded shared memory system, the memory consistency model or memory model is a contract between the programmer and the programming environment. The memory model specifies the behavior of accesses to shared locations, and in particular, specifies the values ​​observed by each read access. There is a great deal of work on models at the hardware interface (and more recently, at the programming language level). The most intuitive memory model is the sequential consistency model, which resembles memory behavior in a sequential setting. This requires that all accesses appear to be executed one at a time in each thread's program order. This simplification comes at a price: sequential consistency prohibits many compiler and hardware optimizations indicated by loggers, because it enforces a str...

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(China)
IPC IPC(8): G06F11/00
CPCG06F11/3608G06F11/3684G06F8/436G06F8/433
Inventor J.多尔比E.托拉克M.瓦齐里
Owner IBM CORP
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