Interleaved Instruction Debugger for GPU Concurrency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional debuggers face difficulties in tracking and displaying the execution of programs with interleaved instructions across multiple threads and contexts, particularly in parallel processing environments like GPUs, which complicates the debugging process and makes it hard to identify concurrency issues.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that monitor and organize the execution of programs with interleaved instructions, tracking operations on threads, and generating a result set based on execution order for display, allowing for clearer visualization and easier identification of concurrency bugs by presenting data in an organized and simplified manner.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If conventional debuggers display interleaved execution data from multiple programs and threads, then comprehensive debugging information is provided, but the debugging process becomes complex and difficult to follow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex interleaved execution data by organizing it into distinct program contexts. Each program's instructions are grouped together in the display, separated from other programs' instructions. This segmentation allows developers to view one program's execution flow at a time without being distracted by interleaved data from other programs, reducing cognitive complexity while preserving complete debugging information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary organization layer between the raw interleaved execution data and the developer's view. The debugger inserts program context identifiers and organizational structures that mediate how the data is presented. This intermediary layer transforms the chaotic interleaved data into an organized sequence where each program's instructions are clearly delineated, making the debugging process more manageable.
2Measurement precision
If debuggers show all execution data in the order instructions are executed, then accurate execution tracking is achieved, but parallel processing context becomes difficult to understand
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a new organizational dimension to the display by introducing program context as a grouping criterion. Instead of displaying only the temporal sequence of executed instructions, the patent organizes instructions along an additional dimension of program origin. This allows developers to see both the execution order within each program and the parallel relationships between different programs, making parallel processing context easier to understand while maintaining execution accuracy.
3Loss of information
If developers manually track all context information, then complete program state understanding is achieved, but debugging time and effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by automatically organizing and presenting program context information without requiring manual tracking by the developer. The debugger system autonomously groups instructions by program, inserts context identifiers, and structures the display to show execution order within each program. This automation eliminates the time-consuming manual tracking process while preserving complete program state information.
Data Source
AI summary
One or more embodiments of the invention are directed to a method including monitoring execution of a set of programs each including a set of instructions executing interleaved with other instructions of the set of instructions, where each of the set of instructions includes at least one operation operating on a set of threads; organizing a first set of instructions corresponding to a first program of the set of programs based on an execution order of the first set of instructions; generating a result set representing the first set of instructions organized based on the execution order; and displaying the result set.