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Monitoring Data-Structure Evolution in Distributed Message-Passing ProgramsMonitoring the evolution of data structures in parallel and distributed programs, is critical for debugging its semantics and performance. However, the current state-of-art in tracking and presenting data-structure information on parallel and distributed environments is cumbersome and does not scale. In this paper we present a methodology that automatically tracks memory bindings (not the actual contents) of static and dynamic data-structures of message-passing C programs, using PVM. With the help of a number of examples we show that in addition to determining the impact of memory allocation overheads on program performance, graphical views can help in debugging the semantics of program execution. Scalable animations of virtual address bindings of source-level data-structures are used for debugging the semantics of parallel programs across all processors. In conjunction with light-weight core-files, this technique can be used to complement traditional debuggers on single processors. Detailed information (such as data-structure contents), on specific nodes, can be determined using traditional debuggers after the data structure evolution leading to the semantic error is observed graphically.
Document ID
20020024703
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Sarukkai, Sekhar R.
(RECOM Technologies, Inc. Moffett Field, CA United States)
Beers, Andrew
(Stanford Univ. Stanford, CA United States)
Woodrow, Thomas S.
Date Acquired
August 20, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1996
Subject Category
Computer Programming And Software
Meeting Information
Meeting: HICSS-29
Location: Hawaii
Country: United States
Start Date: January 1, 1996
Funding Number(s)
PROJECT: RTOP 509-10-22
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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