An optimizing object code translation system and method perform dynamic compilation and translation of a target object code on a source operating system while performing optimization. Compilation and optimization of the target code is dynamically executed in real time. A compiler performs analysis and optimizations that improve emulation relative to template-based translation and interpretation such that a host processor which processes larger order instructions, such as 32-bit instructions, may emulate a target processor which processes smaller order instructions, such as 16-bit and 8-bit instructions. The optimizing object code translator does not require knowledge of a static program flow graph or memory locations of target instructions prior to run time. In addition, the optimizing object code translator does not require knowledge of the location of all join points into the target object code prior to execution. During program execution, a translator records branch operations. The logging of information identifies instructions and instruction join points. When a number of times a branch operation is executed exceeds a threshold, the destination of the branch becomes a seed for compilation and code portions between seeds are defined as segments. A segment may be incomplete allowing for modification or replacement to account for a new flow of program control during real time program execution.

Dynamic optimizing object code translator for architecture emulation and dynamic optimizing object code translation method

A number of systems and methods, alone, or in combination, achieve various levels of protection against unauthorized modification and distribution of digital content. This encompasses at least unauthorized study, modification, monitoring, reconstruction, and any other means for subversion from the originally intended purpose and license model of the digital content. The invention combines a number of techniques that in whole, or in part, serve to protect such content from unauthorized modification, reconstructive engineering, or monitoring by third parties. This is accomplished by means of methods which protect against subversion by specific tools operating on specific platforms as well as general tools operating on general platforms. Specific time domain attacks are identified, code modification can be identified and reversed, and virtual and emulated systems are identified. In addition, identification of in-circuit emulator tools (both software and hardware), debuggers, and security threats to running programs can be achieved.

Systems and methods for the prevention of unauthorized use and manipulation of digital content

A software system is disclosed which facilitates the process of tracing the execution paths of a program, called the client. The tracing is performed without requiring modifications to the executable or source code files of the client. Trace data collected during the tracing operation is collected according to instructions in a trace options file. At run time, the tracing library attaches to the memory image of the client. The tracing library is configured to monitor execution of the client and to collect trace data, based on selections in the trace options file. Conditional tracing, through the use of triggers and actions taken in response to the triggers, allows the developer to control the tracing operation. The triggers can be conditional triggers in which the corresponding action is taken only if a conditional expression is satisfied. The system can trace multiple threads and multiple processes. The tracing system provides a remote mode and an online mode. In remote mode, the developer sends the trace control information (which can include triggers and corresponding actions) to a remote user site together with a small executable image called the agent that enables a remote customer, to generate a trace file that represents execution of the client application at the remote site. In online mode, the developer can generate trace options (including triggers and corresponding actions), run and trace the client, and display the trace results in near real-time on the display screen during execution of the client program.

System and method for conditional tracing of computer programs

A system for conducting performance analysis for executing tasks. The analysis involves generating a variety of trace information related to performance measures, including parallelism-related information, during execution of the task. In order to generate the trace information, target source code of interest is compiled in such a manner that executing the resulting executable code will generate execution trace information composed of a series of events. Each event stores trace information related to a variety of performance measures for the one or more processors and protection domains used. After the execution trace information has been generated, the system can use that trace information and a trace information description file to produce useful performance measure information. The trace information description file contains information that describes the types of execution events as well as the structure of the stored information. The system uses the trace information description file to organize the information in the trace information file, extracts a variety of types of performance measure information from the organized trace information, and formats the extracted information for display. The system can use default or user-defined functions to extract and format trace information for display. After the system displays one or more types of performance measure information, a user of the system can then interact with the system in a variety of ways to obtain other useful performance analysis information.

Parallelism performance analysis based on execution trace information

A software system is disclosed that provides remote troubleshooting and tracing of the execution of computer programs. The software system allows a remote software developer or help desk person to troubleshoot computer environment and installation problems such as missing or corrupted environment variables, files, DLLs, registry entries, and the like. In one embodiment the software system includes an information-gathering module that gathers run-time information about program execution, program interaction with the operating system and the system resources. The information-gathering module also monitors user actions and captures screen output. The information-gathering module passes the gathered information to an information-display module. The information-display module allows a support technician (e.g., a software developer, a help desk person, etc.) to see the user interactions with the program and corresponding reactions of the system. In one embodiment, the information-display module allows the support technician to remotely view environment variables, file access operations, system interactions, and user interactions that occur on the user's computer and locate failed operations that cause execution problems

System and method for software diagnostics using a combination of visual and dynamic tracing

A computer-implemented system, method, and product are provided to designate and translate traces of original instructions of an executable file at run time based on dynamic evaluation of control flow through frequently executed traces of instructions. Such designation typically reduces unnecessary translations and optimizations, and thereby increases execution speed and reduces the usage of memory and other resources. The invention includes a hot trace identifier to identify frequently executed traces of instructions and a hot trace instrumenter to instrument such frequently executed traces so that control flow through them may be recorded. If the amount or rate of control flow through a frequently executed trace exceeds a threshold value, a hot trace selector is invoked to select a hot trace of original instructions including those of the frequently executed trace. The hot trace may be dynamically optimized. The system, method, and product also provide for the continuous recording of control flow through hot traces. If control flow has changed during execution, such that the amount or rate of control flow through a hot trace falls below a threshold value, the trace may be removed.

Control path evaluating trace designator with dynamically adjustable thresholds for activation of tracing for high (hot) activity and low (cold) activity of flow control

A run-time optimization strategy uses a trace picker to identify traces of program code in a native code pool, and a translator to translate the traces into a code cache where the traces are executed natively. Static branch prediction hints are encoded in branch instruction in the translated traces. A program module implementing the present invention is initialized with an empty code cache and a pool of instruction in a native code pool. The trace picker analyzes the instructions in the native code pool and identifies traces of instructions that tend to be executed as a group. When a trace is identified, basic blocks lying along the trace path are translated into a code cache, with static branch predictions encoded into the branch instructions of the basic blocks based on branching behavior observed when the trace is identified. Control then passes to the basic blocks in the code cache, and the basic blocks in the code cache are executed natively using the static branch prediction hints encoded into the branch instructions.

Method and apparatus for using static branch predictions hints with dynamically translated code traces to improve performance

A method and apparatus for improving the process of software development by a dynamic software development tool. The present invention efficiently executes in a user process and provides software developers with a high performance tool for software optimization. The present invention may augment the user process code instructions at runtime and, for every series of machine instructions that the original user source code would have executed, a series of instructions may be executed that are semantically equivalent to the user process code instructions and are altered to optimize the user process code instructions. The present invention may use emulation or translation to alter the user process code instructions. The resulting process is executed in the user process space and advantageously maintains the original flow of instruction execution. The present invention employs a technique of dynamically translating code at runtime and may operate on a virtual machine or a hardware machine. Further, the present invention may operate on various types of code segments and is not, for instance, limited to manipulating only code modules and may operate on a basic code block. Therefore, the present invention enables efficient optimized user process code instruction debugging, instrumentation, and simulation by preserving the original flow of user process code instructions while enabling emulation and translation on the original user process code instructions.

Method, apparatus, and product for dynamic software code translation system

A method and apparatus varies branch prediction strategy associated with branch instructions in a trace of program code. The present invention first profiles branch instructions within a trace to record branching behavior. Next, the present invention partitions branch instructions into groups of branch instructions that can be statically predicted and groups of branch instructions that can be dynamically predicted. Branch instructions that are profiled to have "strong" branching behavior (e.g., the same branch direction is taken 80% of the time) are placed in the group of branch instruction that are statically predicted. Branch instructions that are profiled to have "weak" branching behavior (e.g., the same branch direction is taken 60% of the time) are placed in the group of branch instruction that are dynamically predicted. Finally, branch instructions are adjusted by associating an indication of prediction strategy with each profiled branch instruction. In an embodiment of the present invention, dynamic and static code caches are defined in physical memory by allocating pools of memory pages that have prediction flags set to dynamic and static, respectively. In this embodiment, the trace is translated into the dynamic and static caches by moving branch instruction and basic blocks of code associated with branch instructions into the appropriate code cache based on the groups into which the branch instructions were partitioned. The present invention may be used when a program is originally compiled or when a program is recompiled after a profile-based optimization run. Additionally, the present invention may be used as part of a run-time optimization strategy.

Compiling strong and weak branching behavior instruction blocks to separate caches for dynamic and static prediction

A method and system of dynamically translating code that uses code annotations to determine whether the dynamic translator must fully materialize machine state. At compilation time, annotations are placed in an application's executable file indicating the number of formal parameters expected by each of the application's entry points. When the application is dynamically translated, the dynamic translation system (DTS) aggressively translates the application. Therefore, the DTS does not generate instructions for materializing the machine state at potential stopping points. When the application makes a system call that arms an exception handler, the DTS looks to the annotations to determine the number of formal parameters expected by the handler. If an exception handler expects two or fewer parameters, then that handler does not use the machine state. Conversely, if a handler expects three or more parameters, then that handler may use the machine state. Therefore, if the handler only has two formal parameters, then the DTS continues to aggressively translate the application program. Otherwise, the DTS discards all of the previously translated code and starts conservatively translating the application.

William B. Buzbee

Papers

Control path evaluating trace designator with dynamically adjustable thresholds for activation of tracing for high (hot) activity and low (cold) activity of flow control

Method and apparatus for using static branch predictions hints with dynamically translated code traces to improve performance

Method, apparatus, and product for dynamic software code translation system

Compiling strong and weak branching behavior instruction blocks to separate caches for dynamic and static prediction

System and method of using annotations to optimize dynamically translated code in the presence of signals