# US 2015/0149984 A1 · Determining instruction execution history in a debugger > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2015/0149984 A1 - Document ID: US20150149984A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/088,030 - Filed: 2013-11-22 - Published: 2015-05-28 - Earliest claimed: 2013-11-22 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: THOMAS M. GOODING; ANDREW T. TAUFERNER - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20150149984A1 ## CPC - G06F 11/3656: {using a specific debug interface} - G06F 11/362: Debugging of software - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract Determining instruction execution history in a debugger, including: retrieving, from an instruction cache, cache data that includes an age value for each cache line in the instruction cache; sorting, by the age value for each cache line, entries in the instruction cache; retrieving, using an address contained in each cache line, one or more instructions associated with the address contained in each cache line; and displaying the one or more instructions. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for determining instruction execution history in a debugger, the method comprising: retrieving, by the debugger from an instruction cache, cache data that includes an age value for each cache line in the instruction cache; sorting, by the debugger in dependence upon the age value for each cache line, entries in the instruction cache; retrieving, by the debugger using an address contained in each cache line, one or more instructions associated with the address contained in each cache line; and displaying, by the debugger, the one or more instructions. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein displaying, by the debugger, the one or more instructions further comprises displaying one or more instructions associated with a customized address range. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein displaying, by the debugger, the one or more instructions further comprises displaying one or more instructions associated with a predetermined process identifier. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein retrieving, by the debugger from an instruction cache, cache data that includes an age value for each cache line in the instruction cache further comprises accessing the instruction cache via a Joint Test Action Group (‘JTAG’) interface. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein retrieving, by the debugger from an instruction cache, cache data that includes an age value for each cache line in the instruction cache further comprises accessing the instruction cache via an operating system. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein retrieving, by the debugger using an address contained in each cache line, one or more instructions associated with the address contained in each cache line further comprises: translating the address contained in each cache line to a physical address; and retrieving, using the physical address, one or more instructions associated with the address contained in each cache line. ### Claim 7 An apparatus for determining instruction execution history in a debugger, the apparatus comprising a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of: retrieving, by the debugger from an instruction cache, cache data that includes an age value for each cache line in the instruction cache; sorting, by the debugger in dependence upon the age value for each cache line, entries in the instruction cache; retrieving, by the debugger using an address contained in each cache line, one or more instructions associated with the address contained in each cache line; and displaying, by the debugger, the one or more instructions. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7 wherein displaying, by the debugger, the one or more instructions further comprises displaying one or more instructions associated with a customized address range. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7 wherein displaying, by the debugger, the one or more instructions further comprises displaying one or more instructions associated with a predetermined process identifier. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7 wherein retrieving, by the debugger from an instruction cache, cache data that includes an age value for each cache line in the instruction cache further comprises accessing the instruction cache via a Joint Test Action Group (‘JTAG’) interface. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7 wherein retrieving, by the debugger from an instruction cache, cache data that includes an age value for each cache line in the instruction cache further comprises accessing the instruction cache via an operating system. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7 wherein retrieving, by the debugger using an address contained in each cache line, one or more instructions associated with the address contained in each cache line further comprises: translating the address contained in each cache line to a physical address; and retrieving, using the physical address, one or more instructions associated with the address contained in each cache line. ### Claim 13 A computer program product for determining instruction execution history in a debugger, the computer program product disposed upon a computer readable medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to carry out the steps of: retrieving, by the debugger from an instruction cache, cache data that includes an age value for each cache line in the instruction cache; sorting, by the debugger in dependence upon the age value for each cache line, entries in the instruction cache; retrieving, by the debugger using an address contained in each cache line, one or more instructions associated with the address contained in each cache line; and displaying, by the debugger, the one or more instructions. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The computer program product of claim 13 wherein displaying, by the debugger, the one or more instructions further comprises displaying one or more instructions associated with a customized address range. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The computer program product of claim 13 wherein displaying, by the debugger, the one or more instructions further comprises displaying one or more instructions associated with a predetermined process identifier. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The computer program product of claim 13 wherein retrieving, by the debugger from an instruction cache, cache data that includes an age value for each cache line in the instruction cache further comprises accessing the instruction cache via a Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) interface. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The computer program product of claim 13 wherein retrieving, by the debugger from an instruction cache, cache data that includes an age value for each cache line in the instruction cache further comprises accessing the instruction cache via an operating system. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The computer program product of claim 13 wherein retrieving, by the debugger using an address contained in each cache line, one or more instructions associated with the address contained in each cache line further comprises: translating the address contained in each cache line to a physical address; and retrieving, using the physical address, one or more instructions associated with the address contained in each cache line. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a signal medium. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a storage medium.