Method and system for kernel-level diagnostics using a hardware watchpoint facility
AssigneeSun Microsystems, Inc.
InventorCarl Wayne Hopkinson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for performing kernel-level diagnostics. The method includes obtaining a hardware trap associated with an attempt by a kernel-level instruction stream to access a memory address, wherein the memory address is referenced by a hardware watchpoint facility, forwarding the hardware trap to a software breakpoint handler, executing a diagnostic instruction defined by the software breakpoint handler to obtain diagnostic data, transmitting the diagnostic data to a user, and returning execution flow to the kernel-level instruction stream.
Claims20
A method for performing kernel-level diagnostics, comprising:
- obtaining a hardware trap associated with an attempt by a kernel-level instruction stream to access a memory address, wherein the memory address is referenced by a hardware watchpoint facility;
- forwarding the hardware trap to a software breakpoint handler;
- executing a diagnostic instruction defined by the software breakpoint handler to obtain diagnostic data;
- transmitting the diagnostic data to a user;
- and
- returning execution flow to the kernel-level instruction stream.
A system for performing kernel-level diagnostics, comprising:
- a hardware watchpoint facility configured to reference a memory address;
- and
- a kernel diagnostics module configured to:
- obtain a hardware trap associated with an attempt by a kernel-level instruction stream to access the memory address, and
- forward the hardware trap to a software breakpoint handler configured to:
- execute a diagnostic instruction defined by the software breakpoint handler to obtain diagnostic data,
- transmit the diagnostic data to a user, and
- return execution flow to the kernel-level instruction stream.
A computer readable storage medium comprising executable instructions for performing kernel-level diagnostics by:
- obtaining a hardware trap associated with an attempt by a kernel-level instruction stream to access a memory address, wherein the memory address is referenced by a hardware watchpoint facility;
- forwarding the hardware trap to a software breakpoint handler;
- executing a diagnostic instruction defined by the software breakpoint handler to obtain diagnostic data;
- transmitting the diagnostic data to a user;
- and
- returning execution flow to the kernel-level instruction stream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.