Method and apparatus for locating memory leak in a program

A method for locating a memory leak in a program by a computer device, the method comprising the steps of:

• dividing the program by the computer device into a plurality of segments;
• selecting by the computer device a dynamic analysis method for each of the plurality of segments;
• dynamically analyzing by the computer device each of the plurality segments using the selected dynamic analysis method, wherein dynamically analyzing each of the plurality segments comprising:
• obtaining a plurality of candidate memory leak characteristics,
• sorting the obtained plurality of memory leak characteristics in terms of memory leak amount,
• selecting, as the determined memory leak characteristic, a candidate memory leak characteristic having a maximum memory leak amount when the maximum memory leak amount exceeds a predetermined threshold, and
• selecting, as a plurality of the determined memory leak characteristics, the candidate memory leak characteristics whose leak amounts in total exceed the predetermined threshold when the maximum memory leak amount does not exceed the predetermined threshold;
• dermining a memory leak characteristic for each of the plurality segments by filtering out items which do not match the determined leak characteristic for the corresponding segment to determine a static analysis of the corresponding segment containing certain suspicious parts that may possibly cause a memory leak;
• statically analyzing the determined static analysis range of each of the plurality segments by a computer device based on the determined corresponding memory leak characteristic to locate a memory leak in each of the plurality segments;
• pausing the step of statically analyzing if an item that matches the memory leak characteristics is located;
• reflecting the located memory leak to the source code of each of the plurality segments;
• repairing the source code of the program to get a repaired program;
• dynamically analyzing the repaired program;
• and
• statically analyzing the repaired program to determine if a memory leak amount of the repaired program is less than a predetermined threshold.

An apparatus for locating a memory leak in a program, comprising:

• a computer device configured to run the computer program and further having a dynamic analyzer to dynamically analyze the computer program to determine memory leak characteristics, wherein the dynamic analyzer provides a plurality of candidate memory leak characteristics, the dynamic analyzer comprising:
• a sorter configured to sort the plurality of memory leak characteristics in terms of memory leak amount;
• a comparator configured to compare a maximum memory leak amount with a predetermined threshold;
• and
• a memory leak characteristic selector configured to select as the memory leak characteristic (i) a candidate memory leak characteristic having a maximum memory leak amount when the maximum memory leak amount exceeds a predetermined threshold and (ii) candidate memory leak characteristics whose leak amounts in total exceed the predetermined threshold when the maximum memory leak amount does not exceed the predetermined threshold;
• said computer device also having a static analyzer configured to filter out items which do not match the determined memory leak characteristic of the computer program in order to determine a static analysis range of the source code of the program containing certain suspicious parts that may possibly cause a memory leak and statically analyze the suspicious parts of the determined static analysis range of the computer program to locate the memory leak in the computer program, wherein the static analyzer is configured to pause the step of static analysis if an item that matches the memory leak characteristics is located, reflect the located memory leak to the source code of the computer program, repair the source code of the computer program to get a repaired program, dynamically analyze the repaired program, and statistically analyze the repaired program to determine if a memory leak amount of the repaired program is less than a predetermined threshold.