US 9,287,005 B2Granted

Detecting missing write to cache/memory operations

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsBhavesh D. Budhabhatti, Manoj Dusanapudi, Sairam Kamaraju, Varun Mallikarjunan, Subrat K. Panda

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Abstract

Using an “optimized” test case for testing hardware and/or software of a computer. The optimized test case is designed to be run on a data storage device including multiple read locations and multiple write locations. Initialization data is written, on the data storage device, only to the write locations of the data storage device. The optimized test case is run on the data storage device in a manner so that the optimized test case will only write data to each write location after that write location has had initialization data written to that write location. The optimized test case defines read locations and write locations so that, during running of the optimized test case, all read locations which are also write locations will be written by a write instruction of the test case before being read by a read instruction of the test case.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

creating an optimized test case, comprising a set of test case instructions, for testing a system utilizing a data storage device including a plurality of storage locations, the optimized test case defining:
a plurality of write locations on the data storage device, and
a plurality of read locations on the data storage device;
executing a set of initialization instructions that initialize the plurality of write locations without initializing the plurality of read locations;
and
running the optimized test case so that the set of test case instructions first writes to each write location of the plurality of write locations after the set of initialization instructions initializes that write location;
wherein:
the optimized test case defines the plurality of read locations as those locations on the data storage device to be read from but not written to by the set of test case instructions during execution of the optimized test case;
and
the optimized test case defines the plurality of write locations as:
(i) those locations on the data storage device to be written to but not read from by the set of test case instructions during execution of the optimized test case, and (ii) those locations on the data storage device to be read from by the set of test case instructions during execution of the optimized test case only after being written to by the set of test case instructions during execution of the optimized test case.

8 more elements

A computer program product comprising software stored on a non-transitory software storage device, the software comprising:

first program instructions programmed to create an optimized test case, comprising a set of test case instructions, for testing a system utilizing a data storage device including a plurality of storage locations, the optimized test case defining a plurality of write locations on the data storage device and a plurality of read locations on the data storage device;
second program instructions programmed to execute a set of initialization instructions that initialize the plurality of write locations without initializing the plurality of read locations;
and
third program instructions programmed to run the optimized test case so that the set of test case instructions first writes to each write location of the plurality of write locations after the set of initialization instructions initializes that write location;
wherein:
the optimized test case defines the plurality of read locations as those locations on the data storage device to be read from but not written to by the set of test case instructions during execution of the optimized test case;
and
the optimized test case defines the plurality of write locations as:
(i) those locations on the data storage device to be written to but not read from by the set of test case instructions during execution of the optimized test case, and (ii) those locations on the data storage device to be read from by the set of test case instructions during execution of the optimized test case only after being written to by the set of test case instructions during execution of the optimized test case.

6 more elements

A computer system comprising:

a processor(s) set;
and
a non-transitory software storage device;
wherein:
the processor set is structured, located, connected and/or programmed to run software stored on the software storage device;
the software comprises:
first program instructions programmed to create an optimized test case, comprising a set of test case instructions, for testing a system utilizing a data storage device including a plurality of storage locations, the optimized test case defining a plurality of write locations on the data storage device and a plurality of read locations on the data storage device;
second program instructions programmed to execute a set of initialization instructions that initialize the plurality of write locations without initializing the plurality of read locations;
and
third program instructions programmed to run the optimized test case so that the set of test case instructions first writes to each write location of the plurality of write locations after the set of initialization instructions initializes that write location;
the optimized test case defines the plurality of read locations as those locations on the data storage device to be read from but not written to by the set of test case instructions during execution of the optimized test case;
and
the optimized test case defines the plurality of write locations as:
(i) those locations on the data storage device to be written to but not read from by the set of test case instructions during execution of the optimized test case, and (ii) those locations on the data storage device to be read from by the set of test case instructions during execution of the optimized test case only after being written to by the set of test case instructions during execution of the optimized test case.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/105,443Filed 13 Dec 2013
Published: US 2015/0170764 A118 Jun 2015
Granted: 15 Mar 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

G11C 29/10
Functional testing, e.g. testing during refresh, power-on self testing [POST] or distributed testing: test algorithms, e.g. memory scan [MScan]…
G06F 11/263
Functional testing: generation of test inputs, e.g. test vectors, patterns or sequences ; with adaptation of the tested hardware for testability…
G06F 12/0802
In hierarchically structured memory systems, e.g. virtual memory systems: addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or…
G06F 13/1694
Details of memory controller: configuration of memory controller to different memory types