U.S. patent application number 14/867171 was filed with the patent office on 2017-03-30 for using core files to develop diagnostic programs.
The applicant listed for this patent is International Business Machines Corporation. Invention is credited to Richard N. Chamberlain, Howard J. Hellyer, Matthew F. Peters, Adam J. Pilkington.
Application Number | 20170091067 14/867171 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58162346 |
Filed Date | 2017-03-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170091067 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chamberlain; Richard N. ; et
al. |
March 30, 2017 |
USING CORE FILES TO DEVELOP DIAGNOSTIC PROGRAMS
Abstract
A list of classes found in a core dump file is determined. One
or more classes requested by a classloader is also determined. A
set of one or more classes requested by the classloader that are
found in the core dump file is then determined.
Inventors: |
Chamberlain; Richard N.;
(Southhampton, GB) ; Hellyer; Howard J.;
(Hampshire, GB) ; Peters; Matthew F.; (Hampshire,
GB) ; Pilkington; Adam J.; (Hampshire, GB) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
International Business Machines Corporation |
Armonk |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
58162346 |
Appl. No.: |
14/867171 |
Filed: |
September 28, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 11/366 20130101;
G06F 11/3688 20130101; G06F 11/3466 20130101; G06F 11/364
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 11/36 20060101
G06F011/36; G06F 9/445 20060101 G06F009/445 |
Claims
1. A method for resolving classes from a core dump file in order to
debug a program, the method comprising: determining, by one or more
computer processors, a list of classes found in a core dump file;
determining, by one or more computer processors, one or more
classes requested by a classloader; determining, by one or more
computer processors, one or more sets of classes requested by the
classloader that are found in the core dump file; determining, by
one or more computer processors, a constructor for the determined
one or more sets of classes; locating, by one or more computer
processors, an instance of an object in the core dump file, wherein
the object is an instance of a class of the one or more sets of
classes; copying, by one or more computer processors, one or more
object fields from the object into a new object; and creating, by
one or more computer processors, a proxy for initializing the new
object using the determined constructor and the copied one or more
object fields.
2. (canceled)
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, by one
or more computer processors, a class definition and associated code
for the classes found in the core dump file.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, by one
or more computer processors, a factory method for the determined
one or more set of classes; determining, by one or more computer
processors, one or more object fields for the determined one or
more sets of classes; and creating, by one or more computer
processors, a proxy using the determined factory method and the
determined one or more object fields.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the core dump file is a file
which consists of a recorded state of a working memory of a
computer program at a specific time.
6. (canceled)
7. The method of claim 5, wherein the specific time is the time
when a program terminates abnormally.
8. A computer program product for resolving classes from a core
dump file in order to debug program, the computer program product
comprising: one or more computer readable storage media; and
program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable
storage media, the program instructions comprising: program
instructions to determine a list of classes found in a core dump
file; program instructions to determine one or more classes
requested by a classloader; and program instructions to determine
one or more sets of classes requested by the classloader that are
found in the core dump file; program instructions to determine a
constructor for the determined one or more sets of classes; program
instructions to locate an instance of an object in the core dump
file, wherein the object is an instance of a class of the one or
more sets of classes; program instructions to copy one or more
object fields from the object into a new object; and program
instructions to create a proxy for initializing the new object
using the determined constructor and the copied one or more object
fields.
9. (canceled)
10. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising
program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable
storage media, to: determine a class definition and associated code
for the classes found in the core dump file.
11. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising
program instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable
storage media, to: determine a factory method for the determined
one or more sets of classes; determine one or more object fields
for the determined one or more sets of classes; and create a proxy
using the determined factory method and the determined one or more
object fields.
12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the core dump
file is a file which consists of a recorded state of a working
memory of a computer program at a specific time.
13. (canceled)
14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the specific
time is the time when a program terminates abnormally.
15. A computer system for resolving classes from a core dump file
in order to debug a program, the computer system comprising: one or
more computer processors; one or more computer readable storage
media; and program instructions stored on the one or more computer
readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or
more computer processors, the program instructions comprising:
program instructions to determine a list of classes found in a core
dump file; program instructions to determine one or more classes
requested by a classloader; and program instructions to determine
one or more sets of classes requested by the classloader that are
found in the core dump file; program instructions to determine a
constructor for the determined one or more sets of classes; program
instructions to locate an instance of an object in the core dump
file, wherein the object is an instance of a class of the one or
more sets of classes; program instructions to copy one or more
object fields from the object into a new object; and program
instructions to create a proxy for initializing the new object
using the determined constructor and the copied one or more object
fields.
16. (canceled)
17. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising program
instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage
media for execution by at least one of the one or more computer
processors, to: determine a class definition and associated code
for the classes found in the core dump file.
18. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising program
instructions, stored on the one or more computer readable storage
media for execution by at least one of the one or more computer
processors, to: determine a factory method for the determined one
or more sets of classes; determine one or more object fields for
the determined one or more sets of classes; and create a proxy
using the determined factory method and the determined one or more
object fields.
19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the core dump file is
a file which consists of a recorded state of a working memory of a
computer program at a specific time.
20. (canceled)
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of
software programs, and more particularly to debugging (i.e.,
finding errors in) a program that does not work correctly.
[0002] Programmers write "code" (e.g., software programs,
applications, etc.--the generic term `program` will be used
throughout this document) to perform specific tasks, often turning
something complex into something simple. It is rare that a program
is totally correct the first time it is written and this may lead
to the program failing before it successfully completes the task
for which it was designed. A program that fails (or crashes) before
completion would require the programmer to make changes to the
program and to subsequently run it again. This iterative process to
correct a program that does not execute properly is known as
debugging.
SUMMARY
[0003] Embodiments of the present invention include a method,
computer program product, and system for resolving classes from a
core dump file in order to debug a program. In one embodiment, a
list of classes found in a core dump file is determined. One or
more classes requested by a classloader is also determined. A set
of one or more classes requested by the classloader that are found
in the core dump file is then determined.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a computing
environment, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0005] FIG. 2 is a flowchart depicting operational steps of a
software component of a development toolkit that functions to
resolve classes from a core dump file in order to debug a program
that is not working correctly, in accordance with an embodiment of
the present invention; and
[0006] FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of the components of a
computing system representative of the client device and server
device of FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0007] Some embodiments of the present invention recognize that
software programs do not always work correctly or as intended. When
a program fails, a service engineer (SE) may be called in to
analyze the program in order to determine the reason why it did not
work correctly. Stated another way, the SE will debug the program
to find out why it crashed. Depending on the complexity of the
program, debugging may be quick and easy or long and arduous. The
debug process may be straight-forward for a simple program.
However, the debug process may be complicated and time consuming
for a more complex program. For the program user, this means a
longer downtime and a more costly resolution to the non-working
program.
[0008] Embodiments of the present invention offer a mechanism for
the debugging of a program that is not working correctly. A program
not working properly may crash, hang up, produce incorrect results,
run slowly, terminate abnormally, etc. This may be achieved by the
SE creating a diagnostic program to use a core dump file in order
to determine the cause of the program failure. The diagnostic
program provides the SE with a more efficient way to access program
state for the crashed program by accessing the bytecodes that
define the failing program and the data structures it had created.
A core dump file may be requested by a user or created when a
program stops running correctly (for example, if the program
crashes or runs slowly) and the core dump file consists of the
working memory of the computer program or application at that point
in time. This method of creating and running the diagnostic program
saves the SE time in resolving the problem which in turn saves the
program user the expense of continued downtime.
[0009] The present invention will now be described in detail with
references to the Figures. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of
a computing environment, generally designated 100, in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 provides only
an illustration of one implementation and does not imply any
limitations with regard to the environments in which different
embodiments may be implemented. Those skilled in the art may make
many modifications to the depicted environment without departing
from the scope of the invention as recited by the claims.
[0010] An embodiment of computing environment 100 includes server
device 120 and client device 130, interconnected over network 110.
In an example embodiment, utilizing network 110, server device 120
may communicate with client device 130. In example embodiments,
computing environment 100 can include other computing devices not
shown such as smartwatches, cell phones, smartphones, phablets,
tablet computers, laptop computers, desktop computers, computer
servers or any other computer system known in the art,
interconnected with server device 120 and client device 130 over
network 110.
[0011] In example embodiments, server device 120 and client device
130 may connect to network 110 which enables server device 120 and
client device 130 to access other computing devices and/or data not
directly stored to server device 120 and client device 130. Network
110 may be a local area network (LAN), a telecommunications
network, a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, or any
combination of the three, and include wired, wireless or fiber
optic connections. Network 110 may include one or more wired and/or
wireless networks that are capable of receiving and transmitting
data, voice, and/or video signals, including multimedia signals
that include voice, data, and video information. In general,
network 110 can be any combination of connections and protocols
that will support communications between server device 120, client
device 130, and other computing devices (not shown) within
computing environment 100, in accordance with embodiments of the
present invention.
[0012] According to embodiments of the present invention, server
device 120 may be a laptop, tablet or netbook personal computer
(PC), a desktop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a
smartphone, or any programmable electronic device capable of
communicating with any computing device within computing
environment 100. In certain embodiments, server device 120
represents a computer system utilizing clustered computers and
components (e.g., database server computers, application server
computers, etc.) that act as a single pool of seamless resources
when accessed by elements of computing environment 100 (e.g.,
client device 130). In general, server device 120 is representative
of any electronic device or combination of electronic devices
capable of executing computer readable program instructions. Client
device 130 is substantially similar to server device 120 and has
substantially similar components. Server device 120 may include
components as depicted and described in further detail with respect
to FIG. 3, in accordance with embodiments of the present
invention.
[0013] Server device 120 includes application 122 and data
repository 124. In various embodiments of the present invention,
server device 120 may run application 122 and store data, either
sent or received, from client device 130, to data repository
124.
[0014] Application 122 is a program designed to carry out
operations to complete a specific task. In various embodiments,
application 122 may be a word processor, a spreadsheet system, a
database, a smartphone game, an e-mail system, a calendar system,
etc. Application 122 cannot run on itself but is dependent on
system software to execute. The system software serves the
application, which in turn serves the user. Application 122 may be
either bundled with a computer and its system software or published
separately.
[0015] Data repository 124 may be storage that may be written to
and/or read by application 122 and diagnostic program 132. In one
embodiment, data repository 124 resides on server device 120. In
other embodiments, data repository 124 may reside on client device
130, in cloud storage or on another computing device accessible via
network 110. In yet another embodiment, data repository 124 may
represent multiple storage devices within server device 120. In
various embodiments, data repository 124 may be implemented as a
database, a collection of files, a knowledge base, an expert
system, etc., residing on a database server, a hard disk drive,
flash memory, and the like. In an embodiment of the present
invention, data sent or received by client device 130 may be stored
to data repository 124. For example, a core dump file extracted
from application 122 by diagnostic program 132 may be stored to
data repository 124.
[0016] Client device 130 includes diagnostic program 132 which may
be a program, subprogram of a larger program, application, or
software component of a software development toolkit which
functions to resolve classes from a core dump file in order to
debug a program not working correctly.
[0017] A software development toolkit (SDK or "devkit") may be a
set of software development tools that allows the creation of
applications for a certain software package, software framework,
hardware platform, computer system, video game console, operating
system, or similar development platform. To create applications, a
user has to download this software development toolkit.
[0018] In object-oriented programming, a class is an extensible
program-code-template for creating objects, providing initial
values for state (member variables) and implementations of behavior
(member functions or methods). In many languages, the class name is
used as the name for the class (the template itself), as the name
for the default constructor of the class (a subroutine that creates
objects), and as the type of objects generated by instantiating the
class. These distinct concepts are easily conflated. When a
constructor of the class creates an object, the resulting object is
called an instance of the class, and the member variables specific
to the object are called instance variables, to contrast with the
class variables shared across the class.
[0019] In an embodiment of the present invention, diagnostic
program 132 may be a special purpose program run within a debugging
tool to examine execution data of a failing program. A debugging
tool (or debugger) is a computer program used to test and debug
other programs. According to embodiments of the present invention,
diagnostic program 132 analyzes a core dump file to retrieve the
object state from the data structures on the heap (i.e., the memory
allocated to programs currently running) and the bytecodes required
to examine or analyze the data correctly in order to determine why
the program is not working correctly. Diagnostic program 132 may be
written in a number of programming languages and is not specific to
any one particular language. Diagnostic program 132 may be found on
client device 130, server device 120, or other computing devices
(not shown) accessible on network 110.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a flowchart depicting operational steps 200 of
diagnostic program 132 located on client device 130 within
computing environment 100 of FIG. 1, a software component of an SDK
which functions to resolve classes from a core dump file in order
to debug a program that is not working correctly, in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, the
operational steps are performed by diagnostic program 132. In an
alternative embodiment, any other program, while working with
diagnostic program 132, may perform the operational steps. In an
embodiment, diagnostic program 132 may invoke operational steps 200
when a program stops running before completion. In an alternative
embodiment, diagnostic program 132 may invoke operational steps 200
upon the request of a user.
[0021] Diagnostic program 132 loads the class (step 202). In other
words, diagnostic program 132 obtains the class definition and
associated code from a core dump file which was created when the
program being debugged stopped working correctly. In one
embodiment, the core dump file may contain a single class while in
another embodiment, the core dump file may contain multiple
classes. In an embodiment of the present invention, a debugging
tool (not shown) may be used to examine a core dump file. The class
is extracted from the core dump file as the runtime environment
cannot locate the class in the normal manner because access to the
code used in the failing program is not available. For example, a
dump viewer (not shown) or similar tool may be used to open the
core dump file and a core file classloader may be used to extract
the class from the core dump file which is then used by diagnostic
program 132. A classloader is part of a runtime environment that
dynamically loads classes into a virtual machine. Runtime begins
when a program is opened (or executed) and ends when the program is
quit or closed.
[0022] Diagnostic program 132 checks the list of classes (step
204). In other words, diagnostic program 132 obtains the list of
classes from the core dump file created by the failing program.
Diagnostic program 132 also obtains the list of classes requested
by the core file classloader. Diagnostic program 132 then
determines a set of classes which are both requested by the
classloader and found in the core dump file so that the classes in
the core dump file may be used rather than the same classes found
in an archive file. In an embodiment of the present invention, the
list of classes used in the failing program are obtained from a
core dump of the failing program using a set of routines,
protocols, and tools for building software applications; for
example, an API (application programming interface). The API may
come in the form of a library that includes specifications for
routines, data structures, object classes, and variables and is
source-code based. Once the list of classes is obtained, diagnostic
program 132 checks to determine whether the core file contains a
class with the name requested by the classloader. For example,
consider an object "Color" which includes methods isGreen, isRed,
and isBlue. The Color interface may be shown as:
TABLE-US-00001 interface Color { boolean isGreen ( ); boolean
isRed( ); boolean isBlue ( ); }
For this example, diagnostic program 132 checks that the class
implementing Color exists in the core dump file.
[0023] Diagnostic program 132 injects constructors (step 206). In
other words, diagnostic program 132 provides special purpose
constructors that set object fields to the values the objects had
in the failing program at the moment when the core dump file was
created (i.e., at the moment the program stopped working
correctly). A constructor is a special type of code or subroutine
run to create an object from a class. In an embodiment of the
present invention, diagnostic program 132 obtains the bytecode for
the required class from the core dump file. Then diagnostic program
132 injects the special purpose constructors into the class at
runtime by the classloader. The use of the special purpose
constructors enables the object to be initialized to the state
found in the core dump file. For example, the fields of an instance
of the Color object may be initialized from the binary data in the
core dump file rather than by parameters from the standard
constructors. This allows the fields to have the same values in
this instance of the Color object as in the failing object which
created the core dump file. In another embodiment, "factory
methods" may be used rather than injected constructors. A factory
method is a standard technique for creating an object when
additional logic is required during object creation.
[0024] Diagnostic program 132 populates data (step 208). In other
words, diagnostic program 132 uses the special purpose constructors
to populate the object fields with data obtained from the core dump
file. In an embodiment of the present invention, the instance of
the object is recreated for use by diagnostic program 132 with the
state that existed in the failing program when the core dump file
was created. The special purpose constructors do this by locating
the instance of the object within the core dump file and copying
the values of the object fields of this instance into the new
object. For example, the object `myColor` is created and may be
called in a subsequent step by a diagnostic program.
[0025] Diagnostic program 132 creates the proxy (step 210). In
other words, diagnostic program 132 creates a proxy for the newly
created object which allows for initialization of objects referred
to by the original object. A proxy, in its most general form, is a
class functioning as an interface to something else. The proxy
could interface to anything: a network connection; an object in
memory; a file; or some other resource that is expensive or
impossible to duplicate. The proxy provides an interface to other
objects by creating a "wrapper class" as the proxy. The "wrapper
class" (i.e., the proxy) may add additional functionality to the
object of interest without changing the code of the object. In
short, the proxy is the object that is being called by the client
to access the real object behind the scenes. This is required for
instances where that object has, as some of its data fields,
references to other objects, and those referenced objects are of
classes that are not available, in the normal manner (i.e., without
using the special purpose constructors), to diagnostic program 132.
For example, assume the Color object includes a reference to a
String object containing a name of the color. If a diagnostic
program attempts to access the referenced String object, the proxy
may perform all of the steps which eliminates the need to recreate
every object from the crash dump file.
[0026] FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of computer system 300 which
is an example of a computer system that may include diagnostic
program 132. It should be appreciated that FIG. 3 provides only an
illustration of one implementation and does not imply any
limitations with regard to the environments in which different
embodiments can be implemented. Many modifications to the depicted
environment can be made.
[0027] Computer system 300 includes processors 301, cache 303,
memory 302, persistent storage 305, communications unit 307,
input/output (I/O) interface(s) 306 and communications fabric 304.
Communications fabric 304 provides communications between cache
303, memory 302, persistent storage 305, communications unit 307,
and input/output (I/O) interface(s) 306. Communications fabric 304
can be implemented with any architecture designed for passing data
and/or control information between processors (such as
microprocessors, communications and network processors, etc.),
system memory, peripheral devices, and any other hardware
components within a system. For example, communications fabric 304
can be implemented with one or more buses or a crossbar switch.
[0028] Memory 302 and persistent storage 305 are computer readable
storage media. In this embodiment, memory 302 includes random
access memory (RAM). In general, memory 302 can include any
suitable volatile or non-volatile computer readable storage media.
Cache 303 is a fast memory that enhances the performance of
processors 301 by holding recently accessed data, and data near
recently accessed data, from memory 302.
[0029] Program instructions and data used to practice embodiments
of the present invention (e.g., data repository 124 and diagnostic
program 132) may be stored in persistent storage 305 and in memory
302 for execution by one or more of the respective processors 301
via cache 303. In an embodiment, persistent storage 305 includes a
magnetic hard disk drive. Alternatively, or in addition to a
magnetic hard disk drive, persistent storage 305 can include a
solid state hard drive, a semiconductor storage device, read-only
memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash
memory, or any other computer readable storage media that is
capable of storing program instructions or digital information.
[0030] The media used by persistent storage 305 may also be
removable. For example, a removable hard drive may be used for
persistent storage 305. Other examples include optical and magnetic
disks, thumb drives, and smart cards that are inserted into a drive
for transfer onto another computer readable storage medium that is
also part of persistent storage 305.
[0031] Communications unit 307, in these examples, provides for
communications with other data processing systems or devices,
including resources of server device 120. In these examples,
communications unit 307 includes one or more network interface
cards. Communications unit 307 may provide communications through
the use of either or both physical and wireless communications
links. Program instructions and data used to practice embodiments
of the present invention may be downloaded to persistent storage
305 through communications unit 307.
[0032] I/O interface(s) 306 allows for input and output of data
with other devices that may be connected to each computer system.
For example, I/O interface 306 may provide a connection to external
devices 308 such as a keyboard, keypad, a touch screen, and/or some
other suitable input device. External devices 308 can also include
portable computer readable storage media such as, for example,
thumb drives, portable optical or magnetic disks, and memory cards.
Software and data used to practice embodiments of the present
invention (e.g., data repository 124 and diagnostic program 132)
can be stored on such portable computer readable storage media and
can be loaded onto persistent storage 305 via I/O interface(s) 306.
I/O interface(s) 306 also connect to display 309.
[0033] Display 309 provides a mechanism to display data to a user
and may be, for example, a computer monitor. Display 309 can also
function as a touchscreen, such as a display of a tablet
computer.
[0034] The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a
computer program product. The computer program product may include
a computer readable storage medium (or media) having computer
readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to
carry out aspects of the present invention.
[0035] The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible
device that can retain and store instructions for use by an
instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium
can be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage
device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an
electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or
any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of
more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium
includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk,
a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable
programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static
random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only
memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a
floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or
raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon,
and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable
storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being
transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely
propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves
propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g.,
light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical
signals transmitted through a wire.
[0036] Computer readable program instructions described herein can
be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a
computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or
external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a
local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network.
The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical
transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls,
switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter
card or network interface in each computing/processing device
receives computer readable program instructions from the network
and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage
in a computer readable storage medium within the respective
computing/processing device.
[0037] Computer readable program instructions for carrying out
operations of the present invention may be assembler instructions,
instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine
instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware
instructions, state-setting data, or either source code or object
code written in any combination of one or more programming
languages, including an object oriented programming language such
as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, and conventional procedural
programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or
similar programming languages. The computer readable program
instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on
the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on
the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on
the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote
computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type
of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area
network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external
computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet
Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry
including, for example, programmable logic circuitry,
field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays
(PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions by
utilizing state information of the computer readable program
instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to
perform aspects of the present invention.
[0038] Aspects of the present invention are described herein with
reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of
methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products
according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood
that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block
diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations
and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable
program instructions.
[0039] These computer readable program instructions may be provided
to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose
computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to
produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via
the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing
apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts
specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in
a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a
programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to
function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable
storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an
article of manufacture including instructions which implement
aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block
diagram block or blocks.
[0040] The computer readable program instructions may also be
loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing
apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps
to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or
other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that
the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable
apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified
in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
[0041] The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate
the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible
implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products
according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this
regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent
a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one
or more executable instructions for implementing the specified
logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the
functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in
the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in
fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may
sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the
functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of
the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations
of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can
be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that
perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations
of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
[0042] The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present
invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are
not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments
disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to
those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope
and spirit of the invention. The terminology used herein was chosen
to best explain the principles of the embodiment, the practical
application or technical improvement over technologies found in the
marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to
understand the embodiments disclosed herein.
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