Eraser: A Dynamic Data Race Detector for Multi-Threaded Programs

Multi-threaded programming is difficult and error prone. It is easy to make a mistake in synchronization that produces a data race, yet it can be extremely hard to locate this mistake during debugging. This paper describes a new tool, called Eraser, for dynamically detecting data races in lock-based multi-threaded programs. Eraser uses binary rewriting techniques to monitor every shared memory reference and verify that consistent locking behavior is observed. We present several case studies, including undergraduate coursework and a multi-threaded Web search engine, that demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1997
• Where: SOSP
• Authors: Stefan Savage, Michael Burrows, Greg Nelson, Patrick Sobalvarro, Thomas E. Anderson
• Keywords: Data Races, Multi-threaded, Multi-threaded Programming, Operating System, SOSP 1997