Multi-level Virtual Machine Debugging Using the Java Platform Debugger Architecture

Abstract. Debugging virtual machines (VMs) presents unique challenges, especially meta-circular VMs, which are written in the same language they implement. Making sense of runtime state for such VMs requires insight and interaction at multiple levels of abstraction simultaneously. For example, debugging a Java VM written in Java requires understanding execution state at the source code, bytecode and machine code levels. However, the standard debugging interface for Java, which has a platform-independent execution model, is itself platform-independent. By definition, such an interface provides no access to platform-specific details such as machine code state, stack and register values. Debuggers for low-level languages such as C and C++, on the other hand, have direct access only to low-level information from which they must synthesize higher-level views of execution state. An ideal debugger for a meta-circular VM would be a hybrid: one that uses standard platformindependent debugger ...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2009
• Where: ERSHOV
• Authors: Thomas Würthinger, Michael L. Van De Vanter, Doug Simon
• Keywords: ERSHOV 2009, Execution State, Meta-circular Vm, Programming Languages, Standard Debugging Interface