Archive for September, 2018

Trace Analysis Patterns (Part 161)

Saturday, September 29th, 2018

Trace and log message text usually consists of constant unchanging Message Invariants and some varying data. The latter can be classified into Random Data such as memory addresses, especially when ASLR is enabled, Counter Values, and variable data but constant in nature, such as error values and NULL pointer. Individual values from Signals are not considered random but their sequence can be. This analysis pattern is depicted in the following diagram (adopted from Data Association analysis pattern):

- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org + TraceAnalysis.org -

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Trace Analysis Patterns (Part 160)

Saturday, September 22nd, 2018

Sometimes, we ask for a log file to see State and Event pattern, and see it there, only to find that we cannot do Back Trace of State Dumps from some Significant Event for Inter-Correlation analysis because our Data Interval is truncated (Truncated Trace). This highlights the importance of proper tracing intervals that we call Significant Interval analysis pattern by analogy with significant digits in scientific measurements. The following diagram illustrate the pattern:

If you find out you get truncated traces and logs often you may want to increase Statement Current for state logging.

- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org + TraceAnalysis.org -

Posted in Log Analysis, Mathematics of Debugging, Software Trace Analysis, Software Trace Analysis Tips and Tricks, Software Tracing Design, Software Tracing Implementation Patterns, Trace Analysis Patterns | No Comments »

Trace Analysis Patterns (Part 159)

Saturday, September 8th, 2018

We can “integrate” trace message stream into another, smaller trace. By analogy with motivic integration in contemporary mathematics we call this analysis pattern Motivic Trace. There can be border cases where the whole trace is reduced to one message or every message is associated with a different message (perhaps shorter or a number). Message Sets that are integrated into Motivic Trace can be completely different (for example, based on Motives) in comparison with Quotient Trace where we reduce Message Sets that have the same common attribute.

- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org + TraceAnalysis.org -

Posted in Log Analysis, Mathematics of Debugging, Software Trace Analysis, Trace Analysis Patterns | 1 Comment »