Memory Analysis and Debugging Institute (MA&DI), DA+TA Portal (DumpAnalysis.org + TraceAnalysis.org) and OpenTask establish
Software Maintenance Institute (SMI)
More details about R&D Institute of Software Maintenance will be announced soon.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org -
This is a revised, edited, cross-referenced and thematically organized volume of selected DumpAnalysis.org blog posts about crash dump analysis and debugging written in October 2008 - June 2009 for software engineers developing and maintaining products on Windows platforms, quality assurance engineers testing software on Windows platforms and technical support and escalation engineers dealing with complex software issues. The third volume features:
- 15 new crash dump analysis patterns
- 29 new pattern interaction case studies
- Trace analysis patterns
- Updated checklist
- Fully cross-referenced with Volume 1 and Volume 2
- New appendixes
Product information:
Back cover features 3D computer memory visualization image.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org -
Responding to numerous requests and suggestions I plan to make magazine interior excluding promotional vouchers available for free download. If someone needs covers including back covers where I put tips and tables to be used as posters or certification vouchers printed inside then they should buy the magazine from Amazon or other bookshops.
This initiative will be accompanied by a smart marketing trick that I plan to unveil in a few days together with the magazine website.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org -
The digital version of the book is finally available:
x64 Windows Debugging: Practical Foundations
Paperback should be available in 1-2 weeks on Amazon and other stores. When working on the book I fixed errors in the previous x86 version. Errata file for it should be available tomorrow.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org -
OpenTask plans to expand its Practical Foundations series and publish the following 2 books for the forthcoming Memory Dump Analysis Fundamentals certification (Unix track) being developed by Memory Analysis and Debugging Institute:
Linux, FreeBSD and Mac OS X Debugging: Practical Foundations (ISBN: 978-1906717773)
64-bit Linux, FreeBSD and Mac OS X Debugging: Practical Foundations (ISBN: 978-1906717780)
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org -
Paraphrasing “Knowing about knowing about knowing” (Side-box 0.1, Consciousness, David Rose) as “Knowing about knowing about problem solving”, I would suggest the following references to raise the level of awareness from meta-troubleshooting and meta-debugging, the subject of various general purpose debugging books to the next epistemic level. I’m currently reading the following books and let you know about my progress along the journey:
Toward a Unified Theory of Problem Solving: Views From the Content Domains
The Psychology of Problem Solving
The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org -
Finally the issue is available on Amazon and through other sellers:
Debugged! MZ/PE: Modeling Software Defects
I’m now planning the September issue and post details later.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org -
Jamie Fenton has finally made available for beta testing fantastic memory visualization system HayWire & Barn Burner I use often for mining curious pictures from virtual memory space, like “cosmic rays“. Besides providing artistic pleasure, real-time natural memory visualization can have other applications including visual debugging. Looking forward to seeing more wonders in this area of research!
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org -
The second issue of the magazine was put into production today and should be available after one or two weeks on Amazon, B&N and other booksellers worldwide.
Title: Debugged! MZ/PE: Modeling Software Defects
Authors: Konstantin Chebotarev, Kapildev Ramlal, Dmitry Vostokov
ISBN: 1906717680
ISBN-13: 978-1906717681
Annotation: Welcome to the second issue of Debugged! MZ/PE magazine! It brings fault injection into new light and features articles discussing software defect construction via DLL injection, modeling CPU spikes and runaway exception processing. This issue also includes a memory dump analysis certification voucher. Back cover features WinDbg breakpoint and tracing command summary for easy desk reference. - Dmitry Vostokov - Editor-in-Chief
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org -
Following the success of Windows Debugging: Practical Foundations the following title will be published this summer:
Windows Device Drivers: Practical Foundations (ISBN: 978-0955832840)
Table of contents will be posted later.
Other planned titles:
X64 Windows Debugging: Practical Foundations (ISBN: 978-1906717568)
Windows Multithreading: Practical Foundations (ISBN: 978-1906717742)
Like Windows Debugging book, these forthcoming titles are based on my seminars.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org -
OpenTask, iterative and incremental publisher, plans to release a guide for general computer users explaining crashes and hangs on personal computers ranging from mobile phones, netbooks and laptops to desktops and servers:
My Computer Crashes and Freezes: A Non-technical Guide to Software and Hardware Errors (ISBN: 978-19067171704)
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org -
Previously announced memory dump analysis certification will have x86/x64-based tracks for Windows and Unix (including Linux / FreeBSD / Mac OS X). Each track consists of 3 exams, each having its own set of requirements and scope:
More information will be available later. The initiative is supported by OpenTask.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org -
This is an example from the sample question set of the forthcoming memory dump analysis certification planned by Memory Analysis and Debugging Institute. You can reply to this post with your answers.
Q. Interpret the fragment from WinDbg output below.
0:002> !teb
[...]
TEB at 7efaf000
[...]
0:002> dds poi(7efaf000+8) poi(7efaf000+4)
01192000 00000000
01192004 00000000
01192008 00000000
[...]
0119e448 00010020
0119e44c 00030002
0119e450 00050004
0119e454 00070006
0119e458 00090008
0119e45c 000b000a
0119e460 000d000c
0119e464 000f000e
0119e468 00110010
0119e46c 00130012
0119e470 00150014
0119e474 00170016
0119e478 00190018
0119e47c 001b001a
0119e480 001d001c
0119e484 001f001e
0119e488 00210020
0119e48c 00230022
0119e490 00250024
0119e494 00270026
0119e498 00290028
0119e49c 002b002a
0119e4a0 002d002c
0119e4a4 002f002e
0119e4a8 00310030
0119e4ac 00330032
0119e4b0 00350034
0119e4b4 00370036
0119e4b8 00390038
0119e4bc 003b003a
0119e4c0 003d003c
0119e4c4 003f003e
0119e4c8 00410040 MyService!__InternalCxxFrameHandler+0x5c
0119e4cc 00430042
0119e4d0 00450044
0119e4d4 00470046
0119e4d8 00490048
0119e4dc 004b004a
0119e4e0 004d004c
0119e4e4 004f004e
0119e4e8 00510050 advapi32!`string'+0x164
0119e4ec 00530052 advapi32!GetPerflibKeyValue+0x184
0119e4f0 00550054 advapi32!`string'+0x20c
0119e4f4 00570056 advapi32!_NULL_IMPORT_DESCRIPTOR+0x2714
0119e4f8 00590058 advapi32!szPerflibSectionName <PERF> (advapi32+0x90058)
0119e4fc 005b005a shlwapi!_CRT_INIT+0xaf
0119e500 005d005c shlwapi!_OpenProgidKey+0xee
0119e504 005f005e shlwapi!_pRawDllMain <PERF> (shlwapi+0x5005e)
0119e508 00410060 MyService!__InternalCxxFrameHandler+0x7c
0119e50c 00430042
0119e510 00450044
0119e514 00470046
0119e518 00490048
0119e51c 004b004a
0119e520 004d004c
0119e524 004f004e
0119e528 00510050 advapi32!`string'+0x164
0119e52c 00530052 advapi32!GetPerflibKeyValue+0x184
0119e530 00550054 advapi32!`string'+0x20c
0119e534 00570056 advapi32!_NULL_IMPORT_DESCRIPTOR+0x2714
0119e538 00590058 advapi32!szPerflibSectionName <PERF> (advapi32+0x90058)
0119e53c 007b005a
0119e540 007d007c
0119e544 007f007e
[...]
Choose all answers that are valid:
a. ASCII string fragment
b. Raw stack data
c. Exception handling
d. UNICODE string fragment
e. Partial stack traces
f. Performance monitoring
g. Execution residue
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org -
As soon as I wrote my review of the 2nd edition I found out that the 3rd edition was recently published and immediately bought it. I intend to read it from cover to cover again and publish my notes and comments in my reading notebook on Software Generalist blog. The new edition is also bundled with a companion CD.
Programming Language Pragmatics, Third Edition
Hope in one of subsequent editions the author includes my Riemann Programming Language :-)
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org -
To illustrate preemptive multitasking orchestrated by a central processor I use a Russian toy that reminds me of the dining philosophers problem that usually opens any textbook on concurrency:
Here is the video (you need to download and install Xvid MP4 codec if your computer doesn’t play it):
Download DiningChicken.avi (1.2 Mb)
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org -
On the deliberate practice to become a Debugging Expert:
“Of all days, the day on which one has not” debugged “is the one most surely wasted.”
Nicolas Chamfort, Maximes et Pensées
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org -
The paperback version of the book Windows Debugging: Practical Foundations has been temporarily out of print since the last week but this should be resolved very soon in a few days. OpenTask also submitted to print a hardcover version (ISBN: 978-1906717674) and it should be available for sale by the end of this week.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org -
Previously announced Memory Analysis and Debugging Institute was registered in the Republic of Ireland (No. 382026) last week.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org -
Noticed today on Amazon that my book becomes more expensive after being used:
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org -
The book is available for ordering from Amazon with a significant discount:
Windows Debugging: Practical Foundations
Although listed as temporarily out of stock at the time of this writing it should appear in stock in a few days. Search Inside is also enabled.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org -
