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The PALLAS Parallel Programming Environment for the IBM SP2 |
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TotalView - Parallel Debugging of AIX/POE Applications
The TotalView debugger from BBN is a source-level, window-oriented
multiprocess debugger. It has proven to be both very powerful and
flexible, and its efficiency and usefulness has created a base of
dedicated users.
TotalView provides many advantages over conventional UNIX debuggers
(such as dbx, adb) and the IBM parallel debugger pdbx:
- TotalView's graphical user interface (based on the X Window
System) makes it very easy to learn and use productively. It
provides windows, pop-up menus, and a
context-sensitive help system. Most commands can be entered with
the mouse as well as with keyboard shortcuts. A lot of useful
information can be seen without entering any commands, e.g. a stack
trace, values of local variables and the position of the program
counter.
- TotalView has an exceptionally powerful breakpoint facility:
generalized breakpoints (called ``action points'') allow arbitrary
actions to be invoked within a breakpoint, depending on the program
state.
- TotalView can manage multiple AIX processes and may thus be
used for multiprocess AIX or POE programs. Each process has its own
window displaying its current source code, stack trace, stack frame,
and PC position in the source code. Multiple process windows can be
displayed simultaneously, and debugging commands applied to groups
of processes.
- Distributed programs can be debugged over the network because
TotalView can manage multiple remote programs and multiprocess
programs simultaneously. Distributed programs are programs that
run on a group of different machines.
- Source code fragments can be written within TotalView and
temporarily inserted into the program while debugging. On some
platforms, assembly language fragments can be written as well.
This feature can save time in testing bug fixes. These patches can
be invoked by action points.
- The debugger can be attached to already running processes.
TotalView is available for the IBM RS/6000 and transparently supports
the IBM SP2. In effect, a copy of RS/6000 TotalView can attach to, and
control, multiple processes on multiple CPU's in an SP2, integrating
with IBM's Parallel Operating Environment (POE) for automatic process
acquisition and control.
Figure 2: Example TotalView debugging session
Copyright © PALLAS GmbH 1996
