Method and apparatus for preserving precise exceptions in binary translated code

US 7,065,750 B2
Filed: 04/18/2001
Issued: 06/20/2006
Est. Priority Date: 02/17/1999
Status: Expired due to Term

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1. A binary translation system, comprising:

a non-optimizing foreign code execution module configured to maintain dedicated foreign state for each foreign binary operation executed allowing for the exceptions arisen to be handled precisely; and

an optimizing binary translator configured to translate foreign binary operations into optimized sequences of host operations in such a way as to improve the speed of execution of the sequences; and

a host CPU configured to execute the host operations; and

a documentation generator configured to generate a set of documentations for optimized sequences of host operations, wherein each documentation describes operations required to calculate a corresponding foreign state for an appointed point;

a documentation tracker configured to record host operation addresses at appointed points of the host operation sequences being executed, wherein, for each host operation address, operations required to calculate a corresponding foreign state for the host operation address are added to documentation; and

a recovery mechanism configured to select a documentation in the set of documentations using a host operation address corresponding to the selected documentation, wherein the recovery mechanism is configured to perform the operations saved in the documentation to calculate the corresponding foreign state for the host operation address and to continue foreign codes execution in case of the exception arisen during the execution of the corresponding optimized host codes.

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Abstract

Precise exceptions handling in the optimized binary translated code is achieved by transitioning execution to the non-optimized step-by-step foreign code execution means in accordance with one of the several coherent foreign states designated during the optimized translation of the foreign code. A method to improve the operation by avoiding complete foreign state updates in the optimized code, an apparatus to track the switching between the states and a method to recompute the complete foreign state in accordance to the current state identification, execution context and additional documentation provided during the translation time are proposed.

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18 Claims

1. A binary translation system, comprising:
- a non-optimizing foreign code execution module configured to maintain dedicated foreign state for each foreign binary operation executed allowing for the exceptions arisen to be handled precisely; and
  
  an optimizing binary translator configured to translate foreign binary operations into optimized sequences of host operations in such a way as to improve the speed of execution of the sequences; and
  
  a host CPU configured to execute the host operations; and
  
  a documentation generator configured to generate a set of documentations for optimized sequences of host operations, wherein each documentation describes operations required to calculate a corresponding foreign state for an appointed point;
  
  a documentation tracker configured to record host operation addresses at appointed points of the host operation sequences being executed, wherein, for each host operation address, operations required to calculate a corresponding foreign state for the host operation address are added to documentation; and
  
  a recovery mechanism configured to select a documentation in the set of documentations using a host operation address corresponding to the selected documentation, wherein the recovery mechanism is configured to perform the operations saved in the documentation to calculate the corresponding foreign state for the host operation address and to continue foreign codes execution in case of the exception arisen during the execution of the corresponding optimized host codes.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- - 2. The binary translation system of claim 1, wherein the sequence of host operations consumes input values from the dedicated foreign state and puts output results into the said foreign state.
  - 3. The binary translation system of claim 2, wherein the dedicated foreign state is not changed in case of exception arisen during execution of the host operations sequence.
  - 4. The binary translation system of claim 3, wherein a foreign exception handler is executed in response to the exception occurring during execution of the host operations sequence, the foreign exception handler configured to take input values from the unchanged dedicated foreign state.
  - 5. The binary translation system of claim 1, wherein the optimizing translator is configured to combine all host operations sequences corresponding to a number of foreign binary operations into one executable unit.
  - 6. The binary translation system of claim 5, wherein the optimizing translator removes intermediate outputs from the dedicated foreign state for each sequence of host operations and saves information about the intermediate outputs in the documentation.
  - 7. The binary translation system of claim 6, wherein the documentation describes a virtual foreign state between each sequence of host operations.
  - 8. The binary translation system of claim 7, wherein the optimizing translator preserves values from each virtual state in temporary registers without re-using them until next virtual foreign state is passed.
  - 9. The binary translation system of claim 8, wherein every memory write operation changes unconditionally the dedicated foreign state and is considered as a possible recovery point in case of exception.
  - 10. The binary translation system of claim 9, wherein the recovery point corresponds to one of the virtual foreign states as described in the documentation.
  - 11. The binary translation system of claim 10, wherein the documentation is a host to foreign registers computation rules table or host binary code used to recompute the foreign state.
  - 12. The binary translation system of claim 1, wherein the host CPU is configured to execute host operations and produces exceptions as if it were a foreign CPU.
  - 13. The binary translation system of claim 1, wherein documentation tracker is a special host operation, a recovery point register and an apparatus for saving instruction address in the recovery point register in response to executing the recovery point operation.
  - 14. The binary translation system of claim 1, wherein the recovery mechanism is a host program configured to recompute a correct dedicated foreign state according to the documentation in the case of an exception generated.

15. A method of recomputing a dedicated foreign state in a binary translation system from documentation generated by an optimizing translator in a case of an exception arising during execution of optimized binary translated code translated from a foreign code, the method comprising:
- designating a set of recovery points in the optimized binary translated code during optimized translation of the foreign code, wherein each recovery point represents a foreign state;
  
  generating a set of documentations during the optimized translation of the foreign code, wherein each documentation in the set of documentations corresponds to a recovery point in the optimized binary translated code and describes operations required to calculate a corresponding foreign state for the recovery point; and
  
  using one of the documentations in the set of documentations corresponding to executed optimized binary translated code when an exception arises during its execution to recover a foreign state corresponding to a recovery point for the exception, wherein the foreign state is recovered by executing the operations for the one of the documentations.
- View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
- - 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the documentation describes a virtual foreign state and is discovered by using a recovery point register.
  - 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the optimizing translator sets recovery point operations in the host code in such a way that there is no unconditional changes in the dedicated foreign state between adjacent recovery points.
  - 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:
    - detecting an exception in the optimized binary translated code;
      
      reading the recovery point register;
      
      finding the appropriate documentation in the set of documentations corresponding to contents of the recovery point register;
      
      recomputing a foreign state according to the documentation;
      
      switching execution of the foreign code to non-optimizing execution;
      
      executing each foreign code operation in sequence;
      
      updating a dedicated foreign state at the end of each foreign code operation;
      
      detecting an exception during the course of non-optimizing execution; and
      
      transferring contents of the dedicated foreign state to the foreign exception handler.

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Current Assignee
Elbrus International Limited
Original Assignee
Elbrus International Limited
Inventors
Yakushev, Andrew V., Gushchin, Vladimir M., Rozhkov, Sergey A., Babaian, Boris A.
Primary Examiner(s)
Zhen, Wei Y.
Assistant Examiner(s)
STEELMAN, MARY J

Application Number

US09/838,552
Publication Number

US 20020092002A1
Time in Patent Office

1,889 Days
Field of Search

717/129, 717/130, 717/136, 717/151, 717/158, 712/23, 712/24, 712/203, 712/212, 712/228, 712/230, 712/235, 712/244, 712/237, 714/15, 714/17, 714/20, 714/35, 714/48, 714/49, 714/702, 714/707, 714/747
US Class Current

717/136
CPC Class Codes

G06F 12/1036   for multiple virtual addres...

G06F 9/45504   Abstract machines for progr...

G06F 9/45554   Instruction set architectur...

Method and apparatus for preserving precise exceptions in binary translated code

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Abstract

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18 Claims

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Method and apparatus for preserving precise exceptions in binary translated code

First Claim

2 Assignments

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Litigations

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Accused Products

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Abstract

30 Citations

18 Claims

Specification

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