Bridging the gap between binary and source analysis

TitleBridging the gap between binary and source analysis
Publication TypeMiscellaneous
Year of Publication2005
AuthorsGuo PJ, McCamant S, Ernst MD
Abstract<p>Dynamic analyses for software engineering typically operate either at the source code level or at the binary level (possibly postprocessing results to source code terms for output). We propose a <em>mixed-level</em> approach that combines the source-level and binary-level approaches throughout the duration of the analysis. Compared to a one-level approach, the mixed-level approach simplifies implementation, improves robustness, and enables analyses that are impossible or impractical to perform purely at the source or binary level. </p> <p> We have implemented a dynamic instrumentation toolkit, named Fjalar, that embodies the mixed-level approach, and we present two distinct analyses that are built upon the toolkit. The first tool performs value profiling{ –- }outputting a rich set of run-time values for further analysis. The other tool performs value partitioning{ –- }determining abstract types for concrete values. Compared to similar tools that use a source-based approach, the mixed-level tools built upon Fjalar were both easier to implement and more scalable, handling C and C++ programs of hundreds of thousands of lines.</p>
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Citation KeyGuoME2005
Last changed Mon, 2013-06-03 10:27