Replay Debugging of Embedded Real-Time Systems: A State of the Art Report

Testing and debugging are major parts of a software development project, counted in time, money as well as importance. As it is not likely that programmers and designers will make a sudden turn to start producing totally error-free designs or implementations, the testand debug strategy of a software project will have a large influence over the overall quality of the end product. Over the years, massive resources have been spent in order to improve the quality of software. Recent reports suggest that multi-billion dollar amounts are spent each year on software maintenance in the U.S. alone. This in a time where nearly all software, desktop or embedded, grows increasingly more complex. Unfortunately, it has come to a point where many of the available tools for testing and debugging are insufficient for today’s full-scale commercial software. This state of the art report surveys the available commercial and academic tools and methods for complex real-time software debugging.