Semantic fault diagnosis: automatic natural-language fault descriptions

Abstract

Before a fault can be fixed, it first must be understood. However, understanding why a system fails is often a difficult and time consuming process. While current automated-debugging techniques provide assistance in knowing where a fault is, developers are left unaided in understanding what a fault is, and why the system is failing. We present Semantic Fault Diagnosis (SFD), a technique that leverages lexicographic and dynamic information to automatically capture natural-language fault descriptors. SFD utilizes class names, method names, variable expressions, developer comments, and keywords from the source code to describe a fault. SFD can be used immediately after observing a failing execution and requires no input from developers or bug reports. In addition we present motivating examples and results from a SFD prototype to serve as a proof of concept.

BibTeX

@inproceedings{DiGiuseppe-Jones:FSE12,
  author    = {Nicholas DiGiuseppe and
               James A. Jones},
  title     = {Semantic fault diagnosis: automatic natural-language fault descriptions},
  booktitle = {FSE},
  pages     = {23},
  publisher = {{ACM}},
  year      = {2012},
}

Semantic fault diagnosis: automatic natural-language fault descriptions

Abstract

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