A tool for layered analysing and understanding of distributed programs

Distributed programs are harder to analyse and understand than sequential programs for a number of reasons. First, a distributed program consists of many entities at different levels of abstraction. Second, communication among the entities of a distributed program may happen concurrently and nondeterministically. To be able to analyse these entities and the communication events among them is therefore essential for understanding any distributed program. This paper describes a tool for assisting the analysis and understanding of distributed programs. The tool analyses the entities and communication events of a distributed program at four levels of abstraction. At the highest level, the tool displays the communication relationships between programs (e.g. server and client programs). At the second level, the communication between processes is displayed. At the third level, the communication between events is displayed. The fourth level is the lowest: it uses a text editor to show the relevant statements that carry out the communication. The tool has been used in the teaching of courses related to distributed computing since 1993. © 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.