Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that, in an embodiment, prohibit breakpoints from being set within a protected range. In an embodiment, a protected range may be an atomic operation synchronization code range, either based on instructions generated by a compiler or based on source statements that are compiler directives. When a command, such as an add breakpoint command is received, the address of the breakpoint is compared to the protected range, and if the address is within the protected range, the breakpoint is not set. In another embodiment, if the address is within the protected range, the breakpoint is set before the start or after the end of the protected range. In this way, the problems of endless loops may be obviated.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment determine whether an instruction at which an address watch breakpoint occurs is within a hardware synchronization mechanism range in a program. If the determination is true, a special breakpoint is set following the hardware synchronization mechanism range, the address watch breakpoint is temporarily disabled, and the machine state is saved. When the program encounters the special breakpoint following the end of the hardware synchronization mechanism range, the saved machine state is presented. In this way, endless looping in programs protected by hardware synchronization mechanisms may be prevented.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment use a requested address for an intent seize and a processor associated with the intent seize to determine a hash table entry. If the requested address is not found in the hash table, all hash tables for all processors are updated to anchor to the requested address. Non-intent seizes use a hash table associated with a designated processor, regardless of whether the designated processor initiated the non-intent seize. In this way, in an embodiment modified, cache line interventions may eliminated for intent seizes.