Abstract: A technique to implement software debugging capability using breakpoints includes creating breakpoints, storing them in a watchlist, and paging out a virtual address (VA) to physical address (PA) page entry in a translation look-aside buffer (TLB). When software under test is run at full speed, memory is accessed via the TLB VA to PA page translations. When a translation is missing, an exception is generated. Handling the exception includes determining if the page missing from the TLB matches a breakpoint address in the watchlist. The address and operation type are compared to the watchlist. If the operation matches the address and not the specified data, then the software under test is single stepped, the TLB page is removed and the software under test continues to execute. If the breakpoint and data type matches, then a debugger is notified and debugger action to service the breakpoint occurs.

Abstract: Software breakpoints for code that normally executes from ROM are set by remapping a page of virtual addresses normally translated to a page of physical addresses in ROM to a page of physical addresses in RAM. This new mapping is stored in the page table and translation look-aside table (TLB). Further, the information stored at the page of ROM is copied to the remapped physical addresses of the RAM. As a result, the ROM information is stored at physical addresses of RAM, and virtual addresses of that ROM code are remapped to these RAM physical addresses. Accordingly, software breakpoints can be written for the ROM code because the code is now stored in RAM.

Abstract: A software error in a mobile computing device is patched in the field when an application executing on the device crashes. The usage pattern of the device determines the type of crash data that is submitted to a crash server. The crash data is compared to registration information to identify the availability of an application fix that overcomes the error that caused the device software to crash. Crash information that identifies information corresponding to the device where the crash occurred is submitted to a patch detection server. The patch detection server generates XML schema based on the crash information. The application fix is located on the patch server using the XML schema and a patch identifier associated with the application fix. The device loads the application fix into memory to correct the error in the software code.