Technical Papers and Onward!: Error Repair

Wednesday, 29 October – 10:30-12:00

Automatic Detection and Repair of Errors in Data Structures

Brian Demsky, MIT Laboratory for Computer Science, bdemsky@mit.edu
Martin Rinard, MIT Laboratory for Computer Science, rinard@lcs.mit.edu

We present a system that accepts a specification of key data structure constraints, then dynamically detects and repairs violations of these constraints, enabling the program to continue to execute productively even in the face of otherwise crippling errors. Our experience using our system indicates that the specifications are relatively easy to develop once one understands the data structures. Furthermore, for our set of benchmark applications, our system can effectively repair errors to deliver consistent data structures that allow the program to continue to operate successfully within its designed operating envelope.