Insure++

Insure++ is a memory debugger computer program, used by software developers to detect various errors in programs written in C and C++. It is made by Parasoft, and is functionally similar to other memory debuggers, such as Purify, Valgrind and Dr Memory.[1]

Insure++
Developer(s)Parasoft
Initial release1993 (1993)
Stable release
7.5.5 / May 1, 2020 (2020-05-01)
Operating systemCross-platform, Linux, Solaris, Windows
Available inEnglish
TypeProfiler / Memory debugger
LicenseProprietary commercial software
Websitewww.parasoft.com/products/insure

Overview

Insure++ can automatically find erroneous accesses to freed memory (use-after-free situations), array-bounds violations, freeing unallocated memory (which often happens when a programmer frees the same memory twice, or when he frees global or stack memory), and many others.[2]

Unlike Purify and Valgrind, Insure++ inserts its instrumentation at the source-code level,[3][4] which allows it to detect errors that the other tools miss.[5] In particular, Insure++ can detect buffer overflows in automatic arrays, and overflows which involve pointers that accidentally "jump" from one valid memory region to another, as in the following example:

#include <stdlib.h>
int main()
 {
    char *p = malloc(1024); /* first dynamically-allocated block */
    char *q = malloc(1024); /* second block */
    p += 1200; /* At this point, "p" is likely to point into the second block. 
                  However, false assumptions about the real behaviour lead to mistakes. */
    *p = 'a';  /* invalid write (past the end of the first block) */
 }

The source-level instrumentation allows it to not only identify that a leak occurred, but where it occurred.[1] Some tools merely provide information about where the memory was allocated, Insure++ also gives a stack trace for when/where the actual leak occurred.

Additionally, Insure++ will produce Linear Code Sequence and Jump Code Coverage metrics for all tested code.

See also

References
  1. "A Survey of Systems for Detection Serial Run-Time Errors" (PDF). Iowa State University High Performance Computing Group. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  2. Metzger, Robert. Debugging by Thinking: A Multidisciplinary Approach. p. 490. ISBN 1555583075.
  3. "Parasoft Insure++ at Parasoft website". Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  4. Reddy, Martin. API Design for C++. p. 239.
  5. Lier, Matthias. Tools for High Performance Computing. p. 147. ISBN 3642112900.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.