Detecting Quantified Global Predicates in Parallel Programs

Global predicates in parallel programs are predicates considering the state of more than one process. They are a useful concept for debugging parallel programs, e.g., for specifying assertions or breakpoints. In this paper 9-predicates are defined and examined, a restricted class of global predicates. 9-predicates are defined by two local predicates which have to be simultaneously satisfied by two different processes.Such predicates are frequently neededto express synchronization properties. Efficient centralized and parallel algorithms for detecting satisfaction of9-predicates are proposed.Furthermore, it is outlined how 9-predicates can be used for global breakpoints and where to stop a parallel program reaching such a breakpoint. The underlying machine models is a fixed set of processes communicating by message passing or shared memory.