Debugger visualization techniques for parallel architectures

The author outlines the requirements for debugger visualizations and describes the difficulties involved in devising graphical techniques which reduce the complexity of parallel behavior to manageable proportions. Examples are presented which demonstrate that visualization techniques can elucidate several aspects of run-time behavior. In this sense, they can improve the usefulness of parallel debugging tools: the application of specialized representational schema facilitates the recognition of patterns which would be hidden in any textual report. This allows the human programmer, adept at identifying visual anomalies, to isolate behavioral problems more quickly and accurately.<>