Micro execution is the ability to execute any code fragment without a user-provided test driver or input data. The user simply identifies a function or code location in an exe or dll. A runtime Virtual Machine (VM) customized for testing purposes then starts executing the code at that location, catches all memory operations before they occur, allocates memory on-the-fly in order to perform those read\/write memory operations, and provides input values according to a customizable memory policy, which defines what read memory accesses should be treated as inputs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MicroX is a first prototype VM allowing micro execution of x86 binary code. No source code or pdb required. No test driver\/harness required: MicroX automatically discovers dynamically the Input\/Output signature of the code being run. Input values are provided as needed along the execution and can be generated in various ways, e.g., randomly or using some other test-generation tool. To the best of our knowledge, MicroX is the first VM designed for test isolation and generation purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This paper introduces micro execution and discusses how to implement it, strengths and limitations, applications, related work and long-term goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(July 2013, revised September 2013)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Micro execution is the ability to execute any code fragment without a user-provided test driver or input data. The user simply identifies a function or code location in an exe or dll. A runtime Virtual Machine (VM) customized for testing purposes then starts executing the code at that location, catches all memory operations before they 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