PhD course - Coccinelle: A Program Matching and Transformation Tool for Systems Code

Lectures:

Julia Lawall, INRIA

Date(s) of the course:

March 6-7, 2014

Time:

March 6, 2014: 13:30-17:00
March 7, 2014: 09:00-12:00

Place:

The course takes place at the IT University of Copenhagen, Rued Langgaardsvej 7, DK-2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark (www.itu.dk), in room 4A05

Course description:

Coccinelle is a program matching and transformation tool for C code, founded on the notion of a semantic patch, in which matching and transformation specifications are expressed using a patch-like syntax. Coccinelle has been extensively used for bug finding and evolution in the context of the Linux kernel, and other C software.  This course will provide an overview of Coccinelle and its use on Linux code, as well as describing its internal design, based on a novel variant of the temporal logic CTL.

The course will introduce a number of Coccinelle features, including the use of metavariables, the use of isomorphisms, the matching of control-flow paths, the use of iteration, and the scripting language interface.  Several real-sized examples will be considered in detail, addressing both bug finding and automating evolutions in the Linux kernel.  Numerous exercises will be provided to be worked during the class period.  Students wishing to use their own laptops should install Coccinelle as well as downloading the source code of Linux 3.2 (www.kernel.org).