Code mobility has potential to provide more flexible and
efficient solutions to some traditional client/server applications, especially
in a large scale, dynamic and heterogeneous network environment. However,
object-oriented distributed applications employing code mobility are
intrinsically complex and hard to understand. Event-based visualization can be
an invaluable tool for understanding the dynamic behavior of such applications
by providing graphical views of the program execution.
In this thesis, interesting events that help understand the execution of object-oriented code mobility applications are identified by carrying out a study of the mobile code technology. An innovative approach to visually present code mobility is proposed. An information tracing and visualization infrastructure (CMVS) for understanding the execution of object-oriented code mobility applications was developed. CMVS supports both on-line monitoring and postmortem visualization. It facilitates view zooming and information query to allow users to focus on a particular area of the view, and to get more detailed information regarding a specific event. Challenging issues with respect to program visualization are addressed, including program instrumentation, preservation of event causality, scalability, and quick focus on particular concerns.