diff -r f0b8d8e5cc64 -r bde3a21bcab0 jdk/src/share/classes/sun/tracing/ProbeSkeleton.java
--- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
+++ b/jdk/src/share/classes/sun/tracing/ProbeSkeleton.java	Thu Apr 17 22:00:16 2008 -0400
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2007 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved.
+ * SUN PROPRIETARY/CONFIDENTIAL. Use is subject to license terms.
+ */
+
+package sun.tracing;
+
+import java.lang.reflect.Method;
+import java.lang.reflect.Field;
+import com.sun.tracing.Probe;
+
+/**
+ * Provides common code for implementation of {@code Probe} classes.
+ *
+ * @since 1.7
+ */
+public abstract class ProbeSkeleton implements Probe {
+
+    protected Class<?>[] parameters;
+
+    protected ProbeSkeleton(Class<?>[] parameters) {
+        this.parameters = parameters;
+    }
+
+    public abstract boolean isEnabled();  // framework-dependent
+
+    /**
+     * Triggers the probe with verified arguments.
+     *
+     * The caller of this method must have already determined that the
+     * arity and types of the arguments match what the probe was
+     * declared with.
+     */
+    public abstract void uncheckedTrigger(Object[] args); // framework-dependent
+
+    private static boolean isAssignable(Object o, Class<?> formal) {
+        if (o != null) {
+            if ( !formal.isInstance(o) ) {
+                if ( formal.isPrimitive() ) { // o might be a boxed primitive
+                    try {
+                        // Yuck.  There must be a better way of doing this
+                        Field f = o.getClass().getField("TYPE");
+                        return formal.isAssignableFrom((Class<?>)f.get(null));
+                    } catch (Exception e) {
+                        /* fall-through. */
+                    }
+                }
+                return false;
+            }
+        }
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Performs a type-check of the parameters before triggering the probe.
+     */
+    public void trigger(Object ... args) {
+        if (args.length != parameters.length) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Wrong number of arguments");
+        } else {
+            for (int i = 0; i < parameters.length; ++i) {
+                if ( !isAssignable(args[i], parameters[i]) ) {
+                    throw new IllegalArgumentException(
+                            "Wrong type of argument at position " + i);
+                }
+            }
+            uncheckedTrigger(args);
+        }
+    }
+}