Patent Application
20070283334
The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
The detailed description explains the preferred embodiments of the invention, together with advantages and features, by way of example with reference to the drawings.
The proposed invention remedies the difficulties previously explained by pairing resource acquisitions with resource releases and/or pairing suspend and resume operations in real time, enabling early problem detection and relieving the constraints on space to hold trace data.
A method for operating a software processing problem detection facility using symmetrical trace data, shall now be explained. At step 10, trace and/or other data in a main memory is examined according to user specified detection control parameters. The parameters specify how to locate the trace data, how to examine the trace data and thresholds for determining that a problem has arisen. The method of the proposed invention can operate on various computer operating systems.
At step 12, saving with a time stamp in a cache a saved set of data for resource acquisitions and task suspensions, occurs. The data in the cache identifies resources and tasks (e.g., by name or other identifier) and indicates the status (acquired, suspended, etc.). The time stamped resource acquisition data and task suspension data is used comparatively and allows the user to analyze and record data transactions in real time. The information is used to detect a software processing problem but the information can also be used for other things such as the production of a histogram, etc.
At step 14, resource releases are matched with saved acquisitions in the saved set of data according to user specified control parameters.
At step 16, matched acquisitions are deleted from the saved set of data. Normal processing consists of first a resource acquisition, followed by its use, and finally its release. An unmatched acquisition represents a resource that is held such that it is unavailable for use by other processes. This invention detects resource shortages. An unmatched release is assumed to match an acquisition that occurred prior to the initiation of the process that performs the problem detection described in this application, and thus is not necessarily considered an indication of a problem. A user parameter would specify whether such an unmatched release should be reported as a detected problem.
At step 18, task resumptions and suspensions in the saved set of data are matched. At step 20, matched suspensions are deleted from the saved set of data. If a task is suspended and then resumed, this corresponds to normal operation and the suspension is considered matched to a resumption and deleted. The unmatched suspensions represent tasks that were suspended and not resumed, thus indicating a problem.
At step 22, processing unit terminations and initiations in the saved set of data are matched. At step 24, matched processing unit initiations from the saved set of data are deleted.
At step 26, a processing problem is detected in response to data remaining in the saved set of data. A problem is detected whenever one of the following events occurs. First, if an entry is found (e.g., an acquisition or suspension) which is more than a user specified age, a problem is detected. Secondly, if the number of entries (unmatched acquisitions or suspensions) is larger than a user specified threshold, a problem is detected. Thirdly, if the total amount of the acquired (and unmatched) resource is larger than a user specified threshold, a problem is detected. The total amount criterion does not apply to task suspensions.
Provided that a problem is detected because one of the previously mentioned events occurs, at step 28, messages are issued providing details of the processing problem according to the user specified control parameters. Then at step 30, operator commands are issued to collect additional problem documentation and tale remedial actions.
The saving, matching, deleting and detecting operations do not occur in strict sequence as the above discussion implies. Acquisitions, releases, suspensions, resumptions, initiations, and terminations occur in the system in a varying pattern. The saved data is constantly changing, with additions and deletions. The detection may be part of the addition processing and/or matching processing, or occur separately at timed intervals. The preferred implementation is to perform the detection processing during the matching since that is when the saved acquisitions/suspensions/initiations are scanned anyway.
While the preferred embodiment to the invention has been described, it will be understood that those skilled in the art, both now and in the future, may make various improvements and enhancements which fall within the scope of the claims which follow. These claims should be construed to maintain the proper protection for the invention first described.
