Method and apparatus for providing instrumentation data to an instrumentation data source from within a managed code environment

• US 20020004815A1
• Filed: 07/06/2001
• Published: 01/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cooperstein, Jeffrey M., Muhlestein, Travis J., Feuerstein, Corina E.
• Granted Patent: US 6,996,809 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/46 Multiprogramming arrangements

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing instrumentation data to an instrumentation data source from within a managed code environment is provided. A decoupled provider is provided that executes partially in managed code and partially in unmanaged code. The decoupled provider facilitates communication with an instrumentation data source. The decoupled provider also dynamically registers schema for managed code objects to be instrumented at run-time. The decoupled provider also receives and processes requests from the instrumentation data source to retrieve instance data for managed code objects, to write properties on managed code objects, and to execute methods on managed code objects.

Claims

1. A method for exposing instrumentation data available within a managed code environment to an instrumentation data source executing outside said managed code environment, comprising:

receiving an indication that said instrumentation data should be exposed to said instrumentation data source;

in response to receiving said indication, loading a decoupled provider for facilitating communication between said managed code environment and said instrumentation data source;

determining whether schema describing said instrumentation data has been previously registered with said instrumentation data source;

in response to determining that said schema has not been previously registered with said instrumentation data source, registering said schema with said instrumentation data source through said decoupled provider.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining that said schema has previously been registered with said instrumentation data source, determining whether said previously registered schema is correct; and

in response to determining that said previously registered schema is incorrect, overwriting said previously registered schema with said schema describing said instrumentation data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

registering an application program associated with said instrumentation data with said instrumentation data source as a provider of instances of said instrumentation data.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

notifying said decoupled provider that said instrumentation data is available.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said instrumentation data comprises an object and wherein said schema describes the properties and methods exposed by said object.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said indication that said instrumentation data should be exposed to said instrumentation data source comprises an attribute.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said indication that said instrumentation data should be exposed to said instrumentation data source comprises a call to an application programming interface.

8. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method recited in any one of claims 1-7.

9. A computer-controlled apparatus capable of performing the method recited in any one of claims 1-7.

10. A method for exposing instrumentation data available within a managed code environment to an instrumentation data source executing outside said managed code environment, comprising:

receiving an indication that said instrumentation data should be exposed to said instrumentation data source;

in response to receiving said indication, loading a decoupled provider for facilitating communication between said managed code environment and said instrumentation data source;

determining whether schema describing said instrumentation data has been previously registered with said instrumentation data source;

in response to determining that schema has not been previously registered with said instrumentation data source, registering said schema with said instrumentation data source through said decoupled provider;

receiving a request for said instrumentation data from said instrumentation data source at said decoupled proxy; and

in response to said request, converting said instrumentation data from a format compatible with said managed code environment to a format compatible with said instrumentation data source, and transmitting said converted instrumentation data to said instrumentation data source.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said instrumentation data comprises an object and wherein said schema describes the properties and methods exposed by said object.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said request for said instrumentation data comprises a request for instances of said object,

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said request for said instrumentation data is received at said decoupled provider, and further comprising:

querying one or more providers for instances satisfying said request.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said one or more providers are queried by said decoupled provider in a round-robin fashion to identify instances satisfying said request.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said indication that said instrumentation data should be exposed to said instrumentation data source comprises an attribute.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said indication that said instrumentation data should be exposed to said instrumentation data source comprises a call to an application programming interface.

17. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method recited in any one of claims 10-16.

18. A computer-controlled apparatus capable of performing the method recited in any one of claims 10-16.

19. A method for exposing instrumentation data available within a managed code environment to an instrumentation data source executing outside said managed code environment, comprising:

receiving a request for said instrumentation data at a decoupled provider;

determining whether said request comprises a request for one or more instances of said instrumentation data;

in response to determining that said request comprises a request for instances, querying one or more providers from said decoupled provider to determine if instances of said instrumentation data are available; and

in response to determining that said instances of said instrumentation data are available that satisfying said request, converting said instances of said instrumentation data satisfying said request from a format compatible with said managed code environment to a format compatible with said instrumentation data source, and transmitting said converted instances of said instrumentation data satisfying said request to said instrumentation data source.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said providers are queried by said decoupled provider in a round-robin fashion to determine if instances of said instrumentation data are available that satisfy said request.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining whether said request comprises a request to write a property on an instance of said instrumentation data;

in response to determining that said request comprises a request to write a property, identifying said instance of said instrumentation data and writing said property on said instance; and

providing a confirmation from said decoupled provider to said instrumentation data source that said property was written.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining whether said request comprises a request to execute a method on an instance of said instrumentation data;

in response to determining that said request comprises a request to execute a method, identifying said instance of said instrumentation data and executing said method on said instance; and

providing a confirmation from said decoupled provider to said instrumentation data source that said method was executed.

23. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method recited in any one of claims 19-22.

24. A computer-controlled apparatus capable of performing the method recited in any one of claims 19-22.

25. A method for exposing instrumentation data available within a managed code environment to an instrumentation data source executing outside said managed code environment, comprising:

receiving a request to fire an event relating to said instrumentation data into said instrumentation data source;

in response to receiving said request, loading a decoupled provider for facilitating communication between said managed code environment and said instrumentation data source;

determining whether schema describing said instrumentation data has been previously registered with said instrumentation data source;

in response to determining that schema has not been previously registered with said instrumentation data source, registering said schema with said instrumentation data source through said decoupled provider;

determining at said decoupled provider whether said event should be fired; and

in response to determining that said event should be fired, converting said instrumentation data from a format compatible with said managed code environment to a format compatible with said instrumentation data source, and firing said converted instrumentation data from said decoupled provider to said instrumentation data source as an event.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said request to fire an event comprises a call to an application programming interface.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said instrumentation data comprises an attribute indicating that said instrumentation data may be exposed to said instrumentation data source as an event.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

in response to determining that said schema has previously been registered with said instrumentation data source, determining whether said previously registered schema is correct; and

in response to determining that said previously registered schema is incorrect, overwriting said previously registered schema with said schema describing said instrumentation data.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein determining at said decoupled provider whether said event should be fired comprises determining whether said instrumentation data satisfies parameters provided with said request.

30. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method recited in any one of claims 25-29.

31. A computer-controlled apparatus capable of performing the method recited in any one of claims 25-29.