Automated analysis of kernel and user core files including searching, ranking, and recommending patch files

• US 20020112200A1
• Filed: 02/12/2001
• Published: 08/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Hines, George W.
• Granted Patent: US 6,763,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/66 of program code stored in read-only memory [ROM]

Abstract

A computerized method for automatically analyzing a core file created by a computer system after an unexpected interrupt. The packages installed on the computer system are determined and patch files of descriptive data for previously identified patches are accessed to create a patch search set including patches configured for use with the installed packages. Patches in the patch search set are scored by assigning points to each patch based on scoring rules, e.g., searching the patch descriptive data for matches between portions of the patch descriptive data and portions of the core file, including bug descriptions. For UNIX™-based kernel core files, the scoring rules involve creating search criteria based on panic types and on panic metric data gathered from the core file. A detailed patch search report is created providing recommendations for each of the scored patches based on the assigned score and identifying patches for installation.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing a core file created by a computer system, the core file comprising a memory image including information on software executing on the computer system at the time of an unexpected, operating interrupt and including fault information corresponding to the interrupt, the method comprising:

determining packages installed on the computer system;

accessing patch files comprising descriptive data for patches useful for correcting bugs in the computer system; and

processing the patch files to create a patch search set comprising the patches in the patch files which are configured for use with the installed packages.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes assigning a score to each of the patches in the patch search set based on a set of scoring rules and creating a patch search report including the patch scores.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the core file is a user core file related to a user application and the score assigning includes identifying matches between the descriptive data for the patches with program descriptive information in the core file.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the core file includes fault information, and wherein the score assigning further includes identifying matches between descriptions of bugs referenced in the patch files of the patches in the patch search set and the fault information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a first amount of points are assigned for the identified patch description matches and a second number of points are assigned for the identified bug description matches, and wherein the first amount of points is greater than the second amount of points.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the core file is a kernel core file related to a kernel on the computer system and the score assigning includes identifying a type of fault, gathering fault metrics, and creating a scoring criteria based on the identified type of fault and the gathered fault metrics.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the type of fault is selected from the set of panic types and the fault metrics are selected from the group consisting of panic strings, pre-panic functions, and pre-panic modules.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the gathered fault metrics from the core file include the panic string, four pre-panic functions, and four pre-panic modules, and wherein score assigning includes assigning for matches between the descriptive data for the patches in the patch search set and the panic string a first number of points, for matches between the descriptive data for the patches in the patch search set and the four pre-panic functions a second number of points, and for matches between the descriptive data for the patches in the patch search set and the four pre-panic modules a third number of points.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the scoring further includes assigning a fourth number of points for matches between descriptions of bugs referenced in the patches in the patch search set and fault information in the core file, and wherein the first, second, third, and fourth numbers are differing powers of ten increasing in size from the fourth number to the first number.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the score assigning is automatically adaptive to the identified type of fault and comprises selectively assigning a number of points for a match between the gathered fault metrics from the core file and the descriptive data for the patches in the patch search set based on the type of fault.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the patch search report creating includes first determining which of the patches in the patch search set are installed on the computer system, second determining whether updated versions of the installed patches are available, and using information from the second determining to provide patch update recommendations in the patch search report.

13. The method of claim 12, further including prior to the patch file processing, determining the packages installed on the computer system and identifying the patches in the patch file relevant to the installed packages for the processing.

14. The method of claim 13, further including prior to the patch file processing, determining which of the identified patches reference the running executables and only including the determined patches in the processing.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the computer system is running a UNIX™

-based operating system and the core file is a kernel core file, and further including processing the core file to determine a type of panic and to gather panic-related metrics for use in the assigning of the score to the patches.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the core file is a kernel core file and the third computer code devices are further configured to assign the patch scores by gathering a set of fault metrics and comparing the gathered fault metrics with the descriptive data for each of the patches in the patch search set to identify matches.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein differing amounts of points is assigned by the third computer code devices for each of the fault metrics to prioritize select ones of the fault metrics.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the fault metrics are selected from the group consisting of panic strings, pre-panic functions, and pre-panic modules and wherein the gathering includes determining a panic type, the patch score assigning being adapted by the third computer code devices based on the panic type.

12. A method for selecting software patches for installation in a computer system, comprising:

accessing a patch file comprising descriptive data for patches configured for installation in the computer system, the descriptive data including references to bugs relevant to the patches;

accessing a bug file comprising descriptive data for bugs relevant to operation of the computer system;

accessing a core file created by the computer system to isolate fault information and descriptions of executables running of the computer system;

processing the patch file to assign a score to the patches based on matches between the executables descriptions and the patch descriptive data and on matches between the fault information and the bug descriptive data for the bugs referenced by the patches; and

recommending the patches based on the assigned scores.

16. A computer program product for analyzing a core file generated by a computer system, comprising:

first computer code devices configured to cause a computer to determine software packages installed on the computer system;

second computer code devices configured to cause a computer to access patch files comprising descriptive data for patches useful with the computer system to create a patch search set comprising select ones of the patches configured for use with the installed packages;

third computer code devices configured to cause a computer to assign a patch score to each of the patches in the patch search set based on predefined scoring rules; and

fourth computer code devices configured to cause a computer to create a patch search report including recommended corrective actions based on the patch scores.

20. A patch selection system for at least partially automatically processing a core file to select patches to address bugs in a computer system, comprising:

a memory device for storing patch files comprising descriptive information for patches adapted for addressing bugs on the computer system; and

a core analysis tool linked to the memory device to access the patch files, wherein the core analysis tool is configured to process the core file to identify fault information and executing program information and to compare the fault information and executing program information with the descriptive data of the patch files to assign a score to the patches.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein core analysis tool is further configured to create a patch search report including recommendations for the patches based at least partially on assigned scores.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the core analysis tool is operable to determine packages installed on the computer system and to create a patch search set for use in assigning scores comprising the patches in the patch files adapted for use with the installed packages.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the core analysis tool is communicatively linked to the computer system to determine the installed packages and to determine installed patches, and wherein version information for the installed patches is compared with version information for the patches in the patch search set to identify down revision ones of the installed patches.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the core analysis tool is adapted to process the core file to gather fault metric information and wherein the assigning of the scores involves adding points to a patch score for identified matches between the gathered fault metric information and the descriptive data for the patches in the patch file.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the core analysis tool functions to compare bug reference information for the patches in the patch file with the fault information of the core file and to add a number of points to the score of the patches for each match in the comparison.