Log parser

• US 20040254919A1
• Filed: 06/13/2003
• Published: 12/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Giuseppini, Gabriele
• Application Number:
  US10/461,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20040254919A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/903 Querying for retrieval from the web G06F16/953

Abstract

Systems and methods for parsing an activity log are described. In one aspect, a query against logged data is received. The query is based on a log parser grammar that has been designed to parse activity logs of multiple different data formats. Responsive to receiving the query, the logged data is parsed to generate query results. Output data is created from the query results.

Claims

1. A method for parsing an activity log, the method comprising:

receiving a query against logged data, the query being based on log parser grammar designed to parse activity logs of multiple different data formats;

parsing, via the query, the logged data to generate query results; and

creating output data from the query results.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the query specifies a function selected from any combination of QUANTIZE, REVERSEDNS, URLESCAPE, URLUNESCAPE, EXTRACT_VALUE, WIN32_ERROR_DESCRIPTION, Extract_token, and/or resolve_SID functions.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein receiving, parsing, and creating are performed via a command line interface to an executable or via an Application Programming Interface to a library.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein features of the query, parsing, query results, and output data are specified by a script.

5. A method as recited in claim 1:

wherein the logged data is in any one multiple possible data formats comprising IIS W3C Extended, IIS, IISMSID, NCSA, ODBC, BIN, URLSCAN, HTTPERR, EVT, TEXTWORD, TEXTLINE, CSV, W3C, or FS;

wherein the output data is created in any one multiple possible data formats comprising IIS W3C Extended, IIS, SQL, CSV, user specified raw or structured template, or log parser native output data format; and

wherein logged data format is independent of query result data format.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the query specifies an Active Directory Service Interface (ADSI) path, and/or indicates a virtual site or site name that hosts the logged data.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein parsing the logged data further comprises one or more of extracting, filtering, searching, grouping, data mining, and/or ordering with respect to one or more entries or patterns in the logged data.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein creating the output data further comprises converting the query results from one data format to a different data format.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the query indicates a multiplex feature and wherein creating the output data further comprises:

substituting strings associated with a first portion of the query for one or more wildcards in a file path generation portion of the query;

formulating the output data such that it comprises at least one file for each event source as a function of substituting the strings; and

wherein the wildcards indicate the multiplex feature.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein creating the output data further comprises exporting at least a portion of the output data into one or more database tables in a database such as an SQL database.

11. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-program instructions for a log parser, the computer-program instructions being executable by a processor and comprising instructions for performing a method as recited in claim 1.

12. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-program instructions for a log parser, the computer-program instructions being executable by a processor and comprising instructions for:

querying logged data with a query derived from a log parser grammar, the log parser grammar specifying one or more functions to implement with respect to entries or data patterns in one or more activity logs of multiple possible different data formats, the logged data corresponding to at least one activity log of the activity logs;

responsive to the query, generating query results from the one or more functions; and

creating output data corresponding from the query results.

13. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the one or more functions comprise any combination of QUANTIZE, REVERSEDNS, URLESCAPE, URLUNESCAPE, EXTRACT_VALUE, WIN32_ERROR_DESCRIPTION, EXTRACT_TOKEN, and/or RESOLVE_SID functions.

14. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the instructions for querying, generating, and outputting are provided via a command line interface to an executable or via an Application Programming Interface to a library.

15. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 12:

wherein the logged data is in any one multiple possible data formats comprising IIS W3C Extended, IIS, IISMSID, NCSA, ODBC, BIN, URLSCAN, HTTPERR, EVT, TEXTWORD, TEXTLINE, CSV, W3C, or FS;

wherein the output data are in any one multiple possible data formats comprising IIS W3C Extended, IIS, SQL, CSV, user specified raw or structured template, or log parser native output data format; and

wherein logged data format is independent of query result data format.

16. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the query specifies an Active Directory Service Interface (ADSI) path, and/or indicates a virtual site or site name that hosts the logged data.

17. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the instructions for creating the output data further comprise instructions for converting at least a subset of the logged data, via the query results, from one data format to a different data format.

18. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the query indicates a multiplex feature and wherein the instructions for creating the output data further comprise instructions for:

substituting strings associated with a first portion of the query for one or more wildcards in a file path generation portion of the query;

formulating the output data such that it comprises at least one file for each event source as a function of substituting the strings; and

wherein the wildcards indicate the multiplex feature.

19. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the instructions for creating the output data further comprise instructions for exporting at least a portion of the logged data into one or more database tables in a database such as an SQL database.

20. A computing device for a log parser, the computing device comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising computer-program instructions as recited in claim 12.

21. A computing device to parse an activity log, the computing device comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising computer-program instructions for:

generating a query as a function of log parser grammar;

asserting the query against logged data from one or more activity logs of multiple possible different data formats;

responsive to asserting the query, implementing one or more functions with respect to the logged data to generate query results, the one or more functions being specified by the query; and

creating output data from the query results, the output data being created in one or more of multiple possible different output data formats that is/are independent of one or more of multiple possible different logged data data formats.

22. A computing device as recited in claim 21, wherein the one or more functions comprises any combination of QUANTIZE, REVERSEDNS, URLESCAPE, URLUNESCAPE, EXTRACT_VALUE, WIN32_ERROR_DESCRIPTION, EXTRACT_TOKEN, and/or RESOLVE_SID functions.

23. A computing device as recited in claim 21, wherein the instructions for generating, asserting, implementing, and creating are specified via a command line interface to an executable or via an Application Programming Interface to a library.

24. A computing device as recited in claim 21:

wherein the logged data is in any one multiple possible data formats comprising IIS W3C Extended, IIS, IISMSID, NCSA, ODBC, BIN, URLSCAN, HTTPERR, EVT, TEXTWORD, TEXTLINE, CSV, W3C, or FS;

wherein the output data are in any one multiple possible data formats comprising IIS W3C Extended, IIS, SQL, CSV, user specified raw or structured template, or log parser native output data format.

25. A computing device as recited in claim 21, wherein the query specifies an Active Directory Service Interface (ADSI) path, and/or indicates a virtual site or site name that hosts the logged data.

26. A computing device as recited in claim 21, wherein the instructions for creating the output data further comprise instructions for converting at least a subset of the logged data, via the query results, from one data format to a different data format.

27. A computing device as recited in claim 21, wherein the query indicates a multiplex feature and wherein the instructions for creating the output data further comprise instructions for:

substituting strings associated with a first portion of the query for one or more wildcards in a file path generation portion of the query;

formulating the output data such that it comprises at least one file for each event source as a function of substituting the strings; and

wherein the wildcards indicate the multiplex feature.

28. A computing device as recited in claim 21, wherein the instructions for creating the output data further comprise instructions for exporting at least a portion of the logged data into one or more database tables in a database such as an SQL database.

29. A computing device for a log parser, the computing device comprising:

means for receiving a query against logged data, the query being based on log parser grammar designed to parse activity logs of multiple different data formats;

means for parsing the logged data as a function of log parser grammar specified by the query to generate query results; and

means for outputting the query results.

30. A computing device as recited in claim 29:

wherein the logged data is in any one multiple possible data formats comprising IIS W3C Extended, IIS, IISMSID, NCSA, ODBC, BIN, URLSCAN, HTTPERR, EVT, TEXTWORD, TEXTLINE, CSV, W3C, or FS;

wherein the query results are in any one multiple possible data formats comprising IIS W3C Extended, IIS, SQL, CSV, user specified raw or structured template, or log parser native output data format; and

wherein logged data format is independent of query result data format.

31. A computing device as recited in claim 29, wherein the query specifies an Active Directory Service Interface (ADSI) path, and/or indicates a virtual site or site name that hosts the logged data.

32. A computing device as recited in claim 29, wherein the means for parsing the logged data further comprise means for one or more of extracting, filtering, searching, grouping, data mining, and/or ordering with respect to one or more entries or patterns in the logged data.

33. A computing device as recited in claim 29, wherein the means for parsing the logged data further comprise means for converting the logged data from one data format to a different data format.

34. A computing device as recited in claim 29, wherein the query indicates a multiplex feature and wherein the means for parsing the logged data further comprise:

means for substituting strings associated with a first portion of the query for one or more wildcards in a file path generation portion of the query;

means for formulating the query response such that it comprises at least one file for each event source as a function of substituting the strings; and

wherein the wildcards indicate the multiplex feature.

35. A computing device as recited in claim 29, wherein the means for parsing the logged data further comprise means for exporting at least a portion of the logged data into one or more database tables in a database such as an SQL database.