Analysis of pipelined networks
First Claim
1. A diagnostic tool in a pipelined network comprising tiers of servers wherein each tier of servers communicates only with adjacent tiers in a communications flow that processes messages in a sequence of the tiers, the tool comprising:
- a controller located locally with respect to the pipelined network for generating a message to be processed by the pipelined network;
communication paths connecting the controller to each tier of the pipelined network; and
a program executing at the controller for detecting a failure of the processing of the message by the pipelined network and receiving diagnostic information from the tiers in the pipelined network after the failure is detected.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This invention relates to a diagnostic tool for networks that process messages in stages such as pipelined networks. In a pipelined network comprising tiers of servers, each tier of servers communicates only with adjacent tiers in a communications flow that processes messages in a sequence of tiers. The tool requires a controller located locally with respect to the pipelined network for generating messages to be processed by the pipelined network. Communication paths connect the controller to each tier of the pipelined network. A program executing at the controller detects a failure of the processing of the message by the pipelined network and receives diagnostic information from the tiers after the failure is detected. The diagnoses based on the retrieved information can proceed either manually or automatically, depending on how the information is collected. In order to automate the diagnosis, the program executing on the controller includes commands for sequentially analyzing each tier in the pipelined network in order to isolate the tier in which the failure occurred. For manual diagnosis, the program includes commands for simultaneously (or almost simultaneously) requesting information from each tier upon network failure. In the manual approach, distributed agents at all of the tiers gather information about the operating of the tier at the time of network failure.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A diagnostic tool in a pipelined network comprising tiers of servers wherein each tier of servers communicates only with adjacent tiers in a communications flow that processes messages in a sequence of the tiers, the tool comprising:
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a controller located locally with respect to the pipelined network for generating a message to be processed by the pipelined network;
communication paths connecting the controller to each tier of the pipelined network; and
a program executing at the controller for detecting a failure of the processing of the message by the pipelined network and receiving diagnostic information from the tiers in the pipelined network after the failure is detected. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5-13. -13. (canceled)
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14. A method for diagnosing failures in a pipelined network comprising processing tiers wherein each tier communicates only with adjacent tiers in a communications flow that proceeds sequentially from one tier to another, said method comprising:
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detecting a failure communicating a message through the tiers of the pipelined network;
automatically capturing data at each tier describing processing at the tier at the time of failure tailored to provide diagnostic information; and
analyzing the data to isolate the failure to one of the tiers. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 19, 20, 21)
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17-18. -18. (canceled)
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22. A computer-readable medium, having computer-executable instructions for diagnosing network errors in a pipelined network comprising tiers of servers wherein each tier of servers communicates only with adjacent tiers in a communications flow that processes messages in a sequence of the tiers, the computer-executable instructions performing steps comprising:
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detecting a failure of the processing of a message by the pipelined network;
communicating directly with each tier of the pipelined network through a local communication path; and
retrieving diagnostic information from the tiers in the pipelined network after the failure is detected. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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25. (canceled)
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26. A computer-readable medium, having computer-executable instructions for diagnosing failures in a pipelined network comprising processing tiers wherein each tier communicates only with adjacent tiers in a communication flow that proceeds sequentially from one tier to another, the computer-executable instructions performing steps comprising:
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detecting a failure communicating a message through the tiers of the pipelined network; and
retrieving data automatically captured at each tier describing processing at the tier at the time of failure, said data tailored to provide diagnostic information. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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Specification