Unified logging service with a logging formatter

• US 20050223283A1
• Filed: 03/26/2004
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Marchev, Nikola I., Petrov, Miroslav R., Frey, Gregor K., Kiessling, Heiko, Manev, Georgi G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,721,266 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/20
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/366 using diagnostics G06F11/0703 takes precedence

Abstract

An integrated tracing and logging system for an enterprise network. One embodiment of the integrated logging and tracing system has an object-oriented architecture which includes a controller class with two sub-classes: a tracing sub-class and a logging sub-class. Instances of the tracing sub-class (tracing modules) are associated with specified program code regions of network applications. The tracing modules receive method calls from the network applications and process the method calls based on defined severity levels. Instances of the logging sub-class (logging modules) are associated with specified “categories” related to the enterprise network (e.g., system, database, etc). The logging modules receive and process method calls from network components associated with the categories. The integrated logging and tracing system allows the format of tracing and logging messages to be configured without recompiling any source code.

Claims

1. An integrated tracing and logging system employed within a network comprising:

a tracing module associated with specified program code regions of an application, the tracing module to receive and process tracing method calls generated by the application when the specified program code regions are executed;

a logging module associated with specified categories related to the network, the logging module to receive and process logging method calls from network components associated with the categories;

an output destination to receive a message from at least one of the tracing module and the logging module; and

a formatter to determine a message format for the received message.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the formatter is one of a list formatter, a human-readable formatter, and a markup language formatter.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more properties of the formatter are defined in a configuration file.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the configuration file includes an identifier to identify the formatter.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more properties are formatted as key-value-pair properties, each key-value pair having a key to specify an attribute and a value to provide a definition for the specified attribute.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the configuration file defines the message format for the received message, the message format including one or more fields.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more fields of the message format includes at least one of

a timestamp field to indicate a time for the received message;

a location of origin field to indicate a source of the received message;

a thread identifier field to indicate a thread associated with the received message;

a message severity indicator field to indicate a severity level of the received message; and

a message identifier field to identify the received message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the output destination is at least one of

a trace file;

and

a log file.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the output destination is a console.

10. A computer-implemented method employed within a network comprising:

creating an instance of a tracing controller associated with specified program code regions of an application, the tracing controller instance to receive and process tracing method calls generated by the application when the specified program code regions are executed;

creating an instance of a logging controller associated with specified categories related to the network, the logging controller to receive and process logging method calls from network components associated with the categories;

specifying an output destination to receive a message from at least one of the tracing controller instance and the logging controller instance; and

selecting a formatter to provide a message format for the received message, wherein the message format is defined based, at least in part, on a configuration file.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

configuring the message format for the selected formatter.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein configuring the message format comprises providing an identifier to the configuration file to identify the selected formatter.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein configuring the message format further comprises specifying one or more fields for the message format.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein specifying one or more fields comprises specifying at least one of

a timestamp field to indicate a time for the received message;

a location of origin field to indicate a source of the received message;

a thread identifier field to indicate a thread associated with the received message;

a message severity indicator field to indicate a severity level of the received message; and

a message identifier field to identify the received message.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing a filter to the specified output destination to selectively filter the message.

16. A system comprising:

a means for creating an instance of a tracing controller associated with specified program code regions of an application, the tracing controller instance to receive and process tracing method calls generated by the application when the specified program code regions are executed;

a means for creating an instance of a logging controller associated with specified categories related to the network, the logging controller to receive and process logging method calls from network components associated with the categories;

a means for specifying an output destination to receive a message from at least one of the tracing controller instance and the logging controller instance; and

a means for selecting a formatter to provide a message format for the received message, wherein the message format is defined based, at least in part, on a configuration file.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a means for configuring the message format for the selected formatter.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the means for configuring the message format comprises:

a means for specifying one or more fields for the message format.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the means for specifying one or more fields comprises a means for specifying at least one of

a timestamp field to indicate a time for the received message;

a location of origin field to indicate a source of the received message;

a thread identifier field to indicate a thread associated with the received message;

a message severity indicator field to indicate a severity level of the received message; and

a message identifier field to identify the received message.

20. An article of manufacture comprising:

an electronically accessible medium providing instructions that, when executed by an apparatus cause the apparatus to

create an instance of a tracing controller associated with specified program code regions of an application, the tracing controller instance to receive and process tracing method calls generated by the application when the specified program code regions are executed;

create an instance of a logging controller associated with specified categories related to the network, the logging controller to receive and process logging method calls from network components associated with the categories;

specify an output destination to receive a message from at least one of the tracing controller instance and the logging controller instance; and

select a formatter to provide a message format for the received message, wherein the message format is defined based, at least in part, on a configuration file.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 20, wherein the electronically accessible medium provides further instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to configure the message format for the selected formatter.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to configure the message format for the selected formatter cause the apparatus to provide one or more fields for the message format.

23. An apparatus comprising:

an application; and

a processor and logic executable thereon to

create an instance of a tracing controller associated with specified program code regions of the application, the tracing controller instance to receive and process tracing method calls generated by the application when the specified program code regions are executed;

create an instance of a logging controller associated with specified categories related to a network, the logging controller to receive and process logging method calls from network components associated with the categories,

specify an output destination to receive a message from at least one of the tracing controller instance and the logging controller instance; and

select a formatter to provide a message format for the received message, wherein the message format is defined based, at least in part, on a configuration file.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the selected formatter is one of a list formatter, a human-readable formatter, and a markup language formatter.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the configuration file includes an identifier to identify the formatter.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the processor and logic executable thereon further comprises:

a processor and logic executable thereon to configure the message format for the selected formatter.

27. The apparatus of claim 0.26, wherein the processor and logic executable thereon to configure the message format comprises a processor and logic executable thereon to specify one or more fields for the message format.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the processor and logic executable thereon to specify one or more fields for the message format comprises a processor and logic executable thereon to specify at least one of

a timestamp field to indicate a time for the received message;

a location of origin field to indicate a source of the received message;

a thread identifier field to indicate a thread associated with the received message;

a message severity indicator field to indicate a severity level of the received message; and

a message identifier field to identify the received message.