Generating static performance modeling factors in a deployed system

• US 20060288149A1
• Filed: 06/15/2005
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: LaVigne, Glenn F., Hardwick, Jonathan C., Zheng, Quanzhan, Papaefstathiou, Efstathios, Isaacs, Rebecca, Barham, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,747,986 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/306
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A computing system for determining performance factors for using in performance modeling of a deployed subject system, is presented. The computing system includes a plurality of software components comprising the subject system. Each of the components is susceptible to event tracing while executing on the computing system. The computing system includes a tracing component. The tracing component is configured to trace events of the components of the subject system as they execute. The computing system includes a transaction identification table. The transaction identification table comprises starting and ending actions for transactions performed by the subject system. The computing system also includes a transaction identification component that identifies actions from traced events, identifies related actions corresponding to a transaction according to the starting and ending actions in the transaction identification table, and stores the related actions in the transaction workflow data store.

Claims

1. A computing system for determining performance factors for using in performance modeling of a deployed subject system, the computing system comprising:

a plurality of software components comprising the subject system, wherein each of the components is susceptible to event tracing while executing on the computing system;

a tracing component configured to trace events of the components of the subject system into an event log as the components execute on the computing system;

a transaction identification table comprising starting and ending actions for transactions performed by the subject system; and

a transaction identification component configured to;

identify actions, executed by the components of the subject system, from traced events;

identify related actions corresponding to a transaction according to the starting and ending actions in the transaction identification table; and

store the related actions in the transaction workflow data store as corresponding to the transaction.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the transaction identification component is further configured to:

determine the costs of the related actions corresponding to the transaction; and

store the related actions and their costs in an action costs data store.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the tracing component is a component of the operating system executing on the computing system.

3. The computing system of claim 3, wherein the transaction identification component identifies the related actions corresponding to the transaction from the traced events according to the starting and ending actions in the transaction identification table by identifying the starting action and the ending action and filtering out any identified actions from the traced events between the starting and ending actions that do not correspond to the to the transaction.

4. The computing system of claim 4 further comprising a plurality of communicatively coupled computers, and wherein the subject system is distributed upon the plurality of computers.

7. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of computers comprise computers of at least two types.

8. The computer system of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of computers includes a tracing component, and wherein the plurality of tracing components provides end-to-end tracing capabilities.

5. The computing system of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of computers includes a tracing component, and wherein the tracing component on each of the plurality of computers traces events into an event log on the respective computer.

6. The computing system of claim 6, wherein the transaction identification component is configured to:

retrieve the plurality of event logs from each of the plurality of computers;

identify actions, executed by the components of the subject system, from traced events in the plurality of event logs;

identify related actions corresponding to a transaction according to the starting and ending tokens for the transaction; and

store the actions corresponding to the transaction in the transaction workflow data store.

10. A computer-readable medium bearing computer-executable instructions which, when executed on a computer system, carry out a method for determining performance factors used in generating a performance model of a subject system deployed on the computer system, the method comprising:

tracing events of components executing on the computer system, including components of the subject system;

identifying actions from the traced events;

identifying related actions corresponding to a transaction; and

storing the related actions corresponding to the transaction in a transaction workflow data store.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein identifying related actions corresponding to a transaction comprises identifying the starting and ending actions corresponding to the transaction according to starting and ending actions for the transaction in a transaction identification table, and including those actions between the identified starting and ending actions.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein identifying related actions corresponding to a transaction further comprises filtering out any actions between the starting and ending actions that do not correspond to the transaction.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10 further comprising:

determining the costs of the related actions corresponding to the transaction from information associated with the traced events; and

storing the identified actions and their determined costs in an action costs data store.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the computer system comprises a plurality of computers communicatively coupled together upon which the subject system is distributed, and where the method further comprises:

retrieving an event log from each of the plurality of computers in the computer system, wherein the traced events from each computer are recorded in an event log on the computer;

identifying actions from the traced events from the plurality of event logs;

identifying related actions corresponding to a transaction according to starting and ending tokens for the transaction;

storing the related actions corresponding to the transaction in a transaction workflow data store;

determining the costs of the related actions corresponding to the transaction from information associated with the traced events in the plurality of event logs; and

storing the identified actions and their determined costs in a action costs data store.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the plurality of computers in the computer system comprise computers of at least two types.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operating system on the computer system includes a component that traces the events of the subject system components.

17. A method for determining performance factors used in generating a performance model of a subject system deployed on a computer system, the method comprising:

obtaining traced events from components executing on the computer system, including components of the subject system;

identifying actions from the traced events;

identifying related actions corresponding to a transaction; and

determining the costs of the related actions corresponding to the transaction from information associated with the traced events; and

storing the related actions and their determined costs in an action costs data store.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein identifying related actions corresponding to a transaction comprises:

identifying the actions pertaining to the components of the subject system;

identifying the starting and ending actions corresponding to a transaction according to starting and ending actions for the transaction in a transaction identification table; and

filtering out any actions in the traced events between the starting and ending actions that do not correspond to the transaction.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the computer system comprises a plurality of computers communicatively coupled together upon which the subject system is distributed, and where the method further comprises:

retrieving an event log from each of the plurality of computers in the computer system, wherein the event logs include the traced events from the respective computer;

identifying actions from the traced events in the plurality of event logs;

identifying related actions corresponding to a transaction according to starting and ending tokens for the transaction;

storing the related actions corresponding to the transaction in a transaction workflow data store;

determining the costs of the related actions corresponding to the transaction from information associated with the traced events in the plurality of event logs; and

storing the identified actions and their determined costs in a action costs data store.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of computers in the computer system comprise computers of at least two types.