End-to-end transaction tracking in the enterprise

• US 20070060367A1
• Filed: 09/14/2005
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Heler, Jean-Jacques
• Application Number:
  US11/227,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20070060367A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/87 Monitoring of transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Various embodiments of a method, system and article of manufacture track the processing of a transaction. A managing server receives an originator communication event record from a first collector associated with a first application environment having a first unit of execution. The first communication event record is associated with a first unit of execution identifier and a first token. The managing server receives a second communication event record from a second collector associated with a second application environment having a second unit of execution. The second communication event record is associated with a second unit of execution identifier and a second token. The managing server determines whether the first unit of execution and the second unit of execution are associated with processing a same transaction based on the first token and the second token.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of tracking the processing of a transaction, comprising:

receiving, by a managing server, a first communication event record from a first collector associated with a first application environment having a first unit of execution, said first communication event record comprising a first unit of execution identifier and a first token;

receiving, by said managing server, a second communication event record from a second collector associated with a second application environment having a second unit of execution, said second communication event record comprising a second unit of execution identifier and a second token; and

determining, by said managing server, whether said first unit of execution and said second unit of execution are associated with processing said transaction based on said first token and said second token.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining determines that said first unit of execution and said second unit of execution are associated with said processing said transaction in response to said first token matching said second token.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

displaying, by said managing server, an indicator that indicates that said first unit of execution and said second unit of execution are associated with said processing said transaction.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

in response to an attempt to send a communication by said first unit of execution to said second unit of execution, generating, by a first collector, said first token;

sending, by said first collector, said first communication event record comprising said first token and said first unit of execution identifier to said managing server;

sending said communication from said first unit of execution to said second unit of execution;

in response to receiving said communication by said second unit of execution, storing, by a second collector, a value of said first token in said second token; and

sending, by said second collector, said second communication event record comprising said second token and said second unit of execution identifier to said managing server.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of said first token and said second token is a native token.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said native token comprises an application environment identifier and a trip counter, said method further comprising:

incrementing said trip counter in response to an attempt to send a communication by said first unit of execution to said second unit of execution.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of said first token and said second token is a guest token.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said guest token comprises a message identifier and a correlation identifier.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said guest token comprises a message type and a correlation identifier.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

in response to an attempt to send a communication by said first unit of execution to said second unit of execution,

generating, by a first collector, said first token;

sending, by said first collector, said first communication event record comprising said first token and said first unit of execution identifier, and also comprising a start event type, to said managing server;

sending, asynchronously, said communication from said first unit of execution to said second unit of execution; and

in response to said sending said communication, sending by said first collector, a third communication event record comprising said first unit of execution identifier and said first token, and also comprising an end event type, to said managing server.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said first communication event record comprises a first timestamp, and said second communication event record comprises a second timestamp;

determining an elapsed time based on said first and second timestamps.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said first and second communication event records further comprise an event type indicating that a communication associated with said first and second communication event records, respectively, is message-based.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said first and second communication event records further comprise an event type indicating that a communication associated with said first and second communication event records, respectively, is non-message-based.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said first application environment is associated with a Java process, and said second application environment is associated with a legacy software system.

15. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium embodying one or more instructions executable by a computer for performing a method of tracking the processing of a transaction, said method comprising:

receiving, by a managing server, a first communication event record from a first collector associated with a first application environment having a first unit of execution, said first communication event record comprising a first unit of execution identifier and a first token;

receiving, by said managing server, a second communication event record from a second collector associated with a second application environment having a second unit of execution, said second communication event record comprising a second unit of execution identifier and a second token; and

determining, by said managing server, whether said first unit of execution and said second unit of execution are associated with processing said transaction based on said first token and said second token.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein said determining determines that said first unit of execution and said second unit of execution are associated with said processing said transaction in response to said first token matching said second token.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16 wherein said method further comprises:

displaying, by said managing server, an indicator that indicates that said first unit of execution and said second unit of execution are associated with said processing said transaction.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein said method further comprises:

in response to an attempt to send a communication by said first unit of execution to said second unit of execution, generating, by a first collector, said first token;

sending, by said first collector, said first communication event record comprising said first token and said first unit of execution identifier to said managing server;

in response to receiving said communication by said second unit of execution, storing, by a second collector, a value of said first token in said second token; and

sending, by said second collector, said second communication event record comprising said second token and said second unit of execution identifier to said managing server.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein at least one of said first token and said second token is a native token.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19 wherein said native token comprises an application environment identifier and a trip counter, wherein said method further comprises:

incrementing said trip counter in response to an attempt to send a communication by said first unit of execution to another unit of execution in another application environment.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein at least one of said first token and said second token is a guest token.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21 wherein said guest token comprises a message identifier and a correlation identifier.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 21 wherein said guest token comprises a message type and a correlation identifier.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein said method further comprises:

in response to an attempt to send an asynchronous communication by said first unit of execution to said second unit of execution,

generating, by a first collector, said first token;

sending, by said first collector, said first communication event record comprising said first token and said first unit of execution identifier, and also comprising a start event type, to said managing server; and

in response to sending said asynchronous communication, sending by said first collector, a third communication event record comprising said first unit of execution identifier and said first token, and also comprising an end event type, to said managing server.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein said first communication event record comprises a first timestamp, and said second communication event record comprises a second timestamp;

wherein said method further comprises;

determining an elapsed time based on said first and second timestamps.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein said first and second communication event records further comprise an event type indicating that a communication associated with said first and second communication event records, respectively, is message-based.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein said first and second communication event records further comprises an event type indicating that a communication associated with said first and second communication event records, respectively, is non-message-based.

28. A system to track the processing of a transaction, comprising:

a plurality of communication event records comprising originator communication event records and receiver communication event records, each communication event record being associated with a unit of execution of one of a plurality of application environments, each communication event record having a token, one or more of said originator communication event records being start event records; and

a managing server to determine whether one unit of execution in one of said application environments and another unit of execution in another one of said application environments are associated with processing said transaction based on said token of said originator communication event records and said receiver communication event records.

29. The computer system of claim 28 wherein said managing server determines that said one unit of execution and said another unit of execution are associated with said processing said transaction in response to a token of said originator communication event records matching a token of said receiver communication event records.

30. The computer system of claim 29 wherein said managing server also displays an indicator that indicates that said one unit of execution and said another unit of execution are associated with said processing said transaction.