Correlating cross process and cross thread execution flows in an application manager

• US 20070143323A1
• Filed: 12/15/2005
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wily Technology, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Puryear, Daryl, Vanrenen, Gabriel, Cobb, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,949,673 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5038 considering the execution order of a plurality of tasks, e.g. taking priority or time dependency constraints into consideration scheduling strategies G06F9/4881 and subgroups

Abstract

Data relating to execution flows running on different processes or threads at a computer system is correlated. The execution flows may represent sequences of software components that are invoked or other computer system resources that are consumed. A first execution flow fulfills a first request by transmitting a second request which initiates a second execution flow, such as at another computer system. The second request includes meta data which identifies a context of the first request, such as a URL, an agent which monitors the first execution flow, and the component in the first execution flow which initiated the second request. A manager receives information regarding the first execution flow from the first agent, and information regarding the second execution flow, along with the meta data, from a second agent, for correlating the first and second execution flows. The received information may include execution flow shape data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for monitoring execution flows, comprising:

receiving aggregated data regarding first execution flows, the first execution flows being initiated in response to first requests, the aggregated data regarding the first execution flows being obtained by categorizing each respective first execution flow into a corresponding execution flow shape selected from a plurality of available first execution flow shapes; and

receiving aggregated data regarding second execution flows, along with meta data, the second execution flows being initiated in response to second requests communicated by the first execution flows, the second requests including the meta data, the aggregated data regarding the second execution flows being obtained by categorizing each respective second execution flow into a corresponding execution flow shape selected from a plurality of available second execution flow shapes; and

using the meta data to correlate the aggregated data regarding the first execution flows with the aggregated data regarding the second execution flows.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the meta data identifies contexts of the first requests.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the meta data identifies user facing data associated with the first requests.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein:

the user facing data which the meta data identifies comprises URLs.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the meta data identifies an agent that initiates the communicating of the aggregated data regarding the first execution flows.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the first execution flows invoke sequences of software components that include particular software components that cause the second requests to be communicated; and

the meta data identifies the particular software components.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving aggregated data regarding third execution flows, along with associated meta data, the third execution flows being initiated in response to third requests communicated by the first execution flows, the third requests including the associated meta data, the aggregated data regarding the third execution flows being obtained by categorizing each respective third execution flow into a corresponding execution flow shape selected from a plurality of available third execution flow shapes; and

using the associated meta data to correlate the aggregated data regarding the first execution flows with the aggregated data regarding the third execution flows.

8. A computer-implemented method for monitoring execution flows, comprising:

responsive to the execution of first execution flows, the first execution flows being initiated in response to first requests, communicating meta data with second requests that initiate second execution flows;

categorizing the first execution flows into corresponding execution flow shapes; and

communicating the execution flow shapes to a manager, the meta data being usable by the manager in correlating execution flow shapes of the second execution flows with the execution flow shapes of the first execution flows.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein:

the meta data is communicated using a communication mechanism by which the second requests are communicated.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein:

the meta data identifies contexts of the first requests.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein:

the meta data identifies user facing data associated with the first requests.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein:

the user facing data which the meta data identifies comprises URLs.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein:

the meta data identifies an agent that initiates the communicating of the execution flow shapes to the manager.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein:

the first execution flows invoke sequences of software components that include particular software components that cause the second requests to be communicated; and

the meta data identifies the particular software components.

15. A computer-implemented method for monitoring execution flows, comprising:

executing second execution flows in response to requests received from first execution flows, the requests including associated meta data;

categorizing the second execution flows into corresponding execution flow shapes; and

communicating the execution flow shapes and the meta data to a manager, the meta data being usable by the manager in correlating the execution flow shapes of the second execution flows with execution flow shapes of the first execution flows.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein:

the meta data is received using a communication mechanism by which the requests are received.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein:

the meta data identifies contexts of the requests.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein:

the meta data identifies user facing data associated with the requests.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein:

the user facing data which the meta data identifies comprises URLs.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein:

the meta data identifies an agent associated with the first execution flows that provides the meta data.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein:

the first execution flows invoke sequences of software components that include particular software components that cause the second requests to be communicated; and

the meta data identifies the particular software components.

22. An apparatus for monitoring execution flows, comprising:

at least one storage device; and

at least one processor in communication with the at least one storage device, the at least one processor performing a method comprising;

responsive to the execution of first execution flows, the first execution flows being initiated in response to first requests, communicating meta data with second requests that initiate second execution flows;

categorizing the first execution flows into corresponding execution flow shapes; and

communicating the execution flow shapes to a manager, the meta data being usable by the manager in correlating execution flow shapes of the second execution flows with the execution flow shapes of the first execution flows.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein:

the meta data is communicated using a communication mechanism by which the second requests are communicated.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein:

the meta data identifies contexts of the first requests.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein:

the meta data identifies user facing data associated with the first requests.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein:

the user facing data which the meta data identifies comprises URLs.

27. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein:

the meta data identifies an agent that initiates the communicating of the execution flow shapes to the manager.

28. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein:

the first execution flows invoke sequences of software components that include particular software components that cause the second requests to be communicated; and

the meta data identifies the particular software components.

29. At least one processor readable storage device having processor readable code embodied thereon for programming at least one processor to perform a method for monitoring execution flows, the method comprising:

responsive to the execution of first execution flows, the first execution flows being initiated in response to first requests, communicating meta data with second requests that initiate second execution flows;

categorizing the first execution flows into corresponding execution flow shapes; and

communicating the execution flow shapes to a manager, the meta data being usable by the manager in correlating execution flow shapes of the second execution flows with the execution flow shapes of the first execution flows.

30. The at least one processor readable storage device of claim 29, wherein:

the meta data is communicated using a communication mechanism by which the second requests are communicated.

31. The at least one processor readable storage device of claim 29, wherein:

the meta data identifies contexts of the first requests.

32. The at least one processor readable storage device of claim 29, wherein:

the meta data identifies user facing data associated with the first requests.

33. The at least one processor readable storage device of claim 32, wherein:

the user facing data which the meta data identifies comprises URLs.

34. The at least one processor readable storage device of claim 29, wherein:

the meta data identifies an agent that initiates the communicating of the execution flow shapes to the manager.

35. The at least one processor readable storage device of claim 29, wherein:

the first execution flows invoke sequences of software components that include particular software components that cause the second requests to be communicated; and

the meta data identifies the particular software components.