PROBLEM DETERMINATION SERVICE

• US 20080183704A1
• Filed: 01/26/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nastacio, Denilson, Perazolo, Marcelo, Miller, Brent Alan
• Granted Patent: US 7,818,338 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models

Abstract

A service system receives a request for problem resolution knowledge from a service requestor. Upon receiving the request, the service system identifies candidate patterns where each candidate pattern has at least one element that characterizes a problem associated with the corresponding pattern. An iterative process is then repeated between the service requestor and the service system until a stopping criterion is met, which attempts to narrow the field of candidate patterns down until one or more possible root causes of the problem experienced by the service requestor are identified. Alternatively, it may be determined that a possible root cause of the problem is not contained in the candidate patterns or that some other action, event, etc., interrupts the iterative process.

Claims

1. A method of controlling the distribution of resolution knowledge comprising:

receiving a request for resolution knowledge from a service requester;

identifying a plurality of patterns as candidate patterns, each candidate pattern having at least one element that characterize a corresponding problem;

repeating until at least one stopping criterion is met;

providing information to said service requester that identifies a select element of each remaining candidate pattern;

receiving information from said service requester that enables identification of ones of said candidate patterns having its select element matched to corresponding information considered by said service requester; and

removing each pattern as a candidate pattern if the problem associated with that pattern is resolved by said received information; and

resolving said request after detecting that said at least one stopping criterion has been met.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one stopping criterion comprises matching at least one candidate symptom pattern thus isolating a corresponding probable cause of a problem, wherein:

said resolving said request upon detecting that said at least one stopping criterion has been met comprises informing said service requester of said probable cause and associated recommendations to address said probable cause.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one stopping criterion comprises determining that no candidate symptom patterns have all of their elements matched to corresponding collected information, wherein:

said resolving said request upon detecting that said at least one stopping criterion has been met comprises at least one of;

rejecting said request;

referring said request to another entity or service system;

requesting information from said service requestor;

or

communicating a knowledge base and analysis engine to said service requestor.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said removing each pattern as a candidate pattern if the problem associated with that pattern is resolved by said received information comprises adjusting patterns identified as said candidate patterns to said ones of said candidate patterns having its select element matched to corresponding collected information.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said removing each pattern as a candidate pattern if the problem associated with that pattern is resolved by said received information comprises removing a pattern as a candidate pattern if its corresponding problem is ruled out as a possible problem, or where its corresponding pattern is qualified as a possible problem.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising associating each pattern with a symptom definition, said symptom definition having at least one symptom recommendation.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

said providing information to said service requester that identifies a select element of each remaining candidate pattern comprises parsing pattern rules and creating a list of elements, and querying said service requester as to whether any information accessible to said service requestor corresponds to said elements;

said removing each pattern as a candidate pattern if the problem associated with that pattern is resolved by said received information comprises generating a list with next elements for all matched pattern rules; and

said resolving said request upon detecting that said at least one stopping criterion has been met comprises submitting to said service requester, a recommendation for each completely matched pattern rule of an associated candidate.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said patterns comprise correlation patterns and said entities comprise autonomic managers.

9. A system to control the distribution of resolution knowledge comprising:

a module that receives a request for resolution knowledge from a service requestor;

a module that identifies a plurality of patterns as candidate patterns, each candidate pattern having at least one element that characterize a corresponding problem;

a module that controls an iterative process until at least one stopping criterion is met comprising;

a module that provides information to said service requester that identifies a select element of each remaining candidate pattern;

a module that receives information from said service requester that enables identification of ones of said candidate patterns having its select element matched to corresponding information considered by said service requestor; and

a module that removes each pattern as a candidate pattern if the problem associated with that pattern is resolved by said received information; and

a module to resolve said request after detecting that said at least one stopping criterion has been met.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said at least one stopping criterion comprises a match of at least one candidate symptom pattern thus isolating a corresponding probable cause of a problem, wherein:

said module to resolve said request after detecting that said at least one stopping criterion has been met informs said service requestor of said probable cause and associated recommendations to address said probable cause.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein said at least one stopping criterion comprises no candidate symptom patterns matched to corresponding collected information, wherein:

said module to resolve said request after detecting that said at least one stopping criterion has been met rejects said request, refers said request to another entity or service system, requests information from said service requester, or communicates a knowledge base and analysis engine to said service requester.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein said module to remove each pattern as a candidate pattern if the problem associated with that pattern is resolved by said received information adjusts patterns identified as said candidate patterns to said ones of said candidate patterns having its select element matched to corresponding collected information.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein said module to remove each pattern as a candidate pattern if the problem associated with that pattern is resolved by said received information removes a pattern as a candidate pattern if its corresponding problem is ruled out as a possible problem, or where its corresponding pattern is qualified as a possible problem.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein each pattern is associated with a symptom definition, said symptom definition having at least one symptom recommendation.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein:

said module to provide information to said service requestor that identifies a select element of each remaining candidate pattern comprises a module to parse pattern rules and create a list of elements, and query said service requestor as to whether any information accessible to said service requester corresponds to said elements;

said module that removes each pattern as a candidate pattern if the problem associated with that pattern is resolved by said received information comprises generating a list with next elements for all matched pattern rules; and

said module to resolve said request upon detecting that said at least one stopping criterion has been met comprises submitting to said service requester, a recommendation for each completely matched pattern rule of an associated candidate.

16. The system according to claim 9, wherein said patterns comprise correlation patterns and said entities comprise autonomic managers.

17. A computer program product to control the distribution of resolution knowledge between entities comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising;

computer usable program code configured to receive a request from a service requester for resolution knowledge,

computer usable program code configured to identify a plurality of patterns as candidate patterns, each candidate pattern having at least one element that characterizes a corresponding problem;

computer usable program code configured to control an iterative process until at least one stopping criterion is met comprising;

computer usable program code configured to provide information to said service requester that identifies a select element of each remaining candidate pattern;

computer usable program code configured to receive information from said service requester that enables identification of ones of said candidate patterns having its select element matched to corresponding information considered by said service requestor; and

computer usable program code configured to remove each pattern as a candidate pattern if the problem associated with that pattern is resolved by said received information; and

computer usable program code configured to resolve said request after detecting that said at least one stopping criterion has been met.

18. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said at least one stopping criterion comprises matching at least one candidate symptom pattern thus isolating a corresponding probable cause of a problem, wherein:

said computer usable program code configured to resolve said request upon detecting that said at least one stopping criterion has been met comprises computer usable program code configured to inform said service requestor of said probable cause and associated recommendations to address said probable cause.

19. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said at least one stopping criterion comprises determining that no candidate symptom patterns have all of their elements matched to corresponding collected information, wherein:

said computer usable program code configured to said resolve said request upon detecting that said at least one stopping criterion has been met comprises at least one of;

computer usable program code configured to reject said request;

computer usable program code configured to refer said request to another entity or service system;

computer usable program code configured to request information from said service requestor;

or

computer usable program code configured to communicate a knowledge base and analysis engine to said service requester.

20. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said computer usable program code configured to remove each pattern as a candidate pattern if the problem associated with that pattern is resolved by said received information adjusts patterns identified as said candidate patterns to said ones of said candidate patterns having its select element matched to corresponding collected information.

21. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said computer usable program code configured to remove each pattern as a candidate pattern if the problem associated with that pattern is resolved by said received information removes a pattern as a candidate pattern if its corresponding problem is ruled out as a possible problem, or where its corresponding pattern is qualified as a possible problem.

22. The computer program product according to claim 20, wherein each pattern is associated with a symptom definition, said symptom definition having at least one symptom recommendation.

23. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein:

said computer usable program code configured to provide information to said service requester that identifies a select element of each remaining candidate pattern comprises computer usable program code configured to parse pattern rules and create a list of elements, and query said service requester as to whether any information accessible to said service requester corresponds to said elements;

said computer usable program code configured to remove each pattern as a candidate pattern if the problem associated with that pattern is resolved by said received information comprises generating a list with next elements for all matched pattern rules; and

said computer usable program code configured to resolve said request upon detecting that said at least one stopping criterion has been met comprises submitting to said service requestor, a recommendation for each completely matched pattern rule of an associated candidate.

24. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said patterns comprise correlation patterns and said entities comprise autonomic managers.