USER-TRIGGERED DIAGNOSTIC DATA GATHERING

• US 20090106596A1
• Filed: 10/15/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Klein, Jonathan, Sarig, Yair, Mysorenagarajarao, Ajith Kumar, Ramacher, Mark, Fallen, Marcus, Ngai, Gary, Dageville, Benoit
• Granted Patent: US 8,429,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0778 Dumping, i.e. gathering error/state information after a fault for later diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0781 Error filtering or prioritizing based on a policy defined by the user or on a policy defined by a hardware/software module, e.g. according to a severity level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/16 using machine learning or artificial intelligence

Abstract

An infrastructure is provided for gathering diagnostic data that is relevant to an error or other conditions detected in a monitored system. A diagnosability framework is provided that automates the gathering of relevant diagnostic data upon occurrence of the condition in the monitored system. In one embodiment, context data is determined for the condition detected in the monitored system. A rule-based engine is provided that is configured to automatically determine one or more actions to be performed for the condition detected in the monitored system based on the determined context data. The actions may include performing tasks that gather diagnostic data that is relevant to the detected condition, store the gathered diagnostic data in a repository, recommend one or more diagnostic actions to a user, and other diagnostic related actions.

Claims

1. A method for performing a diagnostic action in a monitored system, comprising:

detecting a condition in the monitored system;

determining context data for the detected condition;

determining a diagnostic action to be performed responsive to the detected condition based upon the context data determined;

outputting information recommending execution of the diagnostic action; and

executing the diagnostic action only upon receiving an input from a user to execute the diagnostic action, wherein the diagnostic action is executed using the context data determined for the detected condition.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the detected condition is an error in the system and determining the context data comprises determining context data for the error.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the context data comprises information related to the detected condition in the monitored system, information related to functions and/or processes that are being executed in the monitored system, or combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the diagnostic action to be performed comprises:

determining a set of one or more rules configured for the monitored system, each rule specifying a condition and one or more actions to be performed when the condition specified in the rule is satisfied;

determining that the condition associated with a first rule from the set of rules is satisfied by the context data determined, wherein at least one action specified by the first rule is the diagnostic action determined to be performed in the monitored system.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the diagnostic action is an action to generate a test case to determine information related to the monitored system.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the diagnostic action is an action to gather diagnostic data that is relevant to the detected condition.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein executing the diagnostic action comprises gathering diagnostic data that is relevant to the detected condition prior to communicating the relevant diagnostic data to a diagnosis system.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein executing the diagnostic action comprises executing the diagnostic action at a later point of time after occurrence of the condition in the monitored system.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing a plurality of instructions for controlling a processor to determine a diagnostic action in a monitored system, the plurality of instructions comprising:

instructions that cause the processor to detect a condition in the monitored system;

instructions that cause the processor to determine context data for the detected condition;

instructions that cause the processor to determine a diagnostic action to be performed responsive to the detected condition based upon the context data determined;

instructions that cause the processor to output information recommending execution of the diagnostic action; and

instructions that cause the processor to execute the diagnostic action only upon receiving an input from a user to execute the diagnostic action, wherein the diagnostic action is executed using the context data determined for the detected condition.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the instructions that cause the processor to detect the condition in the monitored system comprise instructions that cause the processor to detect an error in the monitored system.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the instructions that cause the processor to determine the context data for the detected condition comprise:

instructions that cause the processor to determine information related to the detected condition in the monitored system; and

instructions that cause the processor to determine information related to functions and/or processes that are being executed in the monitored system.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the instructions that cause the processor to determine the diagnostic action to be performed comprise:

instructions that cause the processor to determine a set of one or more rules configured for the monitored system, each rule specifying a condition and one or more actions to be performed when the condition specified in the rule is satisfied; and

instructions that cause the processor to determine that the condition associated with a first rule from the set of rules is satisfied by the context data determined, wherein at least one action specified by the first rule is the diagnostic action determined to be performed in the monitored system.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the diagnostic action is an action to generate a test case to determine information related to the monitored system.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the diagnostic action is an action to gather diagnostic data that is relevant to the detected condition.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the instructions that cause the processor to execute the diagnostic action comprise instructions that cause the processor to gather diagnostic data that is relevant to the detected condition prior to communicating the relevant diagnostic data to a diagnosis system.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the instructions that cause the processor to execute the diagnostic action comprise instructions that cause the processor to execute the diagnostic action at a later point of time after occurrence of the condition in the monitored system.

17. A system for determining a diagnostic action in a monitored system, the system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory;

wherein the processor is configured to;

detect a condition in the monitored system;

determine context data for the detected condition;

determine a diagnostic action to be performed responsive to the detected condition based upon the context data determined;

output information recommending execution of the diagnostic action; and

execute the diagnostic action only upon receiving an input from a user to execute the diagnostic action, wherein the diagnostic action is executed using the context data determined for the detected condition.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the context data determined for the detected condition comprises information related to the detected condition in the monitored system, information related to functions and/or processes that are being executed in the monitored system, or combinations thereof.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the processor is configured to determine the diagnostic action to be performed comprises:

determining a set of one or more rules configured for the monitored system, each rule specifying a condition and one or more actions to be performed when the condition specified in the rule is satisfied; and

determining that the condition associated with a first rule from the set of rules is satisfied by the context data determined, wherein at least one action specified by the first rule is the diagnostic action determined to be performed in the monitored system.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the diagnostic action is executed at a later point of time after occurrence of the condition in the monitored system.