System for performing dump analysis
First Claim
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1. A system for automatically analyzing memory dumps, said system comprising:
- retrieval means;
a number of memory dumps, each memory dump generated as a result of a problem occurring on a given computer system operated- under the control of an operating system, said each dump containing information pertaining to a number of operating system control structures containing information used by the operating system and user programs at the time the dump was generated; and
an expert system comprising;
control means including;
a memory for storing knowledge in the form of objects, said objects including information representative of a plurality of operating system control structures organized into frames and rulesets linked to said frames so as to create decisions using a premise-conclusion if-then form of reasoning; and
,an inference engine coupled to said memory for interpreting said rulesets using said if-then reasoning; and
,knowledge representation means coupled to said control means and to said retrieval module, said knowledge representation means for providing dump control structures in response to requests received from said control means, said control means being operative to diagnose said problem causing said memory dump by analyzing the contents of said control structures contained in said memory dump in a predetermined sequence, said knowledge representation means in response to each request causing said retrieval module to transfer only that portion of said memory dump necessary for generating an operating system control structure requested by said control means.
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Abstract
A system for automating the dump analysis process includes a remotely located host computer system which, in response to requests from a local expert computer system, retrieves only relevant values from one or more physical memory dumps. The expert system reconstructs from these values the operating system control structures represented in the dump, and applies expert knowledge on these control structures to determine the symptom of the problem occurring on the computer system which stopped operating and generated the dump.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A system for automatically analyzing memory dumps, said system comprising:
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retrieval means; a number of memory dumps, each memory dump generated as a result of a problem occurring on a given computer system operated- under the control of an operating system, said each dump containing information pertaining to a number of operating system control structures containing information used by the operating system and user programs at the time the dump was generated; and an expert system comprising; control means including; a memory for storing knowledge in the form of objects, said objects including information representative of a plurality of operating system control structures organized into frames and rulesets linked to said frames so as to create decisions using a premise-conclusion if-then form of reasoning; and
,an inference engine coupled to said memory for interpreting said rulesets using said if-then reasoning; and
,knowledge representation means coupled to said control means and to said retrieval module, said knowledge representation means for providing dump control structures in response to requests received from said control means, said control means being operative to diagnose said problem causing said memory dump by analyzing the contents of said control structures contained in said memory dump in a predetermined sequence, said knowledge representation means in response to each request causing said retrieval module to transfer only that portion of said memory dump necessary for generating an operating system control structure requested by said control means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A system for automatically analyzing dump files, said system comprising at least one host computer system and a local expert computer system interconnected together by a communications link, said host system including:
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a memory for storing a retrieval module and external storage containing a number of memory dumps, each memory dump generated as a result of a problem occurring on a given computer system being operated under the control of an operating system, said each dump containing information pertaining to a number of operating system control structures containing information used by the operating system and user programs at the time the dump was generated; and
,said local computer system including an expert system comprising; a control module including; a memory for storing knowledge in the form objects, said objects including information representative of a plurality of operating system control structures organized into frames and rulesets linked to said frames so as to create decisions using a premise-conclusion if-the form of reasoning; and
,an inference engine coupled to said memory for interpreting said rulesets using said if-then reasoning; and
,a knowledge representation module coupled to said control module and to said communications link, said knowledge representation module for providing dump control structures in response to requests received from said control module and said control module being operative to diagnose said problem causing said memory dump by analyzing the contents of said control structures contained in said memory dump in a predetermined sequence, said knowledge representation module in response to each request causing said retrieval module to transfer only that portion of said memory dump necessary for generating an operating system control structure requested by said control module thereby conserving time. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of organizing a system for automating the analysis of memory dumps generated as a result of a problem occurring on a given computer system being operated under the control of an operating system, each memory dump containing information pertaining to a number of operating system control structures containing information used by said operating system and user programs at the time the memory dump occurred, said method comprising the steps of:
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storing the memory dumps to be analyzed in external storage of said system; storing a retrieval module on said system for receiving requests, each request specifying a transfer of only a small portion of said memory dump at a time; installing an expert system in another part of said system, said installing step including the steps of; storing a control module in said expert system, said control module including a knowledge base containing knowledge in the form of objects, said objects including information representative of a plurality of operating system control structures organized into frames and rulesets linked to said frames so as to create decisions using a premise-conclusion if-then form of reasoning and an inference engine for interpreting said rulesets using said if-then reasoning; storing a knowledge representation module in said expert system and coupling said representation module to said control module for providing dump control structures in response to requests received from said control module; and
,connecting said knowledge representation module to communicate with said retrieval module to transfer requests for only specific portions of said memory dump required for creating said operating system control structures requested by said control module.
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24. A method of organizing a system for automating the analysis of memory dumps generated as a result of a problem occurring on a given computer system being operated under the control of an operating system, each memory dump containing information pertaining to a number of operating system control structures containing information used by said operating system and user programs at the time the memory dump occurred, said method comprising the steps of:
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storing the memory dumps to be analyzed on a remotely located host computer system; storing a retrieval module on said host computer system for receiving requests, each request specifying a transfer of only a small portion of said memory dump at a time; interconnecting a local computer system with said host computer system for communicating said requests through a communications link; installing an expert system in said local computer system, said installing step including the steps of; storing a control module in said expert system, said control module including a knowledge base containing knowledge in the form of objects, said objects including information representative of a plurality of operating system control structures organized into frames and rulesets linked to said frames so as to create decisions using a premise-conclusion if-then form of reasoning and an inference engine for interpreting said rulesets using said if-then reasoning; storing a knowledge representation module in said expert system and coupling said representation module to said control module for providing dump control structures in response to requests received from said control module; and
,connecting said knowledge representation module to communicate with said retrieval module to transfer requests for only specific portions of said memory dump required for creating said operating system control structures requested by said control module.
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Specification