Method and system for identification of software application faults

• US 5,673,386 A
• Filed: 01/11/1996
• Issued: 09/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: US West Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Batra, Jatinder Pal Singh
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Palys, Joseph E.
• Application Number:
  US08/585,148
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: 395/183.14, 395/184.01, 395/185.01, 395/185.1, 395/183.01, 395/182.22, 395/181
• US Class Current: 714/38.11
• 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 11/0772 Means for error signaling, e.g. using interrupts, exception flags, dedicated error registers
• 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: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36

Abstract

A software application fault identification method and system. The method and system include software and accompanying computer hardware platforms for detecting a software application fault, determining a severity of the fault, and identifying a source of the fault. The method and system further include software and accompanying computer hardware platforms for generating an alarm message signal based upon the detected fault, the severity determined and the identified source, as well as transmitting the alarm message signal to a remote monitoring station.

Claims

1. A method for identification of a fault in a software application associated with a hardware platform at a site, the software application including a plurality of processes, the method comprising:

detecting the fault;

determining a severity level of the fault;

identifying a source of the fault, the source associated with one of the plurality of processes of the software application;

generating an alarm message signal based upon the detected fault, the severity level determined and the identified source;

transmitting the alarm message signal to a remote monitoring station, the transmitting including

routing the alarm message signal to a site manager;

storing a pending alarm message signal having a severity level associated therewith;

comparing the severity level associated with the alarm message signal to the severity level associated with the pending alarm message signal, the alarm message signal and the pending alarm message signal each having the same source associated therewith; and

routing the alarm message signal from the site manager to the remote monitoring station if the severity level associated with the alarm message signal exceeds the severity level associated with the pending alarm message signal; and

deactivating the one of the plurality of processes of the software application associated with the source of the fault for repair while a remainder of the plurality of processes of the software application continue to operate.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the fault comprises:

selecting an application parameter; and

monitoring the application parameter during operation of the software application.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein determining a severity level for the fault comprises:

determining a fault nature;

determining an application parameter nature; and

selecting one of a plurality of severity levels based on the fault nature and the application parameter nature.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising generating a trace message signal associated with the application parameter.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying a source for the fault comprises:

determining a software application location for the fault; and

determining a hardware platform location for the fault.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting the alarm message signal further comprises storing the alarm message signal if the site manager is inoperative.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising limiting the number of alarm message signals stored to a predetermined number.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting the alarm message signal further comprises updating an alarm message counter if the severity level associated with the alarm message signal does not exceed the severity level associated with the pending alarm message signal.

9. A system for identification of a fault in a software application associated with a hardware platform at a site, the software application including a plurality of processes, the system comprising:

means for detecting the fault;

means for determining a severity level of the fault;

means for identifying a source of the fault, the source associated with one of the plurality of processes of the software application;

means, in communication with the detecting means, the determining means and the identifying means, for generating an alarm message signal based upon the detected fault, the severity level determined and the identified source;

means, in communication with the generating means, for transmitting the alarm message signal to a remote monitoring station, the means for transmitting including

means for routing the alarm message signal to a site manager;

means for storing a pending alarm message signal having a severity associated therewith;

means for comparing the severity level associated with the alarm message signal to the severity level associated with the pending alarm message signal, the alarm message signal and the pending alarm message signal each having the same source associated therewith;

means for routing the alarm message signal from the site manager to the remote monitoring station if the severity level associated with the alarm message signal exceeds the severity level associated with the pending alarm message signal; and

means, in communication with the transmitting means, for deactivating the one of the plurality of processes of the software application associated with the source of the fault for repair while a remainder of the plurality of processes of the software application continue to operate.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the means for detecting the fault comprises:

means for selecting an application parameter; and

means for monitoring the application parameter during operation of the software application.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the means for determining a severity level for the fault comprises:

means for determining a fault nature;

means for determining an application parameter nature; and

means for selecting one of a plurality of severity levels based on the fault nature and the application parameter nature.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising means for generating a trace message signal associated with the application parameter.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the means for identifying a source for the fault comprises:

means for determining a software application location for the fault; and

means for determining a hardware platform location for the fault.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the means for transmitting the alarm message signal further comprises means for storing the alarm message signal if the site manager is inoperative.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising means for limiting the number of alarm message signals stored to a predetermined number.

16. The system of claim 9 wherein the means for transmitting the alarm message signal further comprises means for updating an alarm message counter if the severity level associated with the alarm message signal does not exceed the severity level associated with the pending alarm message signal.