System and method for visually indicating cache activity in a computer system

• US 5,745,737 A
• Filed: 03/28/1996
• Issued: 04/28/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Weiler, Paul A., Berliner, Brian, Kayes, Kevin W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOPPNOW, MATTHEW CLAY
• Application Number:
  US08/623,627
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 395/500, 395/12, 395/326, 395/463, 395/184.01, 395/460, 395/425, 395/183.01, 395/183.07, 364/285, 364/200, 364/224.1, 711/144, 711/118, 711/145, 711/146, 711/147
• US Class Current: 703/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/324 Display of status information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/885 Monitoring specific for caches

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product of especial utility in providing a visual indication to a computer system user of the familiar "blinking", of pulsing, data access lights of conventional hardware data sources such as disk drives, CDROM drives and network connections in order to illustrate data cache "hits" and "misses" of an inherently computer program based caching function by incorporating simulated access lights as part of a graphical user interface ("GUI") for a data caching computer program. The GUI then allows a system user to intuitively visualize how effectively the data cache is functioning with respect to data which is accessed from the cache and data which must be accessed from another relatively more slow access time data source.

Claims

1. A method for visually indicating data cache activity in a computer system comprising the steps of:

providing for monitoring said data cache for a first predetermined time period;

providing for determining a first number of data access requests which are satisfied from said data cache and a second number of data access requests which are satisfied from at least one other data source during said predetermined time period;

providing for computing a percentage of the lesser of said first and second number of data access requests to the larger of said first and second number of data access requests; and

providing for visually displaying at least one simulated indicator during a second predetermined time period substantially equal to said first predetermined time period, said at least one simulated indicator corresponding to said larger of said first and second number of data access requests.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

providing for pulsing said at least one simulated indicator during said second predetermined time period.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of providing for pulsing is carried out by the steps of:

providing for initially displaying a selected color rendition of said at least one simulated indicator;

providing for alternatively displaying a lighter tone selected color rendition of said at least one simulated indicator; and

providing for repeating said steps of providing for initially and alternatively displaying during said second predetermined time period.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of providing for pulsing is carried out substantially throughout said second predetermined time period.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said step of providing for pulsing is carried out between first and second states thereof substantially every 100 ms.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

providing for also displaying another simulated indicator during said second predetermined time period, said another simulated indicator corresponding to said lesser of said first and second number of data access requests.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of:

providing for also pulsing said another simulated indicator during said second predetermined time period.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said step of providing for also pulsing is carried out by the steps of:

providing for also initially displaying a selected color rendition of said another simulated indicator;

providing for also alternatively displaying a lighter tone selected color rendition of said another simulated indicator; and

providing for also repeating said steps of providing for initially and alternatively displaying during said second predetermined time period.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said step of providing for also pulsing is carried out substantially for said computed percentage during said second predetermined time period.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein said step of providing for also pulsing is carried out between first and second states thereof substantially every 100 ms.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein said steps of providing for pulsing and also pulsing are substantially synchronized.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein said step of providing for also pulsing begins substantially coincidentally with an inception of said second predetermined time period.

13. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for visually indicating data cache activity in a computer system, the computer program product comprising;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect monitoring said data cache for a first predetermined time period;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect determining a first number of data access requests which are satisfied from said data cache and a second number of data access requests which are satisfied from at least one other data source during said predetermined time period;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect computing a percentage of the lesser of said first and second number of data access requests to the larger of said first and second number of data access requests; and

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect visually displaying at least one simulated indicator during a second predetermined time period substantially equal to said first predetermined time period, said at least one simulated indicator corresponding to said larger of said first and second number of data access requests.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising:

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect pulsing said at least one simulated indicator during said second predetermined time period.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein said computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect pulsing said at least one simulated indicator comprise:

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect initially displaying a selected color rendition of said at least one simulated indicator;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect alternatively displaying a lighter tone selected color rendition of said at least one simulated indicator; and

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect repeating said steps of initially and alternatively displaying during said second predetermined time period.

16. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein said computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect pulsing said at least one simulated indicator are configured to effectuate said pulsing substantially throughout said second predetermined time period.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein said computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect pulsing said at least one simulated indicator are configured to effectuate said pulsing between first and second states thereof substantially every 100 ms.

18. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising:

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect also displaying another simulated indicator during said second predetermined time period, said another simulated indicator corresponding to said lesser of said first and second number of data access requests.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 further comprising:

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect also pulsing said another simulated indicator during said second predetermined time period.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein said computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect also pulsing said another simulated indicator further comprise:

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect also initially displaying a selected color rendition of said another simulated indicator;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect also alternatively displaying a lighter tone selected color rendition of said another simulated indicator; and

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect also repeating said steps of initially and alternatively displaying during said second predetermined time period.

21. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein said computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect also pulsing said another simulated indicator are configured to effectuate said also pulsing substantially for said computed percentage during said second predetermined time period.

22. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein said computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect also pulsing said another simulated indicator are configured to effectuate said also pulsing between first and second states thereof substantially every 100 ms.

23. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein said computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect pulsing said at least one simulated indicator and also pulsing said another simulated indicator are configured to effectuate said pulsing and also pulsing in substantial synchronization.

24. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein said computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect also pulsing said another simulated indicator are configured to effectuate said also pulsing beginning substantially coincidentally with an inception of said second predetermined time period.

25. A graphical user interface for a display device of a computer system, said computer system including a central processing unit, a data cache and at least one other data source, said graphical user interface comprising:

said central processing unit for monitoring said data cache for a first predetermined time period and determining a first number of data access requests which are satisfied from said data cache and a second number of data access requests which are satisfied from said at least one other data source and computing a percentage of the lesser of said first and second number of data access requests to the larger of said first and second number of data access requests; and

at least one simulated indicator for display on said graphical user interface of said display device in response to said central processing unit, said at least one simulated indicator being displayed during a second predetermined time period substantially equal to said first predetermined time period, said at least one simulated indicator corresponding to said larger of said first and second number of data access requests.

26. The graphical user interface of claim 25 wherein said at least one simulated indicator is pulsed during said second predetermined time period.

27. The graphical user interface of claim 26 wherein said at least one simulated indicator is pulsed by alternatively displaying a selected color and a lighter tone of said selected color renditions of said at least one simulated indicator.

28. The graphical user interface of claim 25 further comprising:

another simulated indicator for display on said graphical user interface of said display device in response to said central processing unit, said another simulated indicator being displayed during said second predetermined time period, said another simulated indicator corresponding to said lesser of said first and second number of data access requests.

29. The graphical user interface of claim 28 wherein said another simulated indicator is pulsed during said second predetermined time period substantially for said computed percentage thereof.

30. The graphical user interface of claim 28 wherein said another simulated indicator is pulsed by alternatively displaying a selected color and a lighter tone of said selected color renditions of said another simulated indicator.

31. The graphical user interface of claim 28 wherein said pulsing of said at least one and said another simulated indicators is substantially synchronized.

32. The graphical user interface of claim 29 wherein said pulsing of said at least one and said another simulated indicators begins substantially coincidentally with an inception of said second predetermined time period.

33. The graphical user interface of claim 25 wherein said selected color of said at least one simulated indicator comprises green or amber.

34. The graphical user interface of claim 30 wherein said selected color of said another simulated indicator comprises green or amber.

35. The graphical user interface of claim 25 wherein said at least one simulated indicator further comprises:

an associated alphanumeric designation of a first total access percentage of the larger of said first and second number of data requests to the total of said first and second number of data access requests.

36. The graphical user interface of claim 30 wherein said another simulated indicator further comprises:

an associated alphanumeric designation of a second total access percentage of the lesser of said first and second number of data requests to the total of said first and second number of data access requests.