Automatic support system and method based on user submitted stack trace
First Claim
1. In a computer system including a processor coupled to a bus, and a memory unit coupled to said bus for storing information, a computer-implemented method for evaluating a program system error comprising the computer-implemented steps of:
- a) electronically receiving, via e-mail, a stack trace of a program which has suffered an unknown system error;
b) automatically determining whether a correlation exists between said electronically received stack trace and a reference stack trace having a known system error associated therewith such that said unknown system error is analyzed, said step of automatically determining whether a correlation exists further comprising the steps of;
b1) comparing said electronically received stack trace with a plurality of reference stack traces to determine whether similarities exist between said electronically received stack trace and each of said plurality of reference stack traces, each of said reference stack traces having a respective known error associated therewith;
b2) determining the degree of similarity between said electronically received stack trace and each of said plurality of reference stack traces; and
b3) ranking said plurality of reference stack traces from greatest degree of similarity with said electronically received stack trace to least degree of similarity with said electronically received stack trace; and
c) automatically reporting information related to said unknown system error to the address from which said electronically received stack trace originated.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for automatically analyzing a program system error. In one embodiment, the present invention electronically receives a stack trace of a program which has suffered an unknown system error. The present invention then compares the electronically received stack trace with a reference stack trace having a known system error associated therewith. In so doing, the present invention determines the similarity between the electronically received stack trace and the reference stack trace. When a predetermined degree of similarity exists between the electronically received stack trace and the reference stack trace, the present invention automatically reports information about the known system error associated with the reference stack to the address from which the electronically received stack trace was sent. Because the degree of similarity exists between the electronically received stack trace and the reference stack trace associated with the known system error, the remedial actions for the known system error also apply to the unknown system error. In so doing, the present invention provides a method and system which quickly and automatically reports the source and possible solution of a program system error, to a user of the program, without requiring extensive customer support intervention.
114 Citations
19 Claims
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1. In a computer system including a processor coupled to a bus, and a memory unit coupled to said bus for storing information, a computer-implemented method for evaluating a program system error comprising the computer-implemented steps of:
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a) electronically receiving, via e-mail, a stack trace of a program which has suffered an unknown system error; b) automatically determining whether a correlation exists between said electronically received stack trace and a reference stack trace having a known system error associated therewith such that said unknown system error is analyzed, said step of automatically determining whether a correlation exists further comprising the steps of; b1) comparing said electronically received stack trace with a plurality of reference stack traces to determine whether similarities exist between said electronically received stack trace and each of said plurality of reference stack traces, each of said reference stack traces having a respective known error associated therewith; b2) determining the degree of similarity between said electronically received stack trace and each of said plurality of reference stack traces; and b3) ranking said plurality of reference stack traces from greatest degree of similarity with said electronically received stack trace to least degree of similarity with said electronically received stack trace; and c) automatically reporting information related to said unknown system error to the address from which said electronically received stack trace originated. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. In a computer system a method for automatically analyzing a program system error comprising the steps of:
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a) electronically receiving, via e-mail, a stack trace of a program which has suffered an unknown system error; b) comparing said electronically received stack trace to a reference stack trace having a known system error associated therewith to determine the similarity between said reference stack trace and said electronically received stack trace, said step of comparing said electronically received stack trace to a reference stack trace further comprising the steps of; b1) comparing said electronically received stack trace with a plurality of reference stack traces to determine whether similarities exist between said electronically received stack trace and each of said plurality of reference stack traces, each of said reference stack traces having a respective known error associated therewith; b2) determining the degree of similarity between said electronically received stack trace and each of said plurality of reference stack traces; and b3) ranking said plurality of reference stack traces from greatest degree of similarity with said electronically received stack trace to least degree of similarity with said electronically received stack trace; and c) automatically reporting information about said unknown system error to the address from which said electronically received stack trace was sent. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer to perform the steps of:
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a) electronically receiving, via e-mail, a stack trace of a program which has suffered an unknown system error; b) automatically determining whether a correlation exists between said electronically received stack trace and a reference stack trace which has a known system error associated therewith such that said unknown system error is analyzed, said step of automatically determining whether a correlation exists between said electronically received stack trace and said reference stack trace further comprising the steps of; b1) comparing said electronically received stack trace with a plurality of reference stack traces to determine whether similarities exist between said electronically received stack trace and each of said plurality of reference stack traces, each of said reference stack traces having a respective known error associated therewith; b2) determining the degree of similarity between said electronically received stack trace and each of said plurality of reference stack traces; and b3) ranking said plurality of reference stack traces from greatest degree of similarity with said electronically received stack trace to least degree of similarity with said electronically received stack trace; and c) automatically reporting information about said unknown system error to the address from which said electronically received stack trace originated. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification