Coordinated extendable system for logging information from distributed applications

• US 6,470,388 B1
• Filed: 06/10/1999
• Issued: 10/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Niemi, Frederick E., Chambers, Kenneth W.
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng-Al T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIN, WEN TAI
• Application Number:
  US09/329,560
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/314-318, 709/108, 709/101, 709/203, 709/202, 370/245, 370/254, 714/45
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system and method for centrally coordinating, collecting and storing error, trace, audit and other information in a computer network. Selected applications or processes running at various entities or hosts within the network instantiate one or more “debug” objects that collect particularized information. Each entity also includes at least one logging service layer that communicates with the application or process, and includes a communications resource and one or more state machine engines. In response to collecting error, trace, audit or other information, each debug object passes it to the respective logging service layer, which decides whether or not to forward it to a centralized logging facility disposed within the network. The forwarding of collected information depends on the state of the debug object. If the state of the debug object is enabled, then the logging service layer forwards the collected information to the centralized logging facility. At the centralized logging facility, the information is time-stamped and appended to a log file along with the application'"'"'s name and the name of the entity or host at which the application is running. If the state of the debug object is disabled, the collected information is not forwarded, and is instead simply discarded by the logging service layer.

Claims

1. A method for coordinating the collection of error, trace, audit or other such information generated within a computer network, the method comprising the steps of:

constructing one or more informational debug objects at a first application or process whereby each informational debug object corresponds to a particular type of error, trace, audit or other information generated by the first application or process;

providing a logging service layer in communicating relationship with the application or process;

associating each informational debug object constructed at the first application or process with either an enabled state or a disabled state;

in response to obtaining error, trace, audit or other information at the first application or process, issuing a log command to the logging service layer that identifies the respective informational debug object and contains the obtained error, trace, audit or other information; and

forwarding a log service request containing the obtained error, trace, audit or other information from the logging service layer to a selected logging facility, where the respective informational debug object is associated with the enabled state.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of discarding the obtained error, trace, audit or other information, where the respective informational debug object is associated with the disabled state.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

issuing one or more register service requests to the logging service layer, in response to constructing one or more informational debug objects at the application or process, that identify each of the informational debug objects that have been constructed; and

forwarding the register service requests containing the informational debug objects constructed at the application or process to the selected logging facility.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the steps of:

generating a callback for identifying the application or process in response to receiving a register service request at the logging service layer; and

forwarding the callback to the selected logging facility along with the register service request.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of modifying the state of a selected informational debug object in response to receiving a set service request at the logging service layer that identifies the selected informational debug object and the modified state.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of, in response to receiving a get service request at the logging service layer that specifies a given callback, returning the get service request with the informational debug objects constructed at the application or process identified by the given callback.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of defining a base informational debug class from which the informational debug objects may be constructed at the application or process.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the informational debug objects constructed at the application or process may include one or more of a METHOD debug object, a POLLING debug object, a TRAPS/EVENTS debug object, a USER INPUT debug object, an ERROR debug object, an INFORMATION debug object, and a SERVICE debug object.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

creating a log file at the selected logging facility; and

in response to receiving the log service request at the selected logging facility, storing the error, trace, audit or other information contained in the received log service request in the log file.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of storing comprises the steps of:

creating a data record corresponding to the error, trace, audit or other information contained in the received log service request; and

appending the data record to an end of the log file.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the data record created by the selected logging facility includes a time stamp field, an application or process name field, a host name field, an informational debug object name field and a message field.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the selected logging facility is a centralized logging facility disposed within the computer network.

13. A computer workstation for use in a computer network having a centralized logging facility, the computer workstation including at least one application or process configured to construct one or more informational debug objects, and a network communications facility configured to provide inter-communication with the computer network, the workstation comprising:

a logging service layer in communicating relationship with the application or process, the logging service layer comprising;

a state machine engine associated with each of the one or more informational debug objects constructed by the application, each state machine engine configured to be in one of enabled or disabled states for its respective informational debug object; and

a communications resource in communicating relationship with the network communication facility,

wherein the logging service layer is configured to receive information from a first informational debug object constructed by the application and to direct the communications resource to forward the information to the centralized logging facility, provided that the state machine engine associated with the first informational object is in the enabled state.

14. A computer readable medium containing executable program instructions for coordinating the collection of error, trace, audit or other such information generated within a computer network, the executable program instructions comprising steps for:

constructing one or more informational debug objects at a first application or process whereby each informational debug object corresponds to a particular type of error, trace, audit or other information generated by the first application or process;

providing a logging service layer in communicating relationship with the application or process;

associating each informational debug object constructed at the first application or process with either an enabled state or a disabled state;

in response to obtaining error, trace, audit or other information at the first application or process, issuing a log command to the logging service layer that identifies the respective informational debug object and contains the obtained error, trace, audit or other information; and

forwarding a log service request containing the obtained error, trace, audit or other information from the logging service layer to a selected logging facility, where the respective informational debug object is associated with the enabled state.