System and method for computer system performance data pause and resume consuming minimum display area

• US 6,553,419 B1
• Filed: 02/02/2000
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ram, Hari Nath
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M.
• Application Number:
  US09/496,835
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/201, 709/203, 709/206, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222, 709/223, 709/224, 709/227
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0823 Errors, e.g. transmission errors

Abstract

Method of pausing and resuming data collection data collection and displaying the paused and resumed data collection conditions particularly suited to networked computers in a server/client configuration including collecting data item(s) for a first process by a second process on at least one computer in response to a request from the first process to collect the data, during collection of the data item communicating a pause command from the first process to the second process, pausing collection of the data by the second process in response to the pause command, storing a time reference at which the data collection was paused, communicating a pause record to the first process as an indication that data collection has been paused, and optionally displaying a pause indication on a display device. The method may also include communicating a resume command, the second process resuming collecting data in response to receipt of the resume command, resuming collection of the data by the second process, storing a resume time reference, and optionally displaying an indication of the resume time. Advantageously, the pause indication consumes a minimum space (or no space) on the display device. The graphical display element may be a thickened portion of the line graph at the time where the data collection was paused, a vertical line, or other indicator. Displays other than line graphs may alternatively be used. System, apparatus, computer program, and computer program product implementing the inventive method are also provided by the invention.

Claims

1. In a computing system, a method of pausing and resuming data collection and displaying said pause and resume data collection conditions, said method comprising steps of:

collecting at least one data item for a first computer process by a second computer process in response to a request from said first computer process to collect said data item;

during collection of said data item, communicating a pause data command from said first computer process to said second computer process;

pausing collection of said data item by said second computer process in response to said pause data command;

storing a time reference at which said data collection was paused;

communicating a pause data record to said first computer process as an indication that data collection has been paused; and

displaying, by said first computer process, a pause indication on a display device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said pause indication consumes a minimum space on said display device which is independent of the duration of said pause.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying further comprising displaying a line graph of values of said data item plotted as a function of time on said display device, said pause indication comprising a graphical display element located at the terminal end of said graph of values corresponding substantially to a time of said last value collected before said pause.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said graphical display element comprising thickened portion of said line graph at said time where said data collection was paused.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said thickened portion of said line graph comprising a line extending across a portion of said line graph at a location corresponding to said pause time.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said line extending across said line graph comprising a two-pixel wide line with height substantially equal to the graph display height area.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said first computer process comprises a client application program and said second computer process comprises a server application program.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said method further comprises steps of:

communicating a resume data command from said first computer process to said second computer process, said second computer process resuming collecting data in response to receipt of said resume data command;

resuming collection of said at least one data item by said second computer process;

storing a time reference at which said collection of said data item was resumed; and

displaying, by said first computer process, an indication of said resume time, on said display device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said indication of said resume time comprising a time indication displayed with said pause indicator line.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said time indication adjacent said pause indicator line comprises an absolute time indication of said resume time.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said method further comprises step of:

scrolling said display to present values of said at least one data item for different time periods, and when scrolling, compensating for the duration of time between said pause and said resume.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said compensating comprising steps of treating the duration of time between said pause and said resume as a zero time interval.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein said method further comprises step of:

providing a display of said pause start time, said pause resume time, and said pause duration.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein said first computer process comprises a client application program and said second computer process comprises a server application program.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said client application program and said server application programs are the same application program.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said client application program and said server application programs are different application programs.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said client application program and said server application program are executing on the same computer.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said client application program and said server application program are executing on two different computers.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein said client application program comprises a data control component and a data display component.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said data control component is responsible for initiating data collection, for pausing and resuming data collection, and for terminating data collection;

and said data display component is responsible for displaying data collected, including for displaying said pause indicator and said resume indicator.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said data control component is implemented as a first client application program and said data display component is implemented as a second client application program.

22. The method of claim 8, wherein said at least one data item is selected from the group consisting of computer system or device resource utilization as a function of time, the number of read operations or write operations, the number of cache read hits, the volume of network traffic, the volume of TCP/IP traffic on an Internet connection, page faulting in a computing unit or memory unit, computer system parameters, device parameters, network parameters, and combinations thereof.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein said pause data record is communicated in a data stream having a plurality of said data items.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said pause data record includes said time reference.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one data item is selected from the group consisting of computer system or device resource utilization as a function of time, the number of read operations or write operations, the number of cache read hits, the volume of network traffic, the volume of TCP/IP traffic on an Internet connection, page faulting in a computing unit or memory unit, computer system parameters, device parameters, network parameters, and combinations thereof.

26. In a computing system, a method of representing a pause in performance data monitoring on a two-dimensional display device showing values of performance data plotted against time, said method comprising steps of:

representing a plurality of performance data values versus time values as a line graph over a plurality of display areas on said display device during periods of time when performance data monitoring is not paused;

receiving a pause indication that performance data monitoring has been paused;

storing said pause indication in a memory storage;

representing time for the duration of said pause as a single graphical identifier on said display device and compressing all time during said pause as said single graphical identifier;

receiving a resume indication while paused that performance data monitoring has been resumed; and

representing a plurality of performance data values versus time values from the time said resume indication was received as a line graph extending from said single graphical identifier.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said single graphical identifier comprises a pixel element on said display.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein said single graphical identifier comprises a cluster of pixel elements on said display.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein said single graphical identifier comprises a line on said display crossing said line graph at a time value corresponding to the time of said pause.

30. A computer program product for use in conjunction with a computer system, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium and a computer program mechanism embedded therein, the computer program mechanism, comprising:

a program module that directs a display device connected to a computer, to function in a specified manner, the display device being operatively coupled to a first memory, the program module including instructions for;

representing a plurality of performance data values versus time values as a line graph over a plurality of display areas on said display device during periods of time when performance data monitoring is not paused;

receiving a pause indication that performance data monitoring has been paused;

storing said pause indication in a memory storage;

representing time for the duration of said pause as a single graphical identifier on said display device and compressing all time during said pause as said single graphical identifier;

receiving a resume indication while paused that performance data monitoring has been resumed; and

representing a plurality of performance data values versus time values from the time said resume indication was received as a line graph extending from said single graphical identifier.

31. A computer program product for use in conjunction with a computer system, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium and a computer program mechanism embedded therein, the computer program mechanism, comprising:

a program module that directs a computer to function in a specified manner, the program module including instructions for;

collecting at least one data item for a first computer process by a second computer process in response to a request from said first computer process to collect said data item;

during collection of said data item, communicating a pause data command from said first computer process to said second computer process;

pausing collection of said data item by said second computer process in response to said pause data command;

storing a time reference at which said data collection was paused;

communicating a pause data record to said first computer process as an indication that data collection has been paused; and

displaying, by said first computer process, a pause indication on a display device.

32. A computing system comprising:

at least one computer having a processor and a memory coupled to said processor, said memory storing data and at least one executable procedure;

a display device capable of displaying two-dimensional graphical data representing performance data values plotted against time;

said executable procedure including instructions for;

collecting at least one data item for a first computer process executing on one of said at least one computers by a second computer process in response to a request from said first computer process to collect said data item;

during collection of said data item, communicating a pause data command from said first computer process to said second computer process;

pausing collection of said data item by said second computer process in response to said pause data command;

storing a time reference at which said data collection was paused;

communicating a pause data record to said first computer process as an indication that data collection has been paused; and

displaying, by said first computer process, a pause indication on a display device.

33. The computer system in claim 32, wherein said at least one computer includes a server computer and a client computer, and wherein said second computer process executes on said server computer and said first computer process executes on said client computer.