Application server message logging

• US 6,879,995 B1
• Filed: 05/01/2000
• Issued: 04/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Chinta, Ramakrishna, Das, Saumitra
• Primary Examiner(s): Cardone, Jason D
• Application Number:
  US09/561,700
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• Field of Search: 709/213, 709/224, 709/203, 709/225, 709/227, 711/144, 711/145, 711/147, 711/152, 711/156, 707/10, 707/204
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

System and method for performing message logging for networked applications running on application servers. The application server may run a process referred to as a “logging service” that accepts requests from client processes to log messages regarding various types of runtime events or conditions. These client processes may include any of various types of processes, such as modules or components running on the application server. Any of various types of information may be recorded when a message is logged. For example, the information may include the date and time the message was created, the type of message, such as a warning message, an error message, etc., the message text to be recorded, the ID of a service or component requesting the message to be logged, or any of various other types of information. The logging service may also be operable to handle low-storage-space or out-of-storage space conditions.

Claims

1. A system supporting a networked application, the system comprising:

an application server computer system including a CPU, memory, and file system;

a logging service stored in the memory of the application server computer system;

a client process executable to call the logging service in order to log a message, wherein said client process calling the logging service comprises the client process passing information representing the message to the logging service;

wherein, in response to said client process calling the logging service, the logging service is executable to store the message in a log file in the file system;

wherein the logging service is further executable to reserve a portion of file system storage space, monitor the amount of storage space available in the file system, and, if insufficient available storage space is detected, store an indication of such insufficient available storage space using the reserved portion of file system storage space.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein said monitoring the amount of storage space available in the file system comprises the logging service suspending the logging of messages if the file system has insufficient storage space to store the messages.

3. The system of claim 2,

wherein, in the event of the logging service suspending the logging of messages, the logging service is executable to record in the log file the fact that the logging of messages was suspended.

4. The system of claim 3,

wherein said recording in the log file the fact that the logging of messages was suspended is performed using the reserved portion of file system storage space.

5. The system of claim 2,

wherein, in the event of the logging service suspending the logging of messages, the logging service is executable to monitor the amount of storage space available in the file system and resume message logging if storage space becomes available.

6. The system of claim 2,

wherein said monitoring the amount of storage space available in the file system comprises a thread periodically waking up to check the amount of storage space available in the file system.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an administrative tool for configuring log file rotation.

8. The system of claim 7,

wherein the administrative tool comprises a user interface enabling the specification of a regular interval for rotating log files.

9. The system of claim 7,

wherein the administrative tool comprises a user interface enabling the specification of an expression string denoting the time at which the log file is to be rotated.

10. The system of claim 1,

wherein the logging service is executable to log requests received from a web server.

11. The system of claim 10,

wherein the requests received from the web server include standard HTTP variables;

wherein said logging the requests received from the web server comprises logging the standard HTTP variables.

12. The system of claim 1,

wherein the logging service is further executable to rotate the log file, wherein said rotating the log file comprises closing the log file, moving the log file to an archive location, and opening a new log file.

13. The system of claim 1,

wherein said information representing the message comprises:

the date and time the message was created;

the message type;

the component ID generating the message; and

the message text.

14. A memory medium comprising program instructions operable to:

call a logging service in order to log a message, wherein said calling the logging service comprises passing information representing the message to the logging service;

in response to said calling the logging service, the logging service storing the message in a log file in a file system;

wherein the program instructions are further operable to reserve a portion of file system storage space, monitor the amount of storage space available in the file system, and if insufficient available storage space is detected, store an indication of such insufficient available storage space using the reserved portion of file system storage space.

15. The memory medium of claim 14,

wherein said monitoring the amount of storage space available in the file system comprises the logging service suspending the logging of messages if the file system has insufficient storage space to store the messages.

16. The memory medium of claim 15,

wherein, in the event of the logging service suspending the logging of messages, the logging service is executable to record in the log file the fact that the logging of messages was suspended.

17. The memory medium of claim 16,

wherein said recording in the log file the fact that the logging of messages was suspended is performed using the reserved portion of file system storage space.

18. The memory medium of claim 15,

wherein, in the event of the logging service suspending the logging of messages, the logging service is executable to monitor the amount of storage space available in the file system and resume message logging if storage space becomes available.

19. The memory medium of claim 15,

wherein said monitoring the amount of storage space available in the file system comprises a thread periodically waking up to check the amount of storage space available in the file system.

20. The memory medium of claim 14, further comprising program instructions operable to:

display a user interface for configuring log file rotation;

use information from the user interface to configure log file rotation.

21. The memory medium of claim 20,

wherein the user interface enables the specification of a regular interval for rotating log files.

22. The memory medium of claim 20,

wherein the user interface enables the specification of an expression string denoting the time at which the log file is to be rotated.

23. The memory medium of claim 14,

wherein the logging service is executable to log requests received from a web server.

24. The memory medium of claim 23,

wherein the requests received from the web server include standard HTTP variables;

wherein said logging the requests received from the web server comprises logging the standard HTTP variables.

25. The memory medium of claim 14,

wherein the program instructions are further operable to rotate the log file, wherein said rotating the log file comprises closing the log file, moving the log file to an archive location, and opening a new log file.

26. The memory medium of claim 14,

wherein said information representing the message comprises:

the date and time the message was created;

the message type;

the component ID generating the message; and

the message text.

27. A method for logging a message in an application server, the method comprising:

receiving a request to log a message, wherein said receiving the request to log the message comprises receiving information representing the message;

in response to said receiving the request to log the message, storing the message in a log file in a file system;

reserving a portion of file system storage space;

monitoring the amount of storage space available in the file system; and

if insufficient available storage space is detected, storing an indication of such insufficient available storage space using the reserved portion of file system storage space.

28. The method of claim 27,

wherein said monitoring the amount of storage space available in the file system comprises suspending the logging of messages if the file system has insufficient storage space to store the messages.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

in the event that message logging is suspended, recording in the log file the fact that the logging of messages was suspended.

30. The method of claim 29,

wherein said recording in the log file the fact that the logging of messages was suspended is performed using the reserved portion of file system storage space.

31. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

in the event that message logging is suspended, monitoring the amount of storage space available in the file system and resuming message logging if storage space becomes available.

32. The method of claim 28,

wherein said monitoring the amount of storage space available in the file system comprises a thread periodically waking up to check the amount of storage space available in the file system.

33. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

displaying a user interface for configuring log file rotation;

using information from the user interface to configure log file rotation.

34. The method of claim 33,

wherein the user interface enables the specification of a regular interval for rotating log files;

wherein said rotating the log file comprises rotating the log file at a regular interval specified via the user interface.

35. The method of claim 33,

wherein the user interface enables the specification of an expression string denoting the time at which the log file is to be rotated;

wherein said rotating the log file comprises rotating the log file at the time denoted by an expression string specified via the user interface.

36. The method of claim 27,

wherein the request to log the message is received from a web server.

37. The method of claim 36

wherein the request received from the web server includes standard HTTP variables;

wherein said logging the request received from the web server comprises logging the standard HTTP variables.

38. The method of claim 27, further comprising rotating the log file,

wherein said rotating the log file comprises closing the log file, moving the log file to an archive location, and opening a new log file.

39. The method of claim 27,

wherein said information representing the message comprises:

a date and time when the message was created;

a message type;

a component ID generating the message; and

message text.