HTTP transaction monitor with sequence replay capacity

• US 7,099,939 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2001
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: von Klopp, Ana H., Finklang, George C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dalencourt, Yves
• Application Number:
  US09/874,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20020062369A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,911 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/203, 709/200, 709/201, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/227, 714/38
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method for monitoring data flow in a web application hosted on a server includes obtaining a list of HTTP requests processed on the server while interacting with the web application, selecting a number of HTTP requests from the list, and sending a request to the server to re-process the selected number of HTTP requests in a predetermined sequence.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring data flow in a web application hosted on a server, comprising:

obtaining a list of HTTP requests processed on the server while interacting with the web application;

selecting a number of HTTP requests from the list to re-process on the server;

sending a request to the server to re-process the selected number of HTTP requests;

collecting data passed between components of the web application before and after each HTTP request is processed; and

wherein the request comprises a predetermined sequence in which the selected number of HTTP requests are to be re-processed and wherein the predetermined sequence corresponds to the order in which the selected number of HTTP requests were originally processed by the server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the request to the server comprises sending the selected number of HTTP requests to the server according to a predetermined sequence.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the selected number of HTTP requests has a timeout period within which it should be completely processed by the server.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying a notification if the timeout period is exceeded before the HTTP request is completely processed by the server.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying an output of the server after processing each HTTP request.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying an output of the server after processing the last HTTP request in the predetermined sequence.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising editing data associated with a selected one of the selected number of HTTP requests.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising reconstructing the selected one of the selected number of HTTP requests with the edited data prior to the server re-processing the selected one of the selected number of HTTP requests.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises one selected from the group consisting of data contained in the HTTP request, data contained in an HTTP response generated after processing the HTTP request, properties of dynamic component invoked by the server to process the HTTP request, data contained in a cookie associated with the HTTP request, data contained in a cookie associated with the HTTP response, and combinations thereof.

10. A method for monitoring data flow in a web application hosted on a server, comprising:

saving HTTP transactions executed on the server while interacting with the web application;

selecting a number of the saved HTTP transactions to re-process on the server;

sending a request to the server to re-process the selected number of the saved HTTP transactions;

collecting data passed between components of the web application before and after each HTTP transaction is executed; and

wherein the request comprises a predetermined sequence in which the selected number of HTTP requests are to be re-processed and wherein the predetermined sequence corresponds to the order in which the selected number of HTTP requests were originally processed by the server.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the saved HTTP transactions each comprise an HTTP request, and sending the request to the server comprises sending the HTTP requests for the selected number of the saved HTTP transactions to the server according to a predetermined sequence.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each HTTP request has a timeout period within which it should be completely processed by the server.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising displaying a notification if the timeout period is exceeded before the HTTP request is completely processed.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying an output of the server executing each HTTP transaction in the predetermined sequence.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying an output of the server after executing the last HTTP transaction in the predetermined sequence.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the collected data comprises one selected from the group consisting of data contained in an HTTP request associated with each HTTP transaction, data contained in an HTTP response generated after processing of the HTTP request, properties of dynamic component invoked by the server to process the HTTP request, data contained in a cookie associated with the HTTP request, data contained in a cookie associated with the HTTP response, and combinations thereof.

17. A mechanism for monitoring data flow in a web application hosted on a server, comprising:

a directory for storing HTTP transactions executed on the server while interacting with the web application;

a display through which a request can be sent to the server to re-process a selected number of the HTTP transactions in the directory;

a data collector which selectively intercepts the HTTP transactions executed on the server in order to collect data passed between components of the web application; and

wherein the request comprises a predetermined sequence in which the selected number of HTTP requests are to be re-processed and wherein the predetermined sequence corresponds to the order in which the selected number of HTTP requests were originally processed by the server.

18. The mechanism of claim 17, further comprising an editor through which data associated with the selected number of the HTTP transactions can be edited prior to sending the request to the server.

19. The mechanism of claim 18, further comprising a request player which reconstructs the request using the edited data prior to the server processing the request.

20. The mechanism of claim 19, wherein the request comprises individual HTTP requests, each of which corresponds to one of the selected number of HTTP transactions.

21. The mechanism of claim 17, further comprising means for storing the data collected by the data collector in the directory.

22. The mechanism of claim 17, further comprising means for notifying the display of data collected by the data collector.

23. A system for testing and debugging a web application, comprising:

a server hosting the web application;

a directory for storing HTTP transactions executed on the server while interacting with the web application;

a client through which a request can be sent to the server to re-process a selected number of the HTTP transactions in the directory;

a data collector running on the server which selectively intercepts HTTP transactions executed on the server in order to collect data passed between components of the web application; and

and wherein the request comprises a predetermined sequence in which the selected number of HTTP requests are to be re-processed and wherein the predetermined sequence corresponds to the order in which the selected number of HTTP requests were originally processed by the server.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising an application which starts the server in a separate process and through which the client can be started.

25. The system of claim 24, where the application is an integrated development environment.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the application includes an HTTP server.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the HTTP server includes a mechanism for receiving data from the data collector and notifying the client of the collected data.

28. The system of claim 23, further comprising a request player which reconstructs the request using data associated with the HTTP transactions prior to the server processing the request.

29. The system of claim 28, further comprising an editor through which data associated with the selected number of the HTTP transactions can be edited prior to sending the request to the server.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the client includes an action for invoking the editor.

31. The system of claim 23, wherein the client includes a controller which manages access to the directory.