Systems, methods, and media for managing software defects

• US 7,487,406 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2005
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Weissinger, Michael E., Malik, Nadeem, Roberts, Steven L., Kobrosly, Walid
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel; Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ehne; Charles
• Application Number:
  US11/289,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20070168757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• Field of Search: 714/26, 714/28, 714/29, 714/49
• US Class Current: 714/49
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0706 the processing taking place on a specific hardware platform or in a specific software environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36

Abstract

Systems, methods and media for managing software defects by aggregating potential software defect information from a plurality of user computer systems are disclosed. Embodiments may include receiving a plurality of software state logs each from an originating user computer system, where each software state log is associated with a potential software defect of an application executing on its originating user computer system and each software state log includes software state information associated with its originating user computer system. Embodiments may also include storing the received software state logs in a defect repository and analyzing the software state information of the stored software state logs to detect patterns in the software state information. Further embodiments may include verifying that a potential software defect associated with a software state log is a defect and transmitting a verification of the software defect to the particular user computer system.

Claims

1. A method for managing software defects, the method comprising:

receiving, by a defect repository server from a plurality of originating user computer systems, a plurality of software state logs each from an originating user computer system, each software state log being associated with a potential software defect of an application executing on its originating user computer system, and each software state log comprising software state information associated with its originating user computer system, the software state information comprising identifications of applications executing on the originating user computer system other than the application with a potential software defect;

storing, by the defect repository server, the received software state logs in a defect repository;

analyzing, by the defect repository server, the software state information of the stored software state logs to detect patterns in the software state information across the plurality of originating user computer systems, the detected patterns comprising an indication that interaction between a first application and a second, other application is causing a potential software defect;

generating, by the defect repository server, one or more defect reports based on the detected pattern associated with the first application and the second, other application;

transmitting, by the defect repository server, a defect report to a computer system associated with the first application; and

transmitting, by the defect repository server, a defect report to a computer system associated with the second, other application.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

verifying by the defect repository server, that a potential software defect associated with a software state log is a defect, the software state log being received from an originating user computer system; and

transmitting, by the defect repository server, a verification of the software defect to its originating user computer system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the plurality of software state logs comprises receiving the plurality of software state logs from a plurality of originating user computer systems.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the software state information comprises one or more of a trace of operating system (OS) system calls prior to an occurrence of a potential software defect, an input log of input/output (I/O) of a user computer system prior to an occurrence of the potential software defect, operating system information, user settings, user preferences, or application information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the software state information of the stored software state logs to detect patterns in the software state information comprises sorting the software state information based on application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected patterns in the software state information comprise a pattern of operating system (OS) system calls.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected patterns in the software state information comprise an input/output (I/O) pattern in the operating system (OS).

8. A machine-accessible medium of a storage device containing instructions effective, when executing in a data processing system, to cause said data processing system to perform operations comprising:

receiving from a plurality of originating user computer systems a plurality of software state logs each from an originating user computer system, each software state log being associated with a potential software defect of an application executing on a user computer system, and each software state log comprising software state information associated with its associated user computer system, the software state information comprising identifications of applications executing on the originating user computer system other than the application with a potential software defect;

storing the received software state logs in a defect repository;

analyzing the software state information of the stored software state logs to detect patterns in the software state information across the plurality of originating user computer systems, the detected patterns comprising an indication that interaction between a first application and a second, other application is causing a potential software defect;

generating a defect report based on the detected pattern associated with the first application and the second, other application;

transmitting the defect report to a computer system associated with the first application; and

transmitting the defect report to a computer system associated with the second, other application.

9. The machine-accessible medium of claim 8, further comprising:

verifying that a potential software defect associated with a software state log is a defect, the software state log being received from an originating user computer system; and

transmitting a verification of the software defect to its originating user computer system.

10. The machine-accessible medium of claim 8, wherein the software state information comprises one or more of a trace of operating system (OS) system calls prior to an occurrence of a potential software defect, an input log of input/output (I/O) of a user computer system prior to an occurrence of the potential software defect, operating system information, user settings, user preferences, or application information.

11. The machine-accessible medium of claim 8, wherein analyzing the software state information of the stored software state logs to detect patterns in the software state information comprises sorting the software state information based on application.

12. A defect repository server system having one or more processors, the system comprising:

a communications module executing on or more processors to receive a plurality of software state logs from a plurality of originating user computer systems, each software state log being associated with a potential software defect of an application executing on its originating user computer systems, wherein each software state log comprises software state information associated with its originating user computer system, the software state information comprising identifications of applications executing on the originating user computer system other than the application with a potential software defect;

a defect repository interface executing on or more processors, the defect repository interface being adapted to store the received software state logs in a defect repository;

a defect analyzer module executing on or more processors, the defect analyzer module being adapted to analyze the software state logs stored in the defect repository to detect patterns in the software state information across the plurality of originating user computer systems, the detected patterns comprising an indication that interaction between a first application and a second, other application is causing a potential software defect; and

a defect notification module executing on or more processors, the defect notification module being adapted to transmit an indication of the detected patterns in the software state information to a computer system associated with the first application and to a computer system associated with the second, other application.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the defect notification module further comprises a defect verifier sub-module, the defect verifier sub-module being adapted to verify that a software defect associated with a software state log received from an originating user computer system is a defect.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the defect notification module further comprises a user verification interface sub-module, the user verification interface sub-module being adapted to transmit a verification of the software defect to the originating user computer system.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the defect notification module further comprises a third party defect interface sub-module, the third party defect interface sub-module being adapted to transmit a defect report, the detect report comprising an indication of a detected pattern associated with a particular application.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the software state information comprises one or more of a trace of an operating system prior to an occurrence of a potential software defect, an input log of input/output (I/O) of a user computer system prior to an occurrence of the potential software defect, operating system information, application version information, user settings, user preferences, or application information.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the detected patterns in the software state information comprise a pattern of operating system (OS) system calls.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the detected patterns in the software state information comprise an input/output (I/O) pattern in the operating system (OS).