Unified logging service with a log viewer

• US 7,526,550 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2004
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Petro, Miroslav R., Stein, Martin, Frey, Gregor K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung; Zarni
• Application Number:
  US10/813,999
• Publication Number:
  US 20050223282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,859 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/225, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/229, 709/250
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems

Abstract

An integrated tracing and logging system for an enterprise network. One embodiment of the integrated logging and tracing system has an object-oriented architecture which includes a controller class with two sub-classes: a tracing sub-class and a logging sub-class. Instances of the tracing sub-class (tracing modules) are associated with specified program code regions of network applications. The tracing modules receive method calls from the network applications and process the method calls based on defined severity levels. Instances of the logging sub-class (logging modules) are associated with specified “categories” related to the enterprise network (e.g., system, database, etc). The logging modules receive and process method calls from network components associated with the categories. The integrated logging and tracing system may be accessed by a log viewer having a log viewer client to provide a user interface and a log viewer server to read one or more log messages.

Claims

1. An integrated tracing and logging system employed within a network comprising:

a tracing module associated with a specified program code region of an application, the tracing module to receive and process tracing method calls generated by the application when the specified program code region is executed;

a logging module associated with a specified category related to the network, the logging module to receive and process logging method calls from network components associated with the category;

a common application programming interface (API) of the tracing module and the logging module to control both the tracing module and the logging module, the common API defining an relationship between the specified program code region and the category, wherein a single method call of an application to the common API generates, based on the defined relationship between the specified program code region and category, both a log message of the logging module and a trace message of the tracing module; and

a log viewer module to provide access to the integrated tracing and logging system via the common application programming interface of the tracing module and the logging module.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the log viewer module comprises:

a log viewer client to provide a user interface; and

a log viewer server to access a message in at least one of the tracing module and the logging module.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein providing a user interface includes providing a graphical user interface to access one or more messages generated by at least one of the tracing module and the logging module.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein providing a graphical user interface includes providing a first pane having one or more messages from a first application server and a second pane having one or messages from a second application server.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the graphical user interface is to configure an output destination for the integrated tracing and logging system.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the graphical user interface to configure an output destination comprises a dialog window to set an attribute of the output destination.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the attribute of the output destination includes at least one of

a severity level;

and

a filter.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more messages are implemented as management beans.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the log viewer client is to provide a command line interface to access one or more messages generated by at least one of the tracing module and the logging module.

10. A computer-implemented method employed within a network comprising:

creating an instance of a tracing controller associated with a specified program code region of an application, the tracing controller instance to receive and process tracing method calls generated by the application when the specified program code region is executed;

creating an instance of a logging controller associated with a specified category related to the network, the logging controller to receive and process logging method calls from network components associated with the category;

providing a common application programming interface (API) of the tracing controller instance and the logging controller instance to control both the tracing controller instance and the logging controller instance ,the common API defining an relationship between the specified program code region and the category, receiving via the common API a single method call of an application, generating both a log message of the logging module and a trace message of the tracing module in response to the single method call, the generating based on the defined relationship between the specified program code region and the category;

specifying an output destination to receive via the common application programming interface of the tracing controller instance and the logging controller instance a message from at least one of the tracing controller instance and the logging controller instance; and

accessing the message with a log viewer, the log viewer having a log viewer server and a log viewer client.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein accessing the message comprises accessing a first message on a first application server, the method further comprising:

accessing a second message on a second application server; and

displaying the first message and the second message in a window of a graphical user interface of the log viewer client.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein displaying the first message and the second message in the window of the graphical user interface of the log viewer client comprises:

displaying the first message in a first pane of the window; and

displaying the second message in a second pane of the window.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

selecting the first message in the first pane of the window;

selecting the second message in the second pane of the window;

merging the first message and the second message; and

displaying the first message and the second message in a third pane of the window.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein displaying the first message and the second message in a window of a graphical user interface of the log viewer client further comprises:

displaying one or more messages of the output destination in the window of the graphical user interface of the log viewer client.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

searching the one or more displayed messages to determine which, if any, of the displayed messages contain a search string.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

identifying at least one of the one more displayed messages having the search string;

creating a search results pane in the window of the graphical user interface; and

displaying the identified message in the search results pane.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying a representation of the output destination in the log viewer;

selecting the displayed representation of the output destination;

opening a dialog window to access an attribute of the displayed representation of the output destination; and

setting an attribute of the selected output destination with the opened dialog window.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein setting the attribute of the selected output destination comprises:

setting a severity level of the output destination.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein setting the attribute of the selected output destination comprises:

specifying a filter for the output destination.

20. A system comprising:

a means for creating an instance of a tracing controller associated with a specified program code region of an application, the tracing controller instance to receive and process tracing method calls generated by the application when the specified program code region is executed;

a means for creating an instance of a logging controller associated with a specified category related to the network, the logging controller to receive and process logging method calls from network components associated with the category;

a common application programming interface (API) of the tracing controller instance and the logging controller instance to control both the tracing controller instance and the logging controller instance, the common API defining an relationship between the specified program code region and the category, wherein a single method call of an application to the common API generates, based on the defined relationship between the specified program code region and the category, both a log message of the logging module and a trace message of the tracing module;

a means for specifying an output destination to receive via the common application programming interface of the tracing controller instance and the logging controller instance a message from at least one of the tracing controller instance and the logging controller instance; and

a means for accessing the message with a log viewer, the log viewer having a log viewer server and a log viewer client.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the means for accessing the message with the log viewer comprises:

a means for accessing a first message on a first application server;

a means for accessing a second message on a second application server; and

a means for displaying the first message and the second message in a window of a graphical user interface of the log viewer client.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

a means for selecting the first message in the first pane of the window;

a means for selecting the second message in the second pane of the window;

a means for merging the first message and the second message; and

a means for displaying the first message and the second message in a third pane of the window.

23. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

a means for displaying a representation of the output destination in the log viewer;

a means for selecting the displayed representation of the output destination;

a means for opening a dialog window to access an attribute of the displayed representation of the output destination; and

a means for setting an attribute of the selected output destination with the opened dialog window.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the means for setting the attribute of the selected output destination comprises:

a means for setting a severity level of the output destination.

25. An article of manufacture comprising:

an electronically accessible medium providing instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to

create an instance of a tracing controller associated with a specified program code region of an application, the tracing controller instance to receive and process tracing method calls generated by the application when the specified program code region is executed;

create an instance of a logging controller associated with a specified category related to the network, the logging controller to receive and process logging method calls from network components associated with the category;

provide a common application programming interface (API) of the tracing controller instance and the logging controller instance to control both the tracing controller instance and the logging controller instance, the common API defining an relationship between the specified program code region and the category, receiving via the common API a single method call of an application, generating both a log message of the logging module and a trace message of the tracing module in response to the single method call, the generating based on the defined relationship between the specified program code region and the category;

specify an output destination to receive via the common application programming interface of the tracing controller instance and the logging controller instance a message from at least one of the tracing controller instance and the logging controller instance; and

access the message with a log viewer, the log viewer having a log viewer server and a log viewer client.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein the instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to access the message cause the apparatus to access a first message on a first application server, the electronically accessible medium further providing instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to:

access a second message on a second application server; and

display the first message and the second message in a window of a graphical user interface of the log viewer client.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 26, wherein the instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to display the first message and the second message in a window of a graphical user interface of the log viewer client cause the apparatus to

display one or more messages of the output destination in the window of the graphical user interface of the log viewer client.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein the electronically accessible medium provides further instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to

search the one or more displayed messages to determine which, if any, of the displayed messages contain a search string.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 28, wherein the electronically accessible medium provides further instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to

identify at least one of the one more displayed messages having the search string;

and

create a search results pane in the window of the graphical user interface; and

display the identified message in the search results pane.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein the electronically accessible medium provides further instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to

display a representation of the output destination in the log viewer;

select the displayed representation of the output destination;

open a dialog window to access an attribute of the displayed representation of the output destination; and

set an attribute of the selected output destination with the opened dialog window.