Performing computer application trace with other operations

• US 7,640,459 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2006
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Ivanov, Ventsislav, Mihailov, Georgi N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Iqbal; Nadeem
• Application Number:
  US11/540,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20080155349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,186 Days
• Field of Search: 714/45
• US Class Current: 714/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet

Abstract

A method and apparatus for performing a computer application trace without interference with other operations. An embodiment of a method includes establishing a server session for a computer application, where the computer application is operating on a computer system. A trace session is established on the computer system, the trace session being connected with the server session. A performance trace of the computer application under the trace session is enabled, and a set of trace data for the performance trace is collected, where the set of trace data to correlated with the server session.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a server session for a computer application, the computer application operating on a computer system;

establishing a trace session that is correlated to the server session on the computer system;

enabling a performance trace of the computer application under the trace session to collect trace data for the performance trace while maintaining correlation between the trace data and the trace session by including a correlator in a trace enablement call to the computer application; and

collecting the correlated trace data for the performance trace.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer application is also running on a second computer system;

and wherein enabling the performance trace of the computer application while maintaining correlation between the trace data and the trace session comprises including the correlator in a second trace enablement call to the computer application operating on the second computer system; and

further wherein collecting the correlated trace data for the performance trace comprises collecting a second set of trace data for the performance trace, the second set of trace data being correlated with the set of trace data based on the correlator.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the correlator is a distributed statistics record passport created on the computer system and distributed with the trace enablement call to save a correlation identification with the collected trace data.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the correlator comprises at least one of a passport identification, a user name, and a transaction name.

16. The method of claim 2, wherein collecting includes combining the set of trace data with the second set of trace data based on the correlator.

3. A performance trace system comprising:

an administration unit, the administration unit including a trace engine to manage performance trace of computer applications; and

a computer landscape coupled with the administration unit, the computer landscape including a computer system;

wherein the administration unit is to enable a performance trace of a computer application running on the computer system in a session with a user, the administration unit to generate a trace manager on the computer system for the performance trace; and

wherein the trace manager collects a set of trace data for the performance trace, the set of trace data being correlated with the session.

4. The performance trace system of claim 3, wherein the trace data is correlated with the session by limiting collection of trace data to the trace session.

5. The performance trace system of claim 4, wherein a second session is established on the computer system, and wherein the enablement of the performance trace does not enable the collection of trace data for the second session.

6. The performance trace system of claim 3, wherein the trace data is correlated by attaching an identification to the set of trace data.

7. The performance trace system of claim 6, wherein a second session is established on the computer system, and wherein the enablement of the performance trace enables the collection of trace data for all operations on the computer system.

8. The performance trace system of claim 3, wherein the computer landscape includes a second computer system, and wherein a second set of trace data collected for a performance trace of the computer program on the second computer system is correlated with the set of trace data.

9. A computer-readable medium having tangibly stored thereon instructions for a performance trace of a computer application, the instructions which when executed by a computer perform operations, the operations including:

establishing a server session for the computer application, the computer application operating in one or more computer systems;

establishing a trace session that is correlated to the server session;

enabling a performance trace of the computer application under the trace session to collect trace data for the performance trace while maintaining correlation between the trace data and the trace session by including a correlator in a first trace enablement call to the computer application; and

collecting the correlated trace data for the performance trace.

10. The medium of claim 9, wherein the computer application is also running on a second computer system of the one or more computer systems and wherein enabling the performance trace of the computer application while maintaining correlation between the trace data and the trace session comprises including the correlator in a second trace enablement call to the second computer system;

and

further wherein collecting the correlated trace data for the performance trace comprises collecting a second set of trace data for the performance trace, the second set of trace data being correlated with the set of trace data based on the correlator.

11. The medium of claim 10, wherein collecting includes combining the set of trace data with the second set of trace data based on the correlator.

12. The medium of claim 9, wherein the correlator is a distributed statistics record passport created on at least one of the one or more computer systems and distributed with the trace enablement call to save a correlation identification with the collected trace data.

13. The medium of claim 9, wherein the correlator comprises at least one of a passport identification, a user name, and a transaction name.