Generating static performance modeling factors in a deployed system

• US 7,747,986 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2005
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zheng, Quanzhan, Hardwick, Jonathan C, LaVigne, Glenn F, Papaefstathiou, Efstathios, Isaacs, Rebecca, Barham, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Kendall; Chuck O
• Application Number:
  US11/154,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20060288149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,840 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A computing system for determining performance factors for using in performance modeling of a deployed subject system, is presented. The computing system includes a plurality of software components comprising the subject system. Each of the components is susceptible to event tracing while executing on the computing system. The computing system includes a tracing component. The tracing component is configured to trace events of the components of the subject system as they execute. The computing system includes a transaction identification table. The transaction identification table comprises starting and ending actions for transactions performed by the subject system. The computing system also includes a transaction identification component that identifies actions from traced events, identifies related actions corresponding to a transaction according to the starting and ending actions in the transaction identification table, and stores the related actions in the transaction workflow data store.

Claims

1. A computing system for determining static performance factors for use in performance modeling of a deployed subject system, the computing system comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing the following;

a plurality of software components comprising the subject system, wherein each of the components is susceptible to event tracing while executing on the computing system;

a tracing component configured to trace events of the components of the subject system into an event log as the components execute on the computing system, at least some of the events corresponding to discrete actions that comprise a transaction performed by the components;

a transaction identification table that stores an identifier for one or more transactions that are to be monitored and that stores starting and ending actions for each of the one or more transactions; and

a transaction identification component configured to;

access the event to identify the starting and ending actions for each of the one or more transactions listed in the transaction identification table, wherein the event log contains other actions that do not correspond to one of the one or more transactions that are to be monitored;

identify additional actions other than the starting and ending actions that are part of the one or more transactions; and

store each of the identified actions of each of the one or more transactions in a transaction workflow data store.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the transaction identification component is further configured to:

determine the costs of the identified actions corresponding each transaction; and

store the identified actions and their costs in an action costs data store.

3. The computing system of claim 2, wherein the transaction identification component identifies the additional actions corresponding to the transaction from the traced events according to the starting and ending actions in the transaction identification table by identifying the starting action and the ending action and filtering out any identified actions from the traced events between the starting and ending actions that do not correspond to the transaction.

4. The computing system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of communicatively coupled computers, and wherein the subject system is distributed upon the plurality of computers.

5. The computing system of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of computers includes a tracing component, and wherein the tracing component on each of the plurality of computers traces events into an event log on the respective computer.

6. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the transaction identification component is configured to:

retrieve the plurality of event logs from each of the plurality of computers;

identify actions, executed by the components of the subject system, from traced events in the plurality of event logs;

identify related actions corresponding to a transaction according to the starting and ending actions for the transaction; and

store the actions corresponding to the transaction in the transaction workflow data store.

7. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of computers comprise computers of at least two types.

8. The computer system of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of computers includes a tracing component, and wherein the plurality of tracing components provides end-to-end tracing capabilities.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the tracing component is a component of the operating system executing on the computing system.

10. A computer-readable medium bearing computer-executable instructions which, when executed on a computer system, carry out a method for determining static performance factors used in generating a performance model of a subject system deployed on the computer system, the method comprising:

tracing events of components executing on the computer system, including components of the subject system using a tracing component on the computer system, at least some of the events corresponding to discrete actions that comprise a transaction performed by the components, wherein the events are logged in an event log;

accessing a transaction identification table that stores an identifier for one or more transactions that are to be monitored and that stores starting and ending actions for each of the one or more transactions;

accessing the event log to identify the starting and ending actions for each of the one or more transactions listed in the transaction identification table, wherein the event log contains other actions that do not correspond to one of the one or more transactions that are to be monitored;

identifying additional actions other than the starting and ending actions that are part of the corresponding transaction by identifying any actions between the identified starting and ending actions of the corresponding transaction; and

storing each of the identified actions for each of the one or more transactions in a transaction workflow data store.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein identifying additional actions that are part of the corresponding transaction further comprises filtering out any actions between the starting and ending actions that do not correspond to the transaction.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10 further comprising:

determining the costs of the identified actions of each of the one or more transactions from information associated with the traced events; and

storing the identified actions and their determined costs in an action costs data store.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the computer system comprises a plurality of computers communicatively coupled together upon which the subject system is distributed, and where the method further comprises:

retrieving an event log from each of the plurality of computers in the computer system,

wherein the traced events from each computer are recorded in an event log on the computer;

identifying actions from the traced events from the plurality of event logs;

identifying related actions corresponding to a transaction according to starting and ending actions for the transaction;

storing the related actions corresponding to the transaction in a transaction workflow data store;

determining the costs of the related actions corresponding to the transaction from information associated with the traced events in the plurality of event logs; and

storing the identified actions and their determined costs in a action costs data store.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the plurality of computers in the computer system comprise computers of at least two types.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operating system on the computer system includes a component that traces the events of the subject system components.

16. A method for determining performance factors used in generating a performance model of a subject system deployed on a computer system, the method comprising:

obtaining traced events from components executing on the computer system, including components of the subject system using a tracing component on the computer system, at least some of the events corresponding to discrete actions that comprise a transaction performed by the components;

accessing a transaction identification table that stores an identifier for one or more transactions that are to be monitored and that stores starting and ending actions for each of the one or more transactions;

accessing the event to identify the starting and ending actions for each of the one or more transactions listed in the transaction identification table, wherein the event log contains other actions that do not correspond to one of the one or more transactions that are to be monitored;

identify additional actions other than the starting and ending actions that are part of the corresponding transaction by identifying any actions between the identified starting and ending action of the corresponding transaction;

determining the costs of the identified actions of each of the one or more transactions from information associated with the traced events; and

storing the identified actions and their determined costs in an action costs data store.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein identifying additional actions that are part of the corresponding transaction comprises:

filtering out any actions in the traced events between the starting and ending actions that do not correspond to the transaction.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the computer system comprises a plurality of computers communicatively coupled together upon which the subject system is distributed, and where the method further comprises:

retrieving an event log from each of the plurality of computers in the computer system, wherein the event logs include the traced events from the respective computer;

identifying actions from the traced events in the plurality of event logs;

identifying related actions corresponding to a transaction according to starting and ending tokens for the transaction;

storing the related actions corresponding to the transaction in a transaction workflow data store;

determining the costs of the related actions corresponding to the transaction from information associated with the traced events in the plurality of event logs; and

storing the identified actions and their determined costs in a action costs data store.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of computers in the computer system comprise computers of at least two types.