Recording relevant information in a GUI window of a panel dump browser tool

• US 7,793,229 B1
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Inventors: Watson, Leland Elvis, Whittaker, Bruce Ernest
• Primary Examiner(s): Theriault; Steven B
• Application Number:
  US10/742,116
• Time in Patent Office: 2,454 Days
• Field of Search: 714/57, 714/46, 715/781, 715/806, 715/866
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0769 Readable error formats, e.g. cross-platform generic formats, human understandable formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0778 Dumping, i.e. gathering error/state information after a fault for later diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3414 Workload generation, e.g. scripts, playback

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention is a technique for recording relevant information in a graphical user interface (GUI) window. Relevant information on an analysis window is saved in a summary report array using one of an automatic recording mode and a selective recording mode. The analysis window is part of the GUI to analyze state information from a panel dump file retrieved from a computer system. The saved relevant information is displayed on a report window.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

opening a panel dump file, the panel dump file comprising system state information stored by a system maintenance processor in a multiprocessor system;

displaying the contents of the panel dump file in a panel dump browser tool, the panel dump browser tool providing a graphical user interface through which a user can view contents of the panel dump file, the panel dump browser tool comprising an analysis window;

monitoring user interactions with the panel dump browser tool;

saving relevant information displayed in the analysis window to a summary report array, the saving being triggered by one of an automatic recording mode and a selective recording mode, the saving using the selective recording mode comprising;

selecting a recording option on the analysis window and saving the relevant information in the summary report array when the recording option is selected, the relevant information comprising;

state information of a memory job in an investigate memory job panel selected by a user when the analysis window is a memory job window;

state information of a memory-mapped job in a specific input/output (I/O) panel selected by the user when the analysis window is a memory-mapped job window;

interrupt summary in an interrupt summary panel selected by the user when the analysis window is a memory-mapped job window;

search result in a search result panel when the analysis window is a search window; and

sum file information in a sum file panel selected by the user when the analysis window is a sum file window; and

displaying the contents of the summary report array in a report window.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

copying the summary report array to a summary report file.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer system is a cellular multiprocessor system.

4. A method comprising:

opening a panel dump file, the panel dump file comprising system state information stored by a system maintenance processor in a multiprocessor system;

displaying the contents of the panel dump file in a panel dump browser tool, the panel dump browser tool providing a graphical user interface through which a user can view contents of the panel dump file, the panel dump browser tool comprising an analysis window;

monitoring user interactions with the panel dump browser tool;

saving relevant information displayed in the analysis window to a summary report array, the saving being triggered by one of an automatic recording mode and a selective recording mode, saving the relevant information using the automatic recording mode comprising;

determining if the relevant information has been saved in the summary report array, the relevant information comprising;

current date and time of day, name and path of the panel dump file, a stopped unit, cause of stop, and initial warning when the analysis window is a stop summary window;

error summary of a functional unit when the analysis window is an error summary window;

an active job summary when the analysis window is an active job summary window, the active job being one of an active subpod job, an active memory job, and an active memory-mapped job;

an I/O activity summary when the analysis window is an investigate memory-mapped job window; and

automatically saving the relevant information if the relevant information has not been saved.

5. An article of manufacture comprising:

a machine-accessible medium having data stored thereon that, when accessed by a machine, causes the machine to perform operations comprising;

opening a panel dump file, the panel dump file comprising system state information stored by a system maintenance processor in a multiprocessor system;

displaying the contents of the panel dump file in a panel dump browser tool, the panel dump browser tool providing a graphical user interface through which a user can view contents of the panel dump file, the panel dump browser tool comprising an analysis window;

monitoring user interactions with the panel dump browser tool;

saving relevant information displayed in the analysis window to a summary report array, the saving being triggered by one of an automatic recording mode and a selective recording mode, the saving using the selective recording mode comprising;

selecting a recording option on the analysis window and saving the relevant information in the summary report array when the recording option is selected, the relevant information comprising;

state information of a memory job in an investigate memory job panel selected by a user when the analysis window is a memory job window;

state information of a memory-mapped job in a specific input/output (I/O) panel selected by the user when the analysis window is a memory-mapped job window;

interrupt summary in an interrupt summary panel selected by the user when the analysis window is a memory-mapped job window;

search result in a search result panel when the analysis window is a search window; and

sum file information in a sum file panel selected by the user when the analysis window is a sum file window; and

displaying the contents of the summary report array in a report window.

6. The article of manufacture of claim 5 wherein the data causing the machine to perform the operations further comprise data that, when accessed by the machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

copying the summary report array to a summary report file.

7. The article of manufacture of claim 5 wherein the computer system is a cellular multiprocessor system.

8. An article of manufacture comprising a machine-accessible medium having data stored thereon that, when accessed by a machine, causes the machine to perform operations comprising:

opening a panel dump file, the panel dump file comprising system state information stored by a system maintenance processor in a multiprocessor system;

displaying the contents of the panel dump file in a panel dump browser tool, the panel dump browser tool providing a graphical user interface through which a user can view contents of the panel dump file, the panel dump browser tool comprising an analysis window;

monitoring user interactions with the panel dump browser tool;

saving relevant information displayed in the analysis window to a summary report array, the saving being triggered by one of an automatic recording mode and a selective recording mode, saving the relevant information using the automatic recording mode comprising;

determining if the relevant information has been saved in the summary report array, the relevant information comprising;

current date and time of day, name and path of the panel dump file, a stopped unit, and initial warning when the analysis window is a stop summary window;

error summary of a functional unit when the analysis window is an error summary window;

an active job summary when the analysis window is an active job summary window, the active job being one of an active subpod job, an active memory job, and an active memory-mapped job;

an I/O activity summary when the analysis window is an investigate memory-mapped job window; and

automatically saving the relevant information if the relevant information has not been saved.