System and method for searching error messages

• US 7,823,053 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2006
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sinha, Vibha S, Mittal, Parul Alok, Bhamidipaty, Anuradha
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAUDRY, MUJTABA M
• Application Number:
  US11/612,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20080148110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: 714/799, 714/49, 714/774
• US Class Current: 714/799
• 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 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3334 Selection or weighting of terms from queries, including natural language queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3338 Query expansion

Abstract

A user interface component receives an input error message. A query enhancer component derives error messages from the input error messages using error pattern(s) representative of the input error message and error sub-pattern(s) of the error pattern(s). A result aggregator component inputs each error message to search engines, receives search results, aggregates the search results, and provides the search results to the user interface. The enhancer component may include a pattern composer component to locate error patterns representative of the input error message, and a sub-pattern generator component to derive error sub-patterns from the error patterns. The aggregator component may determine whether the search results are in agreement with a predetermined criterion. If not, the aggregator component may request the enhancer component to provide additional error messages to input to the search engines. This process can be iteratively repeated until the search results are in agreement with the predetermined criterion.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an input error message;

deriving a plurality of error messages from the input error message using one or more error patterns representative of the input error message and one or more error sub-patterns of the error patterns;

inputting the error messages derived from the input error message to one or more search engines;

receiving search results for the error messages;

aggregating the search results for the error messages in an order from more specific to more generic with respect to the input error message;

displaying the search results for the error messages; and

after receiving the search results for the error messages,

repeating determining whether the search results are in agreement with a predetermined criterion; and

where the search results are in disagreement with the predetermined criterion, generating one or more additional error messages;

inputting the additional error messages to the search engines;

receiving the search results for the additional error messages, until the search results satisfy the predetermined criterion, wherein deriving the error messages from the input error message comprises;

locating the error patterns representative of the input error message; and

deriving the error sub-patterns from the error patterns, each error sub-pattern being one of the error messages,

wherein deriving the error sub-patterns from the error patterns comprises constructing different combinations of sub-parts of the error patterns.