Application failure diagnosis

• US 7,827,154 B1
• Filed: 10/05/2004
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Operating Corporation (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Schooler, Richard, Spertus, Michael P., Stuckmann, David A., Metcalf, Christopher D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cottingham; John R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Uddin; Mohammed R
• Application Number:
  US10/958,746
• Time in Patent Office: 2,219 Days
• Field of Search: 395/500, 709/331, 713/191, 707/202, 707/689
• US Class Current: 707/689
• 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 8/60 Software deployment

Abstract

A method and mechanism for diagnosing application failures. An executable application is augmented with code which generates a list of components, as well as version information, utilized by the application. Also created is data which associates application components with applications which utilize those components. The list of components, version information, and association data are stored in a database and updated each time the application is run. In response to detecting a failure of the application, a database query is generated which returns a list of components utilized by the failed application. By comparing the date that application components changed to the date the application was last successfully run, a high priority list of components which changed since the last successful run may be generated. Diagnosis of the application failure may then begin with components in the high priority list.

Claims

1. A method for diagnosing application failures, said method comprising:

initiating execution of an application which utilizes a plurality of components;

in response to detecting said execution;

generating a list of components utilized by said application, said list including version information corresponding to each component of said components, wherein said components are software components including one or more of library, a class, a driver or any other software component;

computing first signatures for each of one or more of said components using a signature generating algorithm, wherein said algorithm computes a unique signature for a given component based on a contents of the given component;

generating association data which associates said components with said application; and

storing said list, said signatures, and said association data in a database;

re-executing said application;

computing second signatures for each of one or more components of the re-executed application using said algorithm;

updating said database to reflect changes to one or more of said components used by the application; and

investigating a change in behavior of the application, wherein said investigating comprises;

querying said database; and

identifying component changes since a previous run of the application, wherein changes to one or more of said components are detected by determining a first signature of a corresponding component does not match a second signature of a corresponding component.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said database further comprises data identifying a configuration of components which correspond to a successful run of the application.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said updating comprises storing data which identifies a new version of said one or more components and data which indicates when said updating is performed.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein said identifying comprises comparing said new version of said one or more components to the date of the last successful run of the application.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the association data comprises key value pairs including an application key and a component key, and wherein said querying comprises generating a query with an application key and retrieving corresponding component key data.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprises augmenting said application code with code which generates said list of components.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein said augmenting comprises adding new code to said application by either injecting said new code or linking said new code.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said component changes correspond to a change selected from the group consisting of:

a component used by the application has never been used by the application in any preceding runs;

a component used by the application was not used in the immediately preceding run of the application; and

the last time the application used a particular component, the particular component had a different version.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said updating further comprises storing a warning in the database in response to detecting a component used by the application has changed.

10. A computing system comprising:

a database configured to store data;

a first computer comprising an executable application, said application being augmented with new code, wherein in response to detecting execution of said application, the application is configured to;

generate a list of components utilized by the application, said list including version information corresponding to each component of said components;

wherein said components are software components including one or more of library, a class, a driver or any other software component;

compute first signatures for each of one or more of said components using a signature generating algorithm, wherein said algorithm computes a unique signature for a given component based on a contents of the given component; and

generate association data which associates said components with said application; and

a second computer configured to;

in response to detecting execution of said application, store said list, said signatures, and said association data in the database;

in response to detecting re-execution of said application, compute second signatures for each of one or more components of the re-executed application using said algorithm, and update said database to reflect changes to one or more of said components used by the application;

support investigation of a change in behavior of the application, wherein said investigation comprises;

querying said database; and

identifying component changes since a last successful run of the application,

wherein changes to one or more of said components are detected by determining a first signature of a corresponding component does not match a second signature of a corresponding component.

11. The computing system as recited in claim 10, wherein said second computer is further configured to store data which identifies a configuration of components which correspond to a successful run of the application.

12. The computing system as recited in claim 11, wherein said second computer is configured to compare a new version of said one or more components to the date of the last successful run of the application in order to identify said changes.

13. The computing system as recited in claim 12, wherein the association data comprises key value pairs including an application key and a component key, and wherein said query comprises generating a query with an application key to retrieve corresponding component key data.

14. The computing system as recited in claim 13, wherein said application code is augmented with new code by either injecting said new code or linking said new code.

15. The computing system as recited in claim 10, wherein said component changes correspond to a change selected from the group consisting of:

a component used by the application has never been used by the application in any preceding runs;

a component used by the application was not used in the immediately preceding run of the application; and

the last time the application used a particular component, the particular component had a different version.

16. A computer readable storage medium comprising program instructions executable to:

detect execution of an application which utilizes a plurality of components;

generate a list of components utilized by said application, said list including version information corresponding to each component of said components, wherein said components are software components including one or more of library, a class, a driver or any other software component;

compute first signatures for each of one or more of said components using a signature generating algorithm, wherein said algorithm computes a unique signature for a given component based on a contents of the given component;

generate association data which associates said components with said application;

store said list, said signatures, and said association data in a database;

detect re-execution of said application;

compute second signatures for each of one or more components of the re-executed application using said algorithm;

update said database to reflect changes to one or more of said components used by the application;

investigate a change in behavior of the application, wherein investigating said change comprises;

querying said database; and

identifying component changes since a last successful run of the application, wherein changes to one or more of said components are detected by determining a first signature of a corresponding component does not match a second signature of a corresponding component.

17. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 16, wherein said program instructions are further executable to store data which identifies a new version of said one or more components and data which indicates when said updating is performed.

18. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 17, wherein said program instructions are executable to identify said changes by comparing said new version of said one or more components to the date of the last successful run of the application.

19. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 18, wherein the program instructions are executable to generate association data by generating key value pairs including an application key and a component key, and wherein generating said query comprises generating a query with an application key and retrieving corresponding component key data.

20. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 19, wherein said program instructions which generate said list of components comprises new code which has been added to an existing application.

21. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 20, wherein said new code is added by either injecting said new code or linking said new code.

22. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 16, wherein said component changes correspond to a change selected from the group consisting of:

a component used by the application has never been used by the application in any preceding runs;

a component used by the application was not used in the immediately preceding run of the application; and

the last time the application used a particular component, the particular component had a different version.