Collecting and representing knowledge

• US 7,895,470 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2007
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Wamboldt, Michael L., Nastacio, Denilson
• Primary Examiner(s): Maskulinski; Michael C
• Application Number:
  US11/774,996
• Publication Number:
  US 20090019310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 714/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• 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: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Problem determination knowledge is provided by an extraction tool that extracts tag information recorded in identified problem tracking tools, where the tags relate to problem knowledge. The extracted tag information is examined to produce a catalog of symptom definitions that can be utilized by tools such as problem submission, logging and/or analysis tools.

Claims

1. A method of providing problem determination knowledge comprising:

identifying at least one problem tracking tool that contains tags therein, where said tags relate to problem knowledge;

extracting information from said tags that is related to problem description knowledge;

examining said information extracted from said tags;

transforming said information extracted from said tags into symptom data based upon said examination of said information;

updating a catalog of symptom definitions based upon said symptom data, wherein each symptom definition comprises data that characterizes a symptom to a previously considered problem; and

making at least a portion of said catalog of symptom definitions available to a software tool for performing at least one of problem determination and problem analysis.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said extracting information from said tags that is related to problem description knowledge comprises:

reading remarks provided in discussion threads of said problem tracking tools to extract said information.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said updating a catalog of symptom definitions based upon said symptom data, wherein each symptom definition comprises data that characterizes a symptom to a previously considered problem comprises:

maintaining said catalog of symptom definitions, wherein each symptom definition comprises at least one rule that characterizes the occurrence of a corresponding symptom.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said examining said information extracted from said tags and transforming said information extracted from said tags into symptom data based upon said examination of said information comprises:

examining and transforming said information off-line after said information has been extracted from said tags.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said making at least a portion of said catalog of symptom definitions available to a software tool for performing at least one of problem determination and problem analysis comprises:

making said at least a portion of said catalog of symptom definitions available to a software tool comprising a problem submission tool that is integrated with said symptom catalog, wherein said portion of said catalog of symptom information is provided to guide a user towards executing additional data capture steps that would otherwise had been executed in the course of problem determination.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said making at least a portion of said catalog of symptom definitions available to a software tool for performing at least one of problem determination and problem analysis comprises:

making said at least a portion of said catalog of symptom definitions available to a software tool comprising an analyzer tool that is not integrated with said symptom catalog, wherein said portion of said catalog of symptom information is provided to guide a user towards a problem resolution.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said making at least a portion of said catalog of symptom definitions available to a software tool for performing at least one of problem determination and problem analysis comprises:

making said at least a portion of said catalog of symptom definitions available with knowledge such that a user can perform at least one of a guided data collection activity and a implementing a solution to a corresponding activity.

8. A computer program product to provide problem determination knowledge comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising;

computer usable program code configured to identify at least one problem tracking tool that contains tags therein, where said tags relate to problem knowledge;

computer usable program code configured to extract information from said tags that is related to problem description knowledge;

computer usable program code configured to examine said information extracted from said tags;

computer usable program code configured to transform said information extracted from said tags into symptom data based upon said examination of said information;

computer usable program code configured to update a catalog of symptom definitions based upon said symptom data, wherein each symptom definition comprises data that characterizes a symptom to a previously considered problem; and

computer usable program code configured to make at least a portion of said catalog of symptom definitions available to a software tool for performing at least one of problem determination and problem analysis.

9. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein said computer usable program code configured to extract information from said tags that is related to problem description knowledge comprises:

computer usable program code configured to read remarks provided in discussion threads of said problem tracking tools to extract said information.

10. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein said computer usable program code configured to update a catalog of symptom definitions based upon said symptom data, wherein each symptom definition comprises data that characterizes a symptom to a previously considered problem comprises:

computer usable program code configured to maintain said catalog of symptom definitions, wherein each symptom definition comprises at least one rule that characterizes the occurrence of a corresponding symptom.

11. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein said computer usable program code configured to examine said information extracted from said tags and transforming said information extracted from said tags into symptom data based upon said examination of said information comprises:

computer usable program code configured to examine and transform said information off-line after said information has been extracted from said tags.

12. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein said computer usable program code configured to make at least a portion of said catalog of symptom definitions available to a software tool for performing at least one of problem determination and problem analysis comprises:

computer usable program code configured to make said at least a portion of said catalog of symptom definitions available to a software tool comprising a problem submission tool that is integrated with said symptom catalog, wherein said portion of said catalog of symptom information is provided to guide a user towards executing additional data capture steps that would otherwise had been executed in the course of problem determination.

13. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein said computer usable program code configured to make at least a portion of said catalog of symptom definitions available to a software tool for performing at least one of problem determination and problem analysis comprises:

computer usable program code configured to make said at least a portion of said catalog of symptom definitions available to a software tool comprising an analyzer tool that is not integrated with said symptom catalog, wherein said portion of said catalog of symptom information is provided to guide a user towards a problem resolution.

14. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein said computer usable program code configured to make at least a portion of said catalog of symptom definitions available to a software tool for performing at least one of problem determination and problem analysis comprises:

computer usable program code configured to make said at least a portion of said catalog of symptom definitions available with knowledge such that a user can perform at least one of a guided data collection activity and implementation of a solution to a corresponding activity.

15. A system to provide problem determination knowledge comprising:

a identifier component to identify at least one problem tracking tool that contains tags therein, where said tags relate to problem knowledge;

an extraction component to extract information from said tags that is related to problem description knowledge;

an examination component to examine said information extracted from said tags;

a transformation component to transform said information extracted from said tags into symptom data based upon said examination of said information;

an update component to update a catalog of symptom definitions based upon said symptom data, wherein each symptom definition comprises data that characterizes a symptom to a previously considered problem; and

an output component to make at least a portion of said catalog of symptom definitions available to a software tool for performing at least one of problem determination and problem analysis.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein said extraction component reads remarks provided in discussion threads of said problem tracking tools to extract said information.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein said update component maintains said catalog of symptom definitions, wherein each symptom definition comprises at least one rule that characterizes the occurrence of a corresponding symptom.

18. The system according to claim 15, wherein said examination and transformation components process said information off-line after said information has been extracted from said tags.

19. The system according to claim 15, wherein said output component makes said at least a portion of said catalog of symptom definitions available to a software tool comprising a problem submission tool that is integrated with said symptom catalog, wherein said portion of said catalog of symptom information is provided to guide a user towards executing additional data capture steps that would otherwise had been executed in the course of problem determination.

20. The system according to claim 15, wherein said output component makes said at least a portion of said catalog of symptom definitions available to a software tool comprising an analyzer tool that is not integrated with said symptom catalog, wherein said portion of said catalog of symptom information is provided to guide a user towards a problem resolution.

21. The system according to claim 15, wherein said output component makes said at least a portion of said catalog of symptom definitions available with knowledge such that a user can perform at least one of a guided data collection activity and implementation of a solution to a corresponding activity.