Generate diagnostic data for overdue thread in a data processing system

• US 7,958,402 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2008
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, Van H., Sanner, David D., Tran, Thi N.
• Primary Examiner(s): McCarthy; Christopher S
• Application Number:
  US12/235,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20100077258A1
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 714/38.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2736 using a dedicated service processor for test

Abstract

Disclosed is a computer implemented method, computer program product, and apparatus for generating diagnostic data for a thread. A service processor may begin by executing the computer usable program code to allocate a first thread to a monitoring function. The service processor determines if a second thread is running, wherein the second thread is associated with an operation. The service processor obtains an object pointer from a list of running threads, wherein the object pointer references a time data structure associated with the second thread, the time data structure comprising a maximum running time interval and a check time. The service processor calculates the check time as a maximum running time interval added to an initially sampled timestamp. The service processor determines if a current time exceeds the check time. In addition, the service processor generates an error log, responsive to a determination that the current time exceeds the check time.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method to generate diagnostic data for a thread, the computer implemented method comprising:

allocating a first thread to a monitoring function;

determining if a second thread is running, wherein the second thread is associated with a first operation, wherein the first operation is a hardware-object-model operation;

obtaining a first object pointer from a first list of running threads, wherein the first object pointer references a time data structure associated with the second thread, the time data structure associated with the second thread comprising a first maximum running time interval and a first check time;

responsive to obtaining the first object pointer, determining whether the first maximum running time interval is finite;

responsive to a determination that the first maximum running time interval is finite, calculating the first check time as the first maximum running time interval added to an initially sampled timestamp;

determining if a first current time exceeds the first check time;

responsive to a determination that the first current time exceeds the first check time, generating an error log;

responsive to a determination that the first current time exceeds the first check time, sending a signal to a calling thread to continue;

determining if a third thread is running, wherein the third thread is associated with a second operation;

obtaining a second object pointer from a second list of running threads, wherein the second object pointer references a time data structure associated with the third thread, the time data structure associated with the third thread comprising a second maximum running time interval and a second check time;

calculating the check time as the second maximum running time interval added to the initially sampled timestamp;

determining if a second current time exceeds the second check time; and

responsive to a determination that the second current time exceeds the second check time, generating the error log.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the initially sampled timestamp.

3. A computer implemented method to generate diagnostic data for a thread, the computer implemented method comprising:

allocating a first thread to a monitoring function;

determining if a second thread is running, wherein the second thread is associated with a first operation, wherein the first operation is a hardware-object-model operation;

obtaining a first object pointer from a first list of running threads, wherein the first object pointer references a time data structure associated with the second thread, the time data structure associated with the second thread comprising a first maximum running time interval and a first check time;

responsive to obtaining the first object pointer, determining whether the first maximum running time interval is finite;

responsive to a determination that the first maximum running time interval is finite, calculating the first check time as the first maximum running time interval added to an initially sampled timestamp;

determining if a first current time exceeds the first check time;

responsive to a determination that the first current time exceeds the first check time, generating an error log;

determining if a third thread is running, wherein the third thread is associated with a second operation;

obtaining a second object pointer from a second list of running threads, wherein the second object pointer references a time data structure associated with the third thread, the time data structure associated with the third thread comprising a second maximum running time interval and a second check time;

calculating the check time as the second maximum running time interval added to the initially sampled timestamp;

determining if a second current time exceeds the second check time;

responsive to a determination that the second current time exceeds the second check time, generating the error log; and

sleeping for a sleep duration.

4. A computer program product to generate diagnostic data for a thread, the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code configured to allocate a first thread to a monitoring function;

computer usable program code configured to determine if a second thread is running, wherein the second thread is associated with a first operation, wherein the first operation is a hardware-object-model operation;

computer usable program code configured to obtain a first object pointer from a first list of running threads, wherein the first object pointer references a time data structure associated with the second thread, the time data structure associated with the second thread comprising a first maximum running time interval and a first check time;

computer usable program code configured to determine whether the first maximum running time interval is finite, responsive to obtaining the first object pointer;

computer usable program code configured to calculate the first check time as the first maximum running time interval added to an initially sampled timestamp, responsive to a determination that the first maximum running time interval is finite;

computer usable program code configured to determine if a first current time exceeds the first check time;

computer usable program code configured to generate an error log, responsive to a determination that the first current time exceeds the first check time;

computer usable program code configured to send a signal to a calling thread to continue, responsive to a determination that the first current time exceeds the first check time;

computer usable program code configured to determine if a third thread is running, wherein the third thread is associated with a second operation;

computer usable program code configured to obtain a second object pointer from a second list of running threads, wherein the second object pointer references a time data structure associated with the third thread, the time data structure associated with the third thread comprising a second maximum running time interval and a second check time;

computer usable program code configured to calculate the check time as the second maximum running time interval added to the initially sampled timestamp;

computer usable program code configured to determine if a second current time exceeds the second check time; and

computer usable program code configured to generate the error log, responsive to a determination that the second current time exceeds the second check time.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to obtain the initially sampled timestamp.

6. A computer program product to generate diagnostic data for a thread, the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code configured to allocate a first thread to a monitoring function;

computer usable program code configured to determine if a second thread is running, wherein the second thread is associated with a first operation, wherein the first operation is a hardware-object-model operation;

computer usable program code configured to obtain a first object pointer from a first list of running threads, wherein the first object pointer references a time data structure associated with the second thread, the time data structure associated with the second thread comprising a first maximum running time interval and a first check time;

computer usable program code configured to determine whether the first maximum running time interval is finite, responsive to obtaining the first object pointer;

computer usable program code configured to calculate the first check time as the first maximum running time interval added to an initially sampled timestamp, responsive to a determination that the first maximum running time interval is finite;

computer usable program code configured to determine if a first current time exceeds the first check time;

computer usable program code configured to generate an error log, responsive to a determination that the first current time exceeds the first check time;

computer usable program code configured to determine if a third thread is running, wherein the third thread is associated with a second operation;

computer usable program code configured to obtain a second object pointer from a second list of running threads, wherein the second object pointer references a time data structure associated with the third thread, the time data structure associated with the third thread comprising a second maximum running time interval and a second check time;

computer usable program code configured to calculate the check time as the second maximum running time interval added to the initially sampled timestamp;

computer usable program code configured to determine if a second current time exceeds the second check time;

computer usable program code configured to generate the error log, responsive to a determination that the second current time exceeds the second check time; and

computer usable program code configured to sleep for a sleep duration.

7. A data processing system comprising:

a bus;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein computer usable code is located in the storage device;

a communication unit connected to the bus; and

a processing unit connected to the bus, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable code for generating diagnostic data for a thread, wherein the processing unit executes computer usable program code configured to allocate a first thread to a monitoring function;

determine if a second thread is running, wherein the second thread is associated with a first operation, wherein the first operation is a hardware-object-model operation;

obtain a first object pointer from a first list of running threads, wherein the first object pointer references a time data structure associated with the second thread, the time data structure associated with the second thread comprising a first maximum running time interval and a first check time;

determine whether the first maximum running time interval is finite, responsive to obtaining the first object pointer;

calculate the first check time as the first maximum running time interval added to an initially sampled timestamp, responsive to a determination that the first maximum running time interval is finite;

determine if a first current time exceeds the first check time;

generate an error log, responsive to a determination that the first current time exceeds the first check time;

send a signal to a calling thread to continue, responsive to a determination that the first current time exceeds the first check time;

determine if a third thread is running, wherein the third thread is associated with a second operation;

obtain a second object pointer from a second list of running threads, wherein the second object pointer references a time data structure associated with the third thread, the time data structure associated with the third thread comprising a second maximum running time interval and a second check time;

calculate the check time as the second maximum running time interval added to the initially sampled timestamp;

determine if a second current time exceeds the second check time; and

generate the error log, responsive to a determination that the second current time exceeds the second check time.

8. The data processing system claim 7, wherein the processor further executes computer usable code to obtain the initially sampled timestamp.