Apparatus, system, and method for automated error determination propagation

• US 7,962,791 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2008
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Compton, Matthew Charles, Echevarria, Louis Daniel, Welp, Richard Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): Maskulinski; Michael C
• Application Number:
  US12/203,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20100058117A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 714/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0781 Error filtering or prioritizing based on a policy defined by the user or on a policy defined by a hardware/software module, e.g. according to a severity level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0784 Routing of error reports, e.g. with a specific transmission path or data flow

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for automated data determination propagation. A data package source collects data and compiles the data into data packages. A local data package prioritization module determines a prioritized order of the data packages based on a local priority matrix. The local data package prioritization module sends the data packages in the prioritized order over a temporary data connection to a central data package prioritization module. The local data package prioritization module updates the local priority matrix over the temporary data connection based on a central priority matrix. The central data package prioritization module receives the data packages and makes one or more updates to the central priority matrix based on the data packages.

Claims

1. An apparatus for data determination propagation, the apparatus comprising:

an unsent data package module configured to collect a plurality of data packages;

a local data package order module configured to determine a prioritized order of the plurality of data packages based on a local priority matrix;

a data package transmission module configured to send the plurality of data packages in the prioritized order to a data package repository over a data connection;

a local priority matrix update module configured to update the local priority matrix based on one or more central priority matrix updates received over the data connection; and

a connection module configured to initiate the data connection to the data package repository in response to a transmission request from the data package transmission module, the connection module further configured to close the data connection in response to a completed communication by the local priority matrix update module;

wherein the unsent data package module, the local data package order module, the data package transmission module, the local priority matrix update module, and the connection module comprise one or more of logic hardware and executable code, the executable code stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data connection comprises an analog modem connection.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the local data package order module is further configured to arrange a subset of the plurality of data packages in order based on timestamps of the subset of the plurality of data packages in response to a determination that each data package in the subset of the plurality of data packages has an equal priority in the local priority matrix.

4. An apparatus for data determination propagation, the apparatus comprising:

a data package receiver module configured to receive a plurality of data packages over a data connection from one or more data package sources, each of the data package sources configured to send at least a subset of the plurality of data packages to the data package receiver module in a prioritized order based on a local priority matrix;

a priority matrix update module configured to update a central priority matrix based on the plurality of data packages, the central priority matrix comprising a prioritization of data package types; and

an update broadcast module configured to send updates from the priority matrix update module over the data connection to the plurality of data package sources as local priority matrix updates;

wherein the data package receiver module, the priority matrix update module, and the update broadcast module comprise one or more of logic hardware and executable code, the executable code stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the priority matrix update module comprises a frequency module configured to update the central priority matrix based at least partially on a number of the plurality of data packages having a similar data package type.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the priority matrix update module comprises a user access priority module configured to update the central priority matrix based at least partially on a number of times that data packages of a similar data package type have been accessed by one or more users.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the priority matrix update module comprises a user rating module configured to update the central priority matrix based at least partially on one or more user supplied data package priorities.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the priority matrix update module comprises a last access module configured to update the central priority matrix based at least partially on an amount of time that has transpired since a data package of a data package type has been accessed.

9. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the priority matrix update module comprises a priority override module configured to update the central priority matrix based at least partially on a user-provided override data package priority.

10. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the data connection comprises a substantially constant data connection.

11. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the plurality of data packages comprises a plurality of error reports, and further wherein the prioritization of data package types comprises an error severity prioritization.

12. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein at least one data package source from the plurality of data package sources comprises a dumper module configured to transmit data packages between servers in the prioritized order.

13. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein at least one data package source from the plurality of data package sources comprises an unpacker module configured to parse and unpack data packages in the prioritized order.

14. A system for data determination propagation, the system comprising:

a data package source configured to collect call home data and to compile the call home data into call home packages;

a local data package prioritization module configured to determine a prioritized order of the call home packages based on a local priority matrix, to send the call home packages in the prioritized order over a temporary data connection, and to update the local priority matrix over the temporary data connection based on a central priority matrix;

a central data package prioritization module configured to receive the call home packages and to make one or more updates to the central priority matrix based on the call home packages; and

a data package repository configured to store the call home packages;

wherein the data package source, the local data package prioritization module, the central data package prioritization module, and the data package repository comprise one or more of logic hardware and executable code, the executable code stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a secondary data package source configured to determine a secondary prioritized order of at least a subset of the call home packages and one or more additional call home packages based on a second local priority matrix, to perform an action on at least a subset of the call home packages and the additional call home packages in the secondary prioritized order, and to update the second local priority matrix over a substantially constant data connection based on the central priority matrix.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the central data package prioritization module is further configured to broadcast the one or more updates over the substantially constant data connection to the secondary data package source.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising a user interface configured to provide a user access to the call home packages stored in the data package repository.

18. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer usable program code executable by a computer to perform operations for data determination propagation, the operations of the computer program product comprising:

receiving a plurality of error records from one or more data package sources in a prioritized order based on a local priority matrix;

determining whether an error record from the plurality of error records comprises a new error type;

determining an error priority of the new error type;

making one or more updates to a central priority matrix based on the error priority of the new error type; and

sending the one or more updates to at least one of the one or more data package sources as local priority matrix updates.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising receiving a local priority matrix update query from the at least one of the one or more data package sources.