Testing of a system logging facility using randomized input and iteratively changed log parameters

• US 8,032,790 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2005
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jones, Nicholas R., Rankin, Thomas F., Zobre, Douglas M., Sica, Andrew M., Chopra, Tarun, Miller, Robert Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Li
• Assistant Examiner(s): KRETZMER, ERIKA A
• Application Number:
  US11/259,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20070168967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,168 Days
• Field of Search: 714/32, 714/38.14, 717/126, 702/187
• US Class Current: 714/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites

Abstract

A method and computer program product for testing a system logger. Randomized input is provided into a logging facility and automated testing of the logging facility is performed in a multi-processing environment. Self-verification of data retrieved from the logging facility is performed to ensure no data loss occurs due to external system events or failures driven by a test tool. Real-time analysis of results received is performed by the test tool based on the randomized input into the logging facility. First failure data is captured and self-verification of results of a data recovery operation of the logging facility is performed in a disaster recovery scenario. Self-verification includes writing log blocks of random sizes to the log stream, iteratively forcing log data to be offloaded from primary storage to secondary storage, iteratively updating log stream attributes, and iteratively swapping duplexing modes.

Claims

1. A method for testing a software application program, the method comprising:

providing randomized input into a logging facility, the logging facility collecting data from multiple systems in a coupling facility log stream;

performing automated testing of the logging facility in a multi-processing environment;

performing self-verification of data retrieved from the logging facility to ensure no data loss occurs due to external system events or failures driven by a test tool;

performing real-time analysis of results received by the test tool based on the randomized input into the logging facility;

capturing first failure data; and

performing self-verification of results of a data recovery operation of the logging facility in a disaster recovery scenario;

wherein performing self-verification of data retrieved includes;

writing a number of log blocks, N, to the log stream, each log block being a randomly sized block having tracking information stored inside each log block;

iteratively forcing log data to be offloaded from primary storage to secondary storage;

iteratively performing a dynamic update of log stream attributes including a class name, log stream size and a threshold offload values;

iteratively swapping duplexing of the log stream between a Coupling Facility Structure DUPLEX and SIMPLEX modes;

reading all log blocks from the log stream that were written during this current iteration;

after verification completes successfully, deleting log blocks older than N/2+1 from the log stream.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the automated testing of the logging facility is performed simultaneously on multiple systems that share multiple resources.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the automated testing drives and verifies functions and capabilities of a logging function in the multi-processing environment in order to facilitate an automated regression test (ART) of the logging function.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the multi-processing environment uses multiple log streams in order to drive timing windows.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising issuing dynamic commands to an operating system in order to alter characteristics of the logging facility.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising asynchronously logging events and dynamically updating attributes of permanent logs.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein when a data loss is detected, relevant first failure data capture information is captured and a determination is made (i) concerning missing data and (ii) concerning one or more causes of the data loss.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein verification of log block data involves comparing attributes of each read log block with an expected attribute.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the verification of the log block involves a time stamp attribute, a log block identifier attribute, a log block contents attribute and a script descriptor attribute.

10. A method for testing a software application program, the method comprising:

providing randomized input into a logging facility, the logging facility collecting data from multiple systems in a coupling facility log stream;

performing automated testing of the logging facility in a multi-processing environment; and

performing a logging function,

wherein the automated testing of the system logger comprises the following tasks;

a user interface task;

an event notification facility (ENF) monitor task;

a main procedure task; and

one or more auxiliary tasks;

wherein the main procedure task includes;

writing a number of log blocks, N, to the log stream, each log block being a randomly sized block having tracking information stored inside each log block;

iteratively forcing log data to be offloaded from primary storage to secondary storage;

iteratively performing a dynamic update of log stream attributes including a class name, log stream size and a threshold offload values;

iteratively swapping duplexing of the log stream between a Coupling Facility Structure DUPLEX and SIMPLEX modes;

reading all log blocks from the log stream that were written during this current iteration;

after verification completes successfully, deleting log blocks older than N/2+1 from the log stream.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the event notification facility (ENF) monitor task monitors for ENF events that indicate state changes in the system logger and the associated log streams.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein:

each auxiliary task runs in a separate address space and performs additional write, read and query functions.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein a system failure and disaster recovery task is run only when system failure and disaster recovery scenarios are detected.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the system failure and disaster recovery task verifies the system logger'"'"'s ability to recover data from secondary recording mediums.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the automated testing of the system logger is performed via a component test tool multi-system communications task (CTTX).

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the CTTX allows the automated testing of the system logger to synchronize startup, shutdown, input/output (I/O) and verification functions between different systems in a sysplex.

17. A computer program product for testing a software application program, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium; and

program instructions stored on the non-transitory storage medium for performing

a method, the method comprising;

providing randomized input into a logging facility, the logging facility collecting data from multiple systems in a coupling facility log stream;

performing automated testing of the logging facility in a multi-processing environment; and

performing a logging function,

wherein the automated testing of the system logger comprises the following tasks;

a user interface task;

an event notification facility (ENF) monitor task;

a main procedure task; and

one or more auxiliary tasks;

wherein the main procedure task includes;

writing a number of log blocks, N, to the log stream, each log block being a randomly sized block having tracking information stored inside each log block;

iteratively forcing log data to be offloaded from primary storage to secondary storage;

iteratively performing a dynamic update of log stream attributes including a class name, log stream size and a threshold offload values;

iteratively swapping duplexing of the log stream between a Coupling Facility Structure DUPLEX and SIMPLEX modes;

reading all log blocks from the log stream that were written during this current iteration;

after verification completes successfully, deleting log blocks older than N/2+1 from the log stream.

18. A computer program product for testing a software application program, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium; and

program instructions stored on the non-transitory storage medium for performing

a method, the method comprising;

providing randomized input into a logging facility, the logging facility collecting data from multiple systems in a coupling facility log stream;

performing automated testing of the logging facility in a multi-processing environment;

performing self-verification of data retrieved from the logging facility to ensure no data loss occurs due to external system events or failures driven by a test tool;

performing real-time analysis of results received by the test tool based on the randomized input into the logging facility;

capturing first failure data; and

performing self-verification of results of a data recovery operation of the logging facility in a disaster recovery scenario;

wherein performing self-verification of data retrieved includes;

writing a number of log blocks, N, to the log stream, each log block being a randomly sized block having tracking information stored inside each log block;

iteratively forcing log data to be offloaded from primary storage to secondary storage;

iteratively performing a dynamic update of log stream attributes including a class name, log stream size and a threshold offload values;

iteratively swapping duplexing of the log stream between a Coupling Facility Structure DUPLEX and SIMPLEX modes;

reading all log blocks from the log stream that were written during this current iteration;

after verification completes successfully, deleting log blocks older than N/2+1 from the log stream.