Apparatus and method to generate and collect diagnostic data

• US 8,112,676 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2009
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bryan, Lourie A.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHU, GABRIEL L
• Application Number:
  US12/391,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20100218052A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,079 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 714/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0778 Dumping, i.e. gathering error/state information after a fault for later diagnosis

Abstract

A method to generate and save diagnostic data in the event of an application error, wherein the method supplies a first computing device comprising a microprocessor and a first computer readable medium and an application encoded in said computer readable medium, wherein said application comprises an error handling module. The method further supplies a second computing device comprising a microprocessor and a second computer readable medium and an error data management module encoded in said second computer readable medium, wherein said error data management module comprises a diagnostic data generating module, wherein said first computing device is in communication with said second computing device. The method executes the application, detects by the error handling module an application error, and detects by the error data management module the application error. The method then receives by the error handling module a completion signal from the error data management module, and provides an error signal from the error handling module to a support center.

Claims

1. A method to generate and save diagnostic data in the event of an application error, comprising:

supplying a first computing device comprising a first microprocessor and a first computer readable medium and an application encoded in said first computer readable medium, wherein said application comprises an error handling module;

supplying a second computing device comprising a second microprocessor and a second computer readable medium and an error data management module encoded in said second computer readable medium, wherein said error data management module comprises a diagnostic data generating module, wherein said first computing device is in communication with said second computing device;

executing said application;

detecting by said error handling module an application error;

detecting by said error data management module said application error;

receiving by said error handling module a completion signal from said error data management module;

providing an error signal by said error handling module;

determining if diagnostic data from said error data management module is required;

operative if diagnostic data from said error data management module is not required, providing said error signal even if said error handling module completion signal has not been received

wherein;

said first computing device and said second computing device comprise the same computing device;

said first computer readable medium and said second computer readable medium comprise the same computer readable medium;

said first microprocessor and said second microprocessor are the same microprocessor,

said first computing device comprises a storage server in communication with a plurality of data storage devices and in communication with a plurality of host computers;

said second computing device comprises said storage server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a default waiting period;

setting a reporting delay interval equal to said default waiting period;

determining if a time interval since detecting said error exceeds said reporting delay interval;

operative if a time interval since detecting said error exceeds said reporting delay interval, providing said error signal even if said error handling module completion signal has not been received.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said error handling module comprises a database associating each of a plurality of application errors with a specific error data management module response interval, further comprising:

operative if said error handling database associates a specific error data management module response interval with said detected error, setting said reporting delay interval equal to said specific error data management module response interval.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said diagnostic data generating module comprises a database associating each of a plurality of application errors with a specific data collection script, further comprising:

operative if said diagnostic data generating module database associates a specific data collection script with said detected error, invoking said specific data collection script;

gathering diagnostic data recited in said specific data collection script.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising storing said gathered diagnostic data at storage location designated by said specific diagnostic data collection script.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining if all the diagnostic data recited in said specific data collection script has been collected and saved;

operative if all the diagnostic data recited in said specific data collection script has been collected and saved, providing said completion signal to said error handling module.

7. A storage server comprising a microprocessor, a computer readable medium, an application comprising an error handling module and encoded in said computer readable medium, an error data management module encoded in said computer readable medium, and computer readable program code encoded in said computer readable medium to generate and save diagnostic data, wherein said storage server is in communication with a support center, the computer readable program code comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect:

executing said application;

detecting an application error by said error handling module;

detecting an application error by said error data management module;

receiving a completion signal from said error data management module;

providing an error signal to said support center;

determining if diagnostic data from said error data management module is required;

operative if diagnostic data from said error data management module is not required, providing said error signal even if said error handling module completion signal has not been received.

8. The storage server of claim 7, wherein said computer readable program code to effect providing an error signal further comprises a series of computer readable program steps to effect providing an error signal by said error handling module to a support center.

9. The storage server of claim 8, wherein said storage server comprises a virtual tape server in communication with a plurality of tape drive devices.

10. The storage server of claim 9, wherein:

said storage server is in communication with a plurality of host computers;

each host computer comprises a data management system.

11. The storage server of claim 7, further comprising a default waiting period encoded in said computer readable medium, the computer readable program code comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect:

setting a reporting delay interval equal to said default waiting period;

determining if a time interval since detecting said error exceeds said reporting delay interval;

operative if a time interval since detecting said error exceeds said reporting delay interval, providing said error signal even if said error handling module completing signal has not been received.

12. The storage server of claim 11, wherein said error handling module comprises a database associating each of a plurality of application errors with a specific error data management module response interval, said computer readable program code further comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect:

operative if said error handling database associates a specific error data management module response interval with said detected error, setting said reporting delay interval equal to said specific error data management module response interval.

13. The storage server of claim 7, wherein said diagnostic data generating module comprises a database associating each of a plurality of application errors with a specific data collection script, said computer readable program code further comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect:

determining if said diagnostic data generating module database associates a specific data collection script with said detected error;

operative if said diagnostic data generating module database associates a specific data collection script with said detected error, invoking said specific data collection script;

gathering diagnostic data recited in said specific data collection script.

14. The storage server of claim 13, said computer readable program code further comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect storing said gathered diagnostic data at a storage location designated by said specific diagnostic data collection script.

15. The storage server of claim 14, said computer readable program code further comprising a series of computer readable program steps to effect:

determining if all the diagnostic data recited in said specific data collection script has been collected and saved;

operative if all the diagnostic data recited in said specific data collection script has been collected and saved, providing said completion signal to said error handling module.