Automated analysis of collected field data for error detection

• US 8,191,099 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2006
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synamedia Limited
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta LLC (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Johnson, Lee R., Blackmon, James Michael, Felts, William III
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dubasky, Gigi L
• Application Number:
  US11/413,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20070256114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,223 Days
• Field of Search: 725/105, 725/107, 725/124, 725/125, 714/26, 714/47.3
• US Class Current: 725/107
• 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: H04N 21/2404 Monitoring of server processing errors or hardware failure error or fault detection G06F11/07; monitoring in general G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4432 Powering on the client, e.g. bootstrap loading using setup parameters being stored locally or received from the server resetting in general G06F1/14; program loading or initiating in general G06F9/445; bootstrapping in general G06F9/4401; secure boots of computer platforms G06F21/57

Abstract

Included are embodiments of a method for detecting errors in a set top terminal (STT). At least one embodiment of a method includes receiving error data related to at least one error that occurred in at least one STT and comparing the received error data to at least one signature file, the at least one signature file including a pattern related to at least one documented error. Additional embodiments of the method may also include in response to determining that the received error data does not match the pattern related to at least one documented error, creating a new signature file, the new signature file including at least one pattern associated with the received error data.

Claims

1. A method for detecting errors in a networked set top terminal (STT), comprising:

receiving an error log from at least one STT of the plurality of STTs, wherein the error log comprises error data related to at least one error that occurred in the at least one STT, wherein the error data includes a processor state field identifying a condition of a processor associated with the at least one STT at a time the at least one error occurred and an identification of a subroutine being executed at the time of the at least one error;

compiling the error data received from the at least one STT with other error data received from a plurality of STTs into a master log file;

comparing the received error data to at least one documented signature file, the at least one documented signature file including a pattern related to at least one documented error;

in response to determining that the received error data does not match the pattern related to the at least one documented error, creating and storing a new signature file, the new signature file including an error identifier and at least one pattern associated with the received error data;

creating a directory file containing a list of the at least one documented signature file and the new signature file, wherein the list of the at least one documented signature file and the new signature file is organized according to complexity, wherein a more complex signature file is positioned before a less complex signature file in the list; and

analyzing the directory file to determine an error trend in the STT, wherein analyzing the directory file comprises analyzing the more complex signature file before analyzing the less complex signature file.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising separating, in the master log file, the received error data according to STT.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising separating, in the master log file, the received error data according to the at least one pattern associated with the received error data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the error log is received pursuant to an STT reboot.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the error data is received aperiodically over a predetermined interval of time.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a summary report of detected errors.

7. A computer readable memory having a computer program for detecting errors in a set top terminal (STT), comprising:

logic configured to receive, from at least one STT, an error log comprising error data related to at least one error that occurred in the at least one STT, wherein the error data includes a processor state field identifying a condition of a processor associated with the at least one STT at a time the at least one error occurred and an identification of a subroutine being executed at the time of the at least one error;

logic configured to compile the error log with a plurality of error logs received from a plurality of STTs into a master log file;

logic configured to compare the received error data to at least one signature file, the at least one signature file including a pattern related to at least one documented error;

logic configured to, in response to determining that the received error data does not match the pattern related to the at least one documented error, facilitate creation and storage of a new signature file in said computer readable memory, the new signature file including an error identifier and at least one pattern associated with the received error data;

logic configured to create a directory file containing a list of the at least one documented signature file and the new signature file, wherein the list of the at least one documented signature file and the new signature file is organized according to complexity, wherein a more complex signature file is positioned before a less complex signature file in the list; and

logic to analyze the directory file to determine an error trend in the STT, wherein logic to analyze the directory file comprises logic to analyze the more complex signature file before analyzing the less complex signature file.

8. The computer readable memory of claim 7, wherein the master log file comprises error data related to the plurality of STTs.

9. The computer readable memory of claim 8, further comprising logic configured to separate, in the master log file, the received error data according to STT.

10. The computer readable memory of claim 7, further comprising logic configured to separate, in the master log file, the received error data according to error pattern.

11. The computer readable memory of claim 7, further comprising logic configured to create a directory for storing the received error data.

12. The computer readable memory of claim 7, wherein the error data is received aperiodically over a predetermined interval of time.

13. A control system for detecting errors in a set top terminal (STT), comprising:

a memory; and

a processor being configured to operate in accordance to;

error collecting logic configured to enable the processor to receive error logs from a plurality of, the error collecting logic further being configured to enable the processor to create a log file from the received error logs;

error compiling logic configured to enable the processor to compile the error logs received from the plurality of STTs into a master log file;

error processing logic configured to enable the processor to receive the log file, the error processing logic further being configured to enable the processor to separate error data related to an STT and determine whether the error data is associated with a documented error;

error documentation logic configured to enable the processor to create a new signature file including an error identifier and at least one pattern associated with the received error data in response to determining that the error data is not associated with the at least one documented error, and to store in the memory a plurality of signature files for the error data, wherein the error data includes a processor state field identifying the condition of a processor associated with the STT at a time an error occurred and an identification of a subroutine being executed at the time of the error;

error directory file logic configured to create and store, in the memory, a directory file containing a list of the plurality of signature files, wherein the list of the at least one documented signature file and the new signature file is organized according to complexity, wherein a more complex signature file is positioned before a less complex signature file in the list; and

error analyzing logic configured to analyze the directory file to determine an error trend in the STT, wherein the error analyzing logic is configured to analyze the directory file comprises analyzing the more complex signature file before analyzing the less complex signature file.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the error processing logic further separates the master log file into a plurality of individual STT files, each individual STT file corresponding to a single STT.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the error processing logic further separates the master log file into a plurality of individual error files, each individual error file corresponding to a single error.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the error collecting logic further receives error logs aperiodically over a predetermined interval of time.