Trace management in client-server applications

• US 8,271,957 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2008
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Wedel, Malte, Roessler, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): DENG, ANNA CHEN
• Application Number:
  US12/138,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20080313504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,558 Days
• Field of Search: 717/128, 717/131
• US Class Current: 717/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program

Abstract

There are methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for generating an integrated trace output file on a system having a first computing device and a second computing device. The first computing device generates a first trace output and receives a second trace output from the second computing device. The first computing device generates an integrated trace output file by combining the second trace output with the first trace output.

Claims

1. A system for generating an integrated trace output file, the system comprising:

a client comprising a client agent, including;

a client detection module configured to detect a first event having a first severity level at the client;

a client generation module configured to generate a client-side trace output in response to the detection of the first event at the client; and

a client communication module configured to transmit the client-side trace output;

a server comprising;

a server processing unit;

a server agent designed to be executed by the server processing unit, including;

a server detection module configured to detect a second event having a second severity level at the server;

a server generation module configured to generate a server-side trace output in response to the detection of the second event at the server;

a server communication module configured to receive the client-side trace output from the client; and

a server integration module configured to generate the integrated trace output file by integrating the client-side trace output with the server-side trace output, the integrated trace output file having the client-side trace output appended to the server-side trace output,

wherein the server is configured to allow a user to set severity levels indicating the integrated trace output file comprises at least one message among an error message, a warning message, an information message, and a debug message.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the server further comprises an application program including the server agent.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one client further comprises a client program including a client agent.

2. A system comprising:

at least one client for generating at least one client-side trace output in response to a detection of at least one event having at least one severity level at the at least one client; and

a server comprising;

a server processing unit;

a server agent designed to be executed by the server processing unit, the server agent comprising;

a server detection module configured to detect a first event having a first severity level at the server;

a server generation module configured to generate a server-side trace output in response to the detection of the first event having the first severity level at the server;

a server communication module configured to receive the at least one client-side trace output from the at least one client; and

a server integration module configured to generate the integrated trace output file by integrating the at least one client-side trace output with the server-side trace output, the integrated trace output file having the at least one client-side trace output appended to the server-side trace output,

wherein the server is configured to allow a user to set severity levels indicating the integrated trace output file comprises at least one message among an error message, a warning message, an information message, and a debug message.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the client comprises:

a client detection module configured to detect the at least one event having the at least one severity level at the at least one client;

a client generation module configured to generate the at least one client-side trace output in response to the detection of the at least one event at the at least one client; and

a client communication module configured to transfer the at least one client-side trace output to the server for integrating the at least one client-side trace output with the server-side trace output.

6. A method for generating trace output files on a system having a client and a server, the server comprising a processing unit, the method comprising:

detecting a first event having a first severity level at the client;

generating a client-side trace output in response to the detection of the first event having the first severity level at the client;

detecting a second event having a second severity level at the server;

generating a server-side trace output in response to the detection of the second event having the second severity level at the server;

transmitting the client-side trace output to the server;

integrating the client-side trace output with the server-side trace output to generate an integrated trace output file having the client-side trace output appended to the server-side trace output; and

setting, by the server processing unit, severity levels indicating the integrated trace output file comprises at least one message among an error message, a warning message, an information message, and a debug message.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising detecting the first event at the client while a user is interacting with an application program executing on the server.

8. A non-transitory computer program storage product storing instructions that cause a server to:

detect a first event having a first severity level at the server;

generate a server-side trace output in response to the detection of the first event;

receive a client-side trace output from a client, wherein the client-side trace output is generated in response to detection of a second event having a second severity level at the client;

generate an integrated trace output file by integrating the client-side trace output with the server-side trace output, the integrated trace output file having the client-side trace output appended to the-server-side trace output; and

set severity levels indicating the integrated trace output file comprises at least one message among an error message, a warning message, an information message, and a debug message.

9. The non-transitory computer program storage product of claim 8, further comprising instructions to provide an agent to the client.

10. The non-transitory computer program storage product of claim 9, wherein the instructions to provide the agent further comprise instructions to employ executable code.

11. The non-transitory computer program storage product of claim 8, wherein the first severity level indicates whether the server-side trace output comprises an error message, a warning message, an information message, or a debug message.

12. The non-transitory computer program storage product of claim 9, wherein the second severity level indicates whether the second client-side trace output comprises an error message, a warning message, an information message, or a debug message.

13. The non-transitory computer program storage product of claim 8, further comprising instructions to receive an active component trace output from the client.

14. The non-transitory computer program storage product of claim 13, further comprising instructions to combine the active component trace output with the server-side trace output.

15. The non-transitory computer program storage product of claim 9, wherein the client-side trace output includes an active component trace output generated at the client.

16. The non-transitory computer program storage product of claim 8, further comprising instructions to display the integrated trace output file on the client.

17. The non-transitory computer program storage product of claim 16, further comprising instructions to display the integrated trace output file in a separate browser window.

18. The non-transitory computer program storage product of claim 8, wherein the instructions to generate the integrated trace output file comprise instructions to integrate the client-side trace output with the server-side trace output in a chronological order.