Systems, methods, and apparatus to debug a network application by utilizing a cloned network and an interactive debugging technique

• US 8,352,801 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2012
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Van Der Merwe, Jacobus, Caesar, Matthew Chapman, Lin, Chia-Chi
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHELL, JOSEPH O
• Application Number:
  US13/542,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20120284699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 187 Days
• Field of Search: 714/25, 714/43, 714/45, 703/21, 717/124, 717/127
• US Class Current: 714/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0661 by reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0863 by rolling back to previous configuration versions

Abstract

A method includes instantiating a cloned network that includes a second set of virtual service nodes. The second set of virtual service nodes includes at least one cloned virtual service node that is a clone of a corresponding virtual service node in a first set of virtual service nodes. The at least one cloned virtual service node has access to a history of events that occurred at the corresponding virtual service node in the first set of virtual service nodes. The method includes initiating an interactive debugging session that includes step by step processing of the events of the history of events.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a user interface configured to receive commands from a user terminal;

a network interface communicatively coupled to a plurality of virtual service nodes via a communication network; and

processing logic configured to;

instantiate a cloned network that includes a second set of virtual service nodes that includes at least one cloned virtual service node that is a clone of a corresponding virtual service node in a first set of virtual service nodes of the plurality of virtual services nodes, wherein the at least one cloned virtual service node has access to a history of events that occurred at the corresponding virtual service node in the first set of virtual service nodes; and

initiate an interactive debugging session that includes step by step processing by the cloned network of the events of the history of events, wherein the step by step processing of the events starts at a first event of the history of events, wherein the step by step processing of the events includes sending a transmit command to each virtual service node in the second set of virtual service nodes, wherein the transmit command identifies a transmit phase, and wherein, during the transmit phase, each virtual service node in the second set of virtual service nodes is configured to transmit one or more packets associated with the first event.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more packets associated with the first event includes one or more packets transmitted during the first event by the corresponding virtual service node in the first set of virtual service nodes.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each virtual service node in the second set of virtual service nodes is configured to receive one or more packets received during the first event at the corresponding virtual service node in the first set of virtual service nodes.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first event is identified by a checkpoint.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a particular event in the history of events includes information related to a state of the corresponding virtual service node before the particular event, a state of the corresponding virtual service node after the particular event, an output of the particular event, one or more packets received during the particular event, and one or more packets transmitted during the particular event.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein each event in the history of events is ordered based on an order hierarchy that approximates an order in which the one or more packets were received at the corresponding virtual service node.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the step by step processing of the events includes sending a processing command to each virtual service node in the second set of virtual service nodes upon completion of the transmit phase.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processing command identifies a processing phase, wherein, during the processing phase, each virtual service node in the second set of virtual service nodes is configured to process the one or more packets received during the first event.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processing logic is configured to:

determine whether a breakpoint that is associated with a condition of the communication network has been reached in response to completion of the processing phase; and

in response to a determination that the breakpoint has not been reached, sending a second transmit command and a second processing command to the second set of virtual service nodes, wherein the second transmit command and the second processing command are associated with a next event in the history of events.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing logic is configured to:

modify a configuration of the cloned network in response to determining that a breakpoint has been reached; and

initiate a second interactive debugging session that includes step by step processing of the events of the history of events via the cloned network.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein modifying the configuration of the cloned network includes modifying a configuration of at least one cloned virtual service node in the cloned network.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing logic is configured to merge the modified configuration into at least one virtual service node of the first set of virtual service nodes.

13. A method comprising:

instantiating a cloned network that includes a second set of virtual service nodes that includes at least one cloned virtual service node that is a clone of a corresponding virtual service node in a first set of virtual service nodes of a plurality of virtual services nodes, wherein the at least one cloned virtual service node has access to a history of events that occurred at the corresponding virtual service node in the first set of virtual service nodes; and

initiating an interactive debugging session that includes step by step processing by the cloned network of the events of the history of events, wherein the step by step processing of the events starts at a first event of the history of events, wherein the step by step processing of the events includes sending a transmit command to each virtual service node in the second set of virtual service nodes, wherein the transmit command identifies a transmit phase, and wherein, during the transmit phase, each virtual service node in the second set of virtual service nodes is configured to transmit one or more packets transmitted during the first event by the corresponding virtual service node in the first set of virtual service nodes and to receive one or more packets received during the first event at the corresponding virtual service node in the first set of virtual service nodes.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein a particular event in the history of events includes information related to a state of the corresponding virtual service node before the particular event, a state of the corresponding virtual service node after the particular event, an output of the particular event, one or more packets received during the particular event, and one or more packets transmitted during the particular event.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step by step processing of the events includes sending a processing command to each of the virtual service node in the second set of virtual service nodes upon completion of the transmit phase, wherein the processing command identifies a processing phase, wherein, during the processing phase, each virtual service node in the second set of virtual service nodes is configured to process the one or more packets received during the first event.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining whether a breakpoint that is associated with a condition of the communication network has been reached in response to completion of the processing phase; and

in response to a determination that the breakpoint has not been reached, sending a second transmit command and a second processing command to the second set of virtual service nodes, wherein the second transmit command and the second processing command are associated with a next event in the history of events.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

modifying a configuration of the cloned network in response to determining that a breakpoint has been reached; and

initiating a second interactive debugging session that includes step by step processing of the events of the history of events via the cloned network.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

instantiate a cloned network that includes a second set of virtual service nodes that includes at least one cloned virtual service node that is a clone of a corresponding virtual service node in a first set of virtual service nodes of a plurality of virtual services nodes, wherein the at least one cloned virtual service node has access to a history of events that occurred at the corresponding virtual service node in the first set of virtual service nodes; and

initiate an interactive debugging session that includes step by step processing of the events of the history of events, wherein the step by step processing of the events starts at a first event of the history of events, wherein the step by step processing of the events includes sending a transmit command to each virtual service node in the second set of virtual service nodes, wherein the transmit command identifies a transmit phase, and wherein, during the transmit phase, each virtual service node in the second set of virtual service nodes is configured to transmit one or more packets associated with the first event.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein a particular event in the history of events includes information related to a state of the corresponding virtual service node before the particular event, a state of the corresponding virtual service node after the particular event, an output of the particular event, one or more packets received during the particular event, and one or more packets transmitted during the particular event.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the step by step processing of the events includes sending a processing command to each of the virtual service nodes in the second set of virtual service nodes upon completion of the transmit phase, wherein the processing command identifies a processing phase, wherein, during the processing phase, each virtual service node in the second set of virtual service nodes is configured to process the one or more packets received during the first event.