Visualizing relationships between a transaction trace graph and a map of logical subsystems

• US 8,438,427 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2011
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beck, Laura G, Litt, Natalya E, Isley, Nathan A
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DIEU MINH T
• Application Number:
  US13/082,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20120260135A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 714/46, 714/38.1, 714/38.14, 714/37, 717/127, 717/128, 717/109, 345/594, 345/650, 345/661
• US Class Current: 714/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/323 Visualisation of programs or trace data

Abstract

A method for diagnosing problems in a computer system by providing a user interface for visualizing flows through subsystems of the computer system, and allowing a user to explore relationships between a triage map which graphically depicts subsystems, and a transaction trace graph, which depicts a time sequence of invoked components of the subsystems. In one aspect, in response to a user selecting a portion of the transaction trace graph which depicts an invoked component, the user interface visually distinguishes one of the subsystems which invokes the invoked component. In another aspect, the transaction trace can be played back so that subsystems in the triage map are highlighted in turn, in a time sequence, as components of different subsystems are invoked. A time marker can skip to selected time points which result in updating of the triage map.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

displaying a triage map region on a user interface, the triage map region graphically depicts subsystems of an application which are invoked in one transaction instance of one Business Transaction and dependency relationships between the subsystems, the subsystems are depicted as nodes, and the dependency relationships are depicted with arrows connecting the nodes and indicate an order in which the subsystems call one another; and

based on data which is obtained from an agent associated with the application and based on a user command selecting the one Business Transaction, displaying an auxiliary region of the user interface, the auxiliary region displays a first transaction trace, the first transaction trace comprises a graph which identifies invoked components of one of the subsystems and calling relationships among the invoked components of the one of the subsystems, the invoked components of the one of the subsystems are invoked in the one transaction instance of the one Business Transaction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the triage map region identifies the one Business Transaction by displaying a node with a name of the one Business Transaction;

the triage map region indicates that the node with the name of the one Business Transaction is associated with nodes of the subsystems; and

the user command selects the one Business Transaction by selecting the node with the name of the one Business Transaction.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a user selection of a portion of the graph, the portion depicts one of the invoked components of the one of the subsystems, visually distinguishing one of the nodes which represents the one of the subsystems.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

another of the subsystems comprises a back end which is called by the one of the subsystems in the one transaction instance;

the triage map region use one of the arrows to graphically depict a dependency relationship between the one of the subsystems and the back end; and

the method performed further comprises, in response to the user selection of the portion of the graph, visually distinguishing the one of the arrows.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

based on the data which is obtained from the agent associated with the application and based on the user command selecting the one Business Transaction, the auxiliary region displays a second transaction trace on a common time scale with the first transaction trace, the second transaction trace comprises a graph which identifies invoked components of another of the subsystems in the one transaction instance and calling relationships among the invoked components of the another of the subsystems in the one transaction instance.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

in response to a user selection of a portion of the graph of the first transaction trace, visually distinguishing one of the nodes which represents the one of the subsystems from another of the nodes which represents the another of the subsystems.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

in response to a user selection of one of the nodes which represents the one of the subsystems, visually distinguishing the graph of the first transaction trace from the graph of the second transaction trace.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

another of the subsystems comprises a back end which is called by the one of the subsystems in the one transaction instance;

the triage map region uses one of the arrows to graphically depict a dependency relationship between the one of the subsystems and the back end; and

the method performed further comprises, in response to a user selection of the one of the arrows, visually distinguishing one portion of the graph which represents one of the invoked components in the one of the subsystems which calls the back end.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

another of the subsystems comprises a back end which is called by the one of the subsystems in the one transaction instance; and

the triage map region uses one of the arrows to graphically depict a dependency relationship between the one of the subsystems and the back end; and

the method performed further comprises, in response to a user selection of one of the nodes which represents the back end, visually distinguishing one portion of the graph which represents one of the invoked components in the one of the subsystems which calls the back end.

10. Tangible, non-transitory computer readable storage comprising computer readable software embodied thereon for programming a processor to perform a method, the method performed comprises:

displaying a triage map region on a user interface, the triage map region graphically depicts subsystems of an application and dependency relationships between the subsystems, the subsystems are depicted as nodes and the dependency relationships indicate an order in which the subsystems call one another;

based on data which is obtained from an agent associated with the application, displaying an auxiliary region of the user interface, the auxiliary region displays one transaction trace, the one transaction trace comprises a graph which identifies invoked components of one of the subsystems and calling relationships among the invoked components, the invoked components are invoked in one transaction instance;

updating the auxiliary region in a time sequence in which a time marker moves across the one transaction trace; and

updating the triage map region to visually distinguish one of the nodes which represents one of the subsystems based on a position of the time marker.

11. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable storage of claim 10, wherein:

the one of the nodes which represents the one of the subsystems is visually distinguished when the time marker intersects with a portion of the one transaction trace which represents one of the invoked components.

12. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable storage of claim 10, wherein:

the auxiliary region is updated to show a duration of each of the invoked components as the time marker skips between portions of the graph which represent the invoked components.

13. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable storage of claim 10, wherein:

the time marker skips to selected time points in the graph which result in updating of the triage map region without stopping at time points in the graph which do not result in updating of the triage map region.

14. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable storage of claim 10, wherein:

the dependency relationships are depicted with arrows connecting the nodes; and

the time marker skips to selected time points in the graph which result in updating of the triage map region to visually distinguish at least one of the subsystems or one of the arrows.

15. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable storage of claim 10, wherein:

the dependency relationships are depicted using an arrow connecting the one of the nodes which represents the one of the subsystems with one of the nodes which represents another of the subsystems which is called by the one of the subsystems; and

the triage map region is updated to visually distinguish the arrow when the time marker intersects with a portion of the graph which represents a call from the one of the subsystems to the another of the subsystems.

16. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable storage of claim 10, wherein:

the auxiliary region displays another transaction trace, the another transaction trace comprises a graph which identifies invoked components of another of the subsystems in the one transaction instance and calling relationships among the invoked components of the another of the subsystems in the one transaction instance;

the graph of the one transaction trace is on a common time scale with the graph of the another transaction trace; and

the triage map region is updated to visually distinguish one of the nodes which represents the another of the subsystems when the position of the time marker intersects with the graph of the another transaction trace.

17. A method, comprising:

displaying a triage map region on a user interface, the triage map region graphically depicts subsystems of an application and dependency relationships between the subsystems, the subsystems are depicted as nodes the dependency relationships are depicted with arrows connecting the nodes and indicate an order in which the subsystems call one another;

based on data which is obtained from an agent associated with the application, displaying an auxiliary region of the user interface, the auxiliary region displays one transaction trace, the one transaction trace comprises a graph which identifies invoked components of one of the subsystems and calling relationships among the invoked components, the invoked components are invoked in one transaction instance;

updating the auxiliary region in a time sequence in which a time marker moves across the one transaction trace;

updating the triage map region to visually distinguish one of the subsystems based on a position of the time marker; and

updating the triage map region to visually distinguish one of the arrows based on a position of the time marker when the time marker is at a point in the one transaction trace at which a call is made by the one of the subsystems to another of the subsystems.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the one of the arrows is between one of the nodes which represents the one of the subsystems and another of the nodes which represents the another of the subsystems.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the another of the subsystems comprises an un-instrumented subsystem.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the auxiliary region displays another transaction trace, the another transaction trace comprises a graph which identifies invoked components of another of the subsystems in the one transaction instance and calling relationships among the invoked components of the another of the subsystems in the one transaction instance;

the graph of the one transaction trace is on a common time scale with the graph of the another transaction trace; and

the triage map region is updated to visually distinguish one of the nodes which represents the another of the subsystems when the position of the time marker intersects with the graph of the another transaction trace.