Method and apparatus for determining how to transform applications into transactional applications

• US 8,495,103 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Little, Mark Cameron
• Primary Examiner(s): Chbouki, Tarek
• Application Number:
  US12/475,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20100306266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/523 Mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/466 Transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/526 Mutual exclusion algorithms

Abstract

A computing device monitors an application that includes at least one object over a time period. The computing device identifies a usage pattern of the at least one object over the time period. The computing device recommends, based on the usage pattern, at least one of a) that the at least one object be converted to a transactional object and b) a locking strategy for the at least one object.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

monitoring an application by a computing device, the application comprising a non-transactional object that lacks semantics to participate in transactions;

identifying, by the computing device, a usage pattern of the non-transactional object;

making a determination, based on the usage pattern, that the non-transactional object satisfies one or more transaction criteria; and

responsive to making the determination, changing the non-transactional object during runtime of the application to cause the non-transactional object to become a transactional object, wherein the changing is performed without modifying code of a class from which the non-transactional object inherits.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a report that illustrates the usage pattern of the non-transactional object, the report comprising a recommendation to change the non-transactional object into the transactional object; and

graphically displaying the report.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction criteria comprise at least one of concurrent access attempts by the non-transactional object and another object to a data item, concurrent attempts to access the non-transactional object, use of a message service by the non-transactional object, or interaction with an additional object by the non-transactional object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-transactional object is modified using a transactional container that acts as a proxy for the at least one non-transactional object and that performs transaction related functions for the non-transactional object.

5. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

recommending, based on the usage pattern, a locking strategy for the transactional object; and

modifying a current locking strategy of the transactional object responsive to a determination that the current locking strategy is different from the recommended locking strategy.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein modifying the current locking strategy comprises changing the current locking strategy from a read lock to a write lock or changing the current locking strategy from a write lock to a read lock.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a log associated with the non-transactional object based on the monitoring;

wherein the usage pattern of the non-transactional object is identified based on the log, the usage pattern being over a time period.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

monitoring an application by the processing device, the application comprising a non-transactional object that lacks semantics to participate in transactions;

identifying, by the processing device, a usage pattern of the non-transactional object;

making a determination, based on the usage pattern, that the non-transactional object satisfies one or more transaction criteria; and

responsive to making the determination, changing the non-transactional object during runtime of the application to cause the non-transactional object to become a transactional object, wherein the changing is performed without modifying code of a class from which the non-transactional object inherits.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

generating a report that illustrates the usage pattern of the at least one non-transactional object, the report comprising a recommendation to change the non-transactional object into the transactional object; and

graphically displaying the report.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the transaction criteria comprise at least one of concurrent access attempts by the non-transactional object and another object to a data item, concurrent attempts to access the non-transactional object, use of a message service by the non-transactional object, or interaction with an additional object by the non-transactional object.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the non-transactional object is modified using a transactional container that acts as a proxy for the non-transactional object and that performs transaction related functions for the non-transactional object.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

recommending, based on the usage pattern, a locking strategy for the transactional object; and

modifying a current locking strategy of the transactional object responsive to a determination that the current locking strategy is different from the recommended locking strategy.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein modifying the current locking strategy comprises changing the current locking strategy from a read lock to a write lock or changing the current locking strategy from a write lock to a read lock.

14. A computing apparatus, comprising:

a memory comprising instructions for an application optimizer; and

a processing device, connected with the memory, to execute the instructions, wherein the instructions cause the processing device to;

monitor an application that includes a non-transactional object that lacks semantics to participate in transactions;

identify a usage pattern of the non-transactional object;

make a determination, based on the usage pattern, that the non-transactional object satisfies one or more transaction criteria; and

responsive to making the determination, change the non-transactional object during runtime of the application to cause the non-transactional object to become a transactional object, wherein the change is performed without modifying code of a class from which the non-transactional object inherits.

15. The computing apparatus of claim 14, the instructions further to cause the processing device to:

generate a report that illustrates the usage pattern of the non-transactional object, the report comprising a recommendation to change the non-transactional object into the transactional object; and

graphically display the report.

16. The computing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the transaction criteria comprise at least one of concurrent access attempts by the non-transactional object and another object to a data item, concurrent attempts to access the non-transactional object, use of a message service by the non-transactional object, or interaction with an additional object by the non-transactional object.

17. The computing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the non-transactional object is modified using a transactional container that acts as a proxy for the non-transactional object and that performs transaction related functions for the non-transactional object.

18. The computing apparatus of claim 14, the instructions further to cause the processing device to:

recommend, based on the usage pattern, a locking strategy for the transactional object; and

modify a current locking strategy of the transactional object responsive to a determination that the current locking strategy is different from the recommended locking strategy.

19. The computing apparatus of claim 18, wherein modifying the current locking strategy comprises changing the current locking strategy from a read lock to a write lock or changing the current locking strategy from a write lock to a read lock.