Recording a log of operations

• US 8,554,740 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2008
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Takashi, Okamoto, Kohsuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROMELL, ALEXANDRIA Y
• Application Number:
  US12/121,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20090055443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,971 Days
• Field of Search: 707/672, 715/201
• US Class Current: 707/672
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided that record an easily viewable log of operations. A particular system includes a response receiving unit that receives an input response from a server, the input response related to a first client request and including first content adapted to prompt data input via a client. Additionally, the system includes a response sending unit that sends the client an output response, including the first content and an identifier to identify the first content and a logging database to record the first content in association with the identifier. Further, the system includes a request receiving unit that receives a second client request including input data related to the first content and the identifier and a content combining unit that combines the input data extracted from the second client request with the first content that is retrieved from the logging database based on the identifier.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor;

a response receiving unit executable by the processor to receive an input response from a server, the input response including first content corresponding to a first client request, the first content adapted to prompt data input via a client, wherein the first content includes a hypertext markup language (HTML) file;

an identifier embedding unit executable by the processor to generate an identifier and to embed the identifier in the first content, wherein the identifier is to identify the first content;

a response sending unit executable by the processor to send an output response to the client, wherein the output response includes at least the first content and the identifier of the first content;

a logging database to store both the HTML file and the identifier of the first content in response to determining that the HTML file includes an input form;

a request receiving unit executable by the processor to receive a second client request from the client, the second client request corresponding to the output response, the second client request including input data related to the first content and the second client request including the identifier of the first content; and

a content combining unit executable by the processor to;

extract the input data and the identifier of the first content from the second client request;

retrieve the first content from the logging database based on the extracted identifier of the first content, wherein the extracted identifier of the first content is found in the logging database;

combine the extracted input data with the retrieved first content to produce resulting data, wherein the resulting data is produced by modifying the HTML file to include the input data at a predetermined position of the input form;

generate an image of the input form based on the resulting data, the image including the input form and the input data; and

record the resulting data in the logging database.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a response analyzing unit to analyze the input response and to determine whether to record at least a portion of the input response in the logging database.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein determining that the HTML file includes the input form comprises:

determining whether the HTML file includes one or more form tags; and

determining that the HTML file includes the input form in response to determining that the HTML file includes the one or more form tags.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first client request is sent from the client to the server and the second client request is sent from the client to a second server.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a request sending unit that sends the second client request, without modification, to the server.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifier embedding unit generates a form when an additional input response does not include specified content, the form including a hidden field embedded with an additional identifier.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an illegal request processing unit to determine that the second client request is an illegal request when the identifier extracted from the second client request does not identify the first content and is not found in the logging database.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more additional items including a session identifier (ID), a client Internet Protocol (IP) address, a user ID, and a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) corresponding to a send button are recorded in the logging database in association with the input response, and wherein an illegal request processing unit determines that the second client request is an illegal request when the one or more additional items do not match corresponding items of information included in the second client request.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein an illegal processing unit performs predetermined processing in response to identifying an illegal request when the identifier extracted from the second client request does not identify the first content and is not found in the logging database, the predetermined processing includes one or more of resending the output response to the client, recording an error, and sending a notification to an operator.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein recording the resulting data in the logging database comprises recording the image.

11. A method implemented by a processor to perform steps comprising:

receiving an input response at a logging system from a server, the input response related to a first client request and the input response including first content adapted to prompt data input via a client, wherein the first content includes a hypertext markup language (HTML) file;

determining that the input response includes an object to be logged;

embedding an identifier of the first content in the input response;

sending an output response from the logging system to the client, wherein the output response is derived from the input response and the identifier of the first content;

storing both the HTML file and the identifier of the first content in a logging database in response to determining that the HTML file includes an input form;

receiving a second client request at the logging system from the client, the second client request corresponding to the output response, the second client request including input data related to the first content and including the identifier of the first content;

extracting the input data and the identifier of the first content from the second client request;

retrieving the first content from the logging database based on the extracted identifier of the first content, wherein the extracted identifier of the first content is found in the logging database;

combining the input data extracted from the second client request with the first content to produce resulting data, wherein the resulting data is produced by modifying the HTML file to include the input data at a predetermined position of the input form;

generating an image of the input form based on the resulting data, the image including the input form and the input data; and

recording the resulting data in the logging database.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the identifier is embedded in a hidden field of the input form.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the identifier is recorded in the logging database in association with an order in which the identifier was generated with respect to one or more additional identifiers.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the input data is combined with the first content by embedding the input data as an initial value of an input tag into the input form.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining that the second client request is an illegal request when the identifier extracted from the second client request does not identify the first content and is not found in the logging database.

16. A computer program product to cause a computer to function as a logging system to record a log of an operation, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage device having computer usable program code embedded therewith,

the computer usable program code executable by a processor to;

receive an input response from a server, the input response including first content corresponding to a first client request, the first content adapted to prompt data input via a client, wherein the first content includes a hypertext markup language (HTML) file;

embed an identifier in the first content, the identifier to identify the first content;

send the client an output response, the output response including at least the first content in which the identifier of the first content is embedded;

store both the HTML file and the identifier of the first content in a logging database in response to determining that the HTML file includes an input form;

receive a second client request from the client, the second client request corresponding to the output response and the second client request including input data related to the first content and the second client request including the identifier of the first content;

extract the input data and the identifier of the first content from the second client request;

retrieve the first content from the logging database based on the extracted identifier of the first content, wherein the extracted identifier of the first content is found in the logging database;

combine the extracted input data and the retrieved first content to produce resulting data wherein the resulting data is produced by modifying the HTML file to include the input data at a predetermined position of the input form;

generate an image of the input form based on the resulting data, the image including the input form and the input data; and

store the resulting data in the logging database.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the input response includes additional content.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the computer usable program code is further executable by the processor to generate the image derived from at least the first content, the input data, and the additional content, wherein the additional content is retrieved from the server, a cache memory at the logging system, or any combination thereof.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the additional content includes one or more buttons, one or more banners, other static content, or any combination thereof.

20. The program product of claim 16, wherein the computer usable program code is further executable by the processor to determine that the second client request is an illegal request when the identifier extracted from the second client request does not identify the first content and is not found in the logging database.