Troubleshooting support method, and troubleshooting support apparatus

• US 8,719,643 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2010
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Shimada, Kuniaki, Matsumoto, Yasuhide, Watanabe, Yukihiro, Wada, Yuji, Matsubara, Masazumi, Morimoto, Kenji, Katsuno, Akira, Oguro, Keiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Iqbal, Nadeem
• Application Number:
  US12/952,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20110066939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,260 Days
• Field of Search: 714 25- 27, 714 30- 33, 714 39- 41, 714 44- 4, 714/47.1, 714/48, 714/576
• US Class Current: 714/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/327 Alarm or error message display

Abstract

When a problem occurs in a computer system, the following processing is performed. That is, a troubleshooting procedure that includes, at least, operation content and input request for system information, presented to an operator, and in which command to acquire system information related to the input request from the information source of the system information are assigned to the input request, is referenced. Furthermore, in accordance with the command, system information is collected from an information source where system information exists. Then, after those input request for system information have been removed from the troubleshooting procedure, the resultant troubleshooting procedure is presented to the operator. Thus, the workload of the operator in the troubleshooting operation can be significantly reduced, and the time until the operation is completed is shortened, making rapid troubleshooting possible.

Claims

1. A computer-readable, non-transitory medium storing a troubleshooting support program causing a computer to execute a process, the process comprising:

extracting a troubleshooting procedure that comprises operation content and an input request that requests an input of system information to an operator, wherein the operation content and the input request of the troubleshooting procedure are to be presented to the operator, a command to collect the system information requested in the input request from an information source of the system information is assigned to the input request, and a branching condition, for determining whether or not to present the operation content and the input request, is assigned to the operation content and the input request, when a problem occurs in a computer system;

collecting the system information from the information source of the system information, according to the command assigned to the input request of the troubleshooting procedures;

omitting, from the troubleshooting procedure, the input request that requests the input of the collected system information, and the operation content and the input request to which the branching condition is assigned and the branching condition is not satisfied by the collected system information; and

presenting to the operator, the troubleshooting procedure in which the input request has been omitted.

2. The computer-readable, non-transitory medium according to claim 1, wherein

the troubleshooting procedure further comprises an application condition of the troubleshooting procedure, and

the extracting process, based on incident information specifying the content of the problem, extracts from a database in which a plurality of troubleshooting procedures are stored, a troubleshooting procedure of which the application condition matches the content of the problem of the incident information.

3. The computer-readable, non-transitory medium according to claim 1, wherein

the collecting process collects the system information from at least incident information specifying a source of the problem or a database in which management information of system components of the computer system is stored.

4. A troubleshooting support method executed on a computer, the method comprising:

extracting, a troubleshooting procedure that comprises operation content and an input request that requests an input of system information to an operator, wherein the operation content and the input request of the troubleshooting procedure are to be presented to the operator, a command to collect the system information request in the input request from an information source of the system information is assigned to the input request, and a branching condition, for determining whether or not to present the operation content and the input request, is assigned to the operation content and the input request, when a problem occurs in a computer system;

collecting the system information from the information source of the system information, according to the command assigned to the input request of the troubleshooting procedures;

omitting, from the troubleshooting procedure, the input request that requests the input of the collected system information, and the operation content and the input request to which the branching condition is assigned and the branching condition is not satisfied by the collected system information; and

presenting to the operator, the troubleshooting procedure in which the input request has been omitted.

5. A troubleshooting support method according to claim 4, wherein

the troubleshooting procedure further comprises an application condition of the troubleshooting procedure, and

the extracting process, based on incident information specifying the content of the problem, extracts from a database in which a plurality of troubleshooting procedures are stored, a troubleshooting procedure of which the application condition matches the content of the problem of the incident information.

6. A troubleshooting support method according to claim 4, wherein

the collecting collects the system information from at least incident information specifying a source of the problem or a database in which management information of system components of the computer system are is stored.

7. A troubleshooting support apparatus comprising:

an extracting device for, when a problem occurs in a computer system, extracting a troubleshooting procedure that comprises operation content and an input request that requests an input of system information to an operator, wherein the operation content and the input request of the troubleshooting procedure are to be presented to the operator, a command to collect the system information requested in the input request from an information source of the system information is assigned to the input request, and a branching condition, for determining whether or not to present the operation content and the input request, is assigned to the operation content and the input request;

a collection device for collecting the system information from the information source of the system information, according to the command assigned to the input request of the troubleshooting procedures;

an omitting device for omitting, from the troubleshooting procedure, the input request that requests the input of the collected system information, and the operation content and the input request to which the branching condition is assigned and the branching condition is not satisfied by the collected system information; and

a presentation device for presenting to the operator, the troubleshooting procedure in which the input request has been omitted.

8. A troubleshooting support apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the troubleshooting procedure further comprises an application condition of the troubleshooting procedure, and

the extracting device, based on incident information specifying the content of the problem, extracts from a database in which a plurality of troubleshooting procedures are stored, a troubleshooting procedure of which the application condition matches the content of the problem of the incident information.

9. A troubleshooting support apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the collection device collects the system information from at least incident information specifying a source of the problem or a database in which management information of system components of the computer system are is stored.