Visualization of JVM and cross-JVM call stacks

• US 8,782,614 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2011
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Basak, Indranil, Giral, Erhan
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, RONGFA PHILIP
• Application Number:
  US13/082,741
• Publication Number:
  US 20120260236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/132
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/323 Visualisation of programs or trace data

Abstract

A method for diagnosing problems in a computer system by visualizing flows through applications and other subsystems in a directed graph on a user interface. The user interface represents multiple instances of each application or other subsystem by a respective node, and edges indicate which nodes depend on one another. Aggregate metrics which are based on the multiple instances, and associated alerts, can be provided for the nodes and edges. An aging process can indicate which nodes have not been recently invoked. The user interface can also indicate which nodes and edges are associated with a given business transaction. In a summary view, a node hides the identity of invoked components such as servlets of the application, while in a detailed view these details are provided.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for visualizing flows through at least a first application, the method comprising:

accessing a data store to access data regarding the first application, the data is obtained from an agent associated with the first application using instrumentation which is installed in the first application, the data represents multiple instances of the first application;

displaying a dependency graph on a user interface, the dependency graph graphically depicts;

(a) a first node which represents the multiple instances of the first application, (b) a second node which represents one subsystem on which the first application depends when a first preselected component of the first application is invoked, the first application is invoked in a first business transaction by virtue of the first preselected component being invoked, (c) at least one edge which represents a dependency of the first application on the one subsystem, (d) a node which represents another subsystem on which the first application depends when a second preselected component of the first application is invoked, the first application is invoked in a second business transaction by virtue of the second preselected component being invoked, and (e) another edge which represents a dependency of the first application on the another subsystem; and

responsive to a user selection of the first business transaction;

visually distinguishing the node which represents the one subsystem from the node which represents the another subsystem, and visually distinguishing the one edge from the another edge.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one edge is decorated with at least one of;

an aggregate metric or an alert based on the aggregate metric.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the first node is decorated with at least one of;

an aggregate metric or an alert based on the aggregate metric.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the first node represents different instances of the first application which have different front end components.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the first node represents different instances of the first application which are called by different external components.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the first node represents one instance of the first application which depends on the one subsystem, and an instance of another application which does not depend on the one subsystem.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the dependency graph graphically depicts;

(e) a third node which represents another subsystem, and (f) at least one edge which represents a dependency of the first application on the another subsystem; and

the first node represents one instance of the first application which depends on the one subsystem but not the another subsystem, and another instance of the first application which depends on the another subsystem but not the one subsystem.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

when an elapsed time since the first application called the one subsystem exceeds a threshold, the dependency graph graphically depicts aging of the second node.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

when an elapsed time since the first application called the one subsystem exceeds a threshold, the dependency graph is updated to remove the second node.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the dependency graph graphically depicts;

(e) a third node which represents another subsystem, and (f) at least another edge which represents a dependency of the one subsystem on the another subsystem; and

when an elapsed time since the first application called the one subsystem exceeds an associated threshold, and an elapsed time since the one subsystem called the another subsystem exceeds an associated threshold, the dependency graph graphically depicts aging of the second node.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the dependency graph graphically depicts;

(e) a third node which represents another subsystem, and (f) at least another edge which represents a dependency of the one subsystem on the another subsystem; and

when an elapsed time since the first application called the one subsystem exceeds an associated threshold, and an elapsed time since the one subsystem called the another subsystem exceeds an associated threshold, the dependency graph is updated to remove the second node.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the dependency graph can be alternatively provided in a summary view or a detailed view based on a user selection, where in the summary view, the first node represents the multiple instances of the first application without identifying invoked components of the first application, and in the detailed view, the first node represents the multiple instances of the first application while identifying at least one invoked component of the first application.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the data is selected for a historical time period in response to a user selection via a slider tool.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the one subsystem and the another subsystem comprise software components.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the user selection of the first business transaction;

setting an alert icon for the first node based on aggregated metrics across the multiple instances of the first application which were invoked in connection with the first business transaction but not in connection with the second business transaction.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a user selection of the second business transaction;

visually distinguishing the node which represents the another subsystem from the node which represents the one subsystem, and visually distinguishing the another edge from the one edge.

17. At least one tangible, non-transitory, processor-readable storage device having processor-readable software embodied thereon for programming at least one processor to perform a method for visualizing flows through respective applications, the method performed comprises:

accessing a data store to access data which is obtained from respective agents associated with the respective applications, the respective agents provide the data using instrumentation which is installed in the respective applications, the data represents multiple instances of each of the respective applications;

displaying a dependency graph on a user interface, the dependency graph graphically depicts;

(a) a first node which represents multiple instances of one application of the respective applications, (b) a second node which represents multiple instances of another application of the respective applications, and (c) at least one edge which represents a dependency of the one application on the another application, the one application depends on the another application when a first preselected component of the one application is invoked, the one application is invoked in a first business transaction by virtue of the first preselected component being invoked, and the one application depends on the another application when a second preselected component of the one application is invoked, the one application is invoked in a second business transaction by virtue of the second preselected component being invoked; and

responsive to a user selection of the first business transaction;

setting an alert icon for the first node based on aggregated metrics across the multiple instances of the one application which were invoked in connection with the first business transaction but not in connection with the second business transaction.

18. The at least one tangible, non-transitory, processor-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein:

at least one instance of the multiple instances of the one application calls at least one instance of the multiple instances of the another application via a web service, and the dependency graph graphically depicts the web service.

19. The at least one tangible, non-transitory, processor-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein:

at least one instance of the multiple instances of the one application calls at least one instance of the multiple instances of the another application via a cross-JVM call.

20. The at least one tangible, non-transitory, processor-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein:

the first node represents at least one instance of the multiple instances of the one application which calls at least one instance of the multiple instances of the another application, and another instance of the multiple instances of the one application which does not call at least one instance of the multiple instances of the another application.

21. A computer-implemented method for visualizing flows through at least a first application, comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

accessing a data store to access data regarding the first application, the data is obtained from an agent associated with the first application using instrumentation which is installed in the first application, the data represents multiple instances of the first application;

displaying a dependency graph on a user interface, the dependency graph graphically depicts;

(a) a first identifier which represents a first business transaction in which the first application is invoked, (b) a node which represents the multiple instances of the first application, (c) a node which represents one subsystem on which the first application depends, in connection with the first business transaction, (d) one edge which represents a dependency of the first application on the one subsystem in connection with the first business transaction, (e) a second identifier which represents a second business transaction in which the first application is invoked, (f) a node which represents another subsystem on which the first application depends, in connection with the second business transaction, and (g) another edge which represents a dependency of the first application on the another subsystem in connection with the second business transaction; and

responsive to a user selection of the first identifier which represents the first business transaction, visually distinguishing the node which represents the one subsystem over the node which represents the another subsystem, and the one edge over the another edge.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein:

the first identifier is graphically depicted by a node connected by at least one edge to the node which represents the multiple instances of the first application.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein:

responsive to the user selection of the first business transaction, visually distinguishing the first identifier which represents the first business transaction over the second identifier which represents the second business transaction.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein:

the first application is invoked in the first business transaction by virtue of at least a first preselected component of the first application being invoked; and

the first application is invoked in the second business transaction by virtue of at least a second preselected component of the first application being invoked.