Two pass automated application instrumentation

• US 8,938,729 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2010
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2010
• 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: Martin, David Brooke, Gagliardi, Marco, Addleman, Mark Jacob
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Li B
• Assistant Examiner(s): MACASIANO, JOANNE GONZALES
• Application Number:
  US12/903,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20120089966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,561 Days
• Field of Search: 717/133
• US Class Current: 717/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3612 by runtime analysis performance monitoring G06F11/3466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3644 by instrumenting at runtime

Abstract

A two-pass technique for instrumenting an application is disclosed. One pass may be performed statically by analyzing the application and inserting probes while the application is not running. Another pass may be performed dynamically by analyzing data collected by the probes while the application runs to derive metrics for the probes. One or more metrics for each probe may be analyzed to determine whether to dynamically modify the probe. By dynamically modifying the probe, the application does not need to be shut down. Dynamically modifying the probe could include removing the probe from the application or moving the probe to another component (e.g., method) in the application, as examples. For example, the probe might be moved to a component that is either up or down the call graph from the component that the probe is presently in.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method for instrumenting an application having a plurality of components, comprising:

automatically statically analyzing the application to determine which of the components in the application to place probes in;

automatically statically adding probes in the determined components while the application is not running;

running the application after statically adding the probes;

receiving data from the statically added probes while the application runs;

determining metrics for a first of the statically added probes in a first of the components based on the data, the metrics comprising an execution time of the first component and an invocation rate of the first component;

moving the first statically added probe to a component in the application up a call graph from the first statically added probe when the invocation rate of the first component is greater than a first threshold;

moving the first statically added probe to a component in the application down the call graph when the invocation rate of the first component is less than a second threshold that is less than or equal to the first threshold;

moving the first statically added probe to a component in the application down the call graph when the execution time of the first component is greater than a third threshold providing that the invocation rate of the first component is not greater than the first threshold, wherein the moving the first statically added probe up or down the call graph comprises moving the first statically added probe while the application is running;

repeating, for additional statically added probes, the determining and the moving the additional probe up or down the call graph.

2. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the moving the first statically added probe comprises inserting a probe into a component up or down the call graph from the first statically added probe while the application is running.

3. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

removing a second statically added probe that is in a second component of the plurality of components from the application when the invocation rate of the second component is less than the second threshold and if there is not a component below the second component in the call graph.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

removing the second statically added probe from the application when the invocation rate of the second component is greater than the first threshold and when there is not a component above the second component in the call graph.

5. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the metrics further comprise a number of concurrent invocations of the first component, and further comprising moving the first component to a component down the call graph when the number of concurrent invocations of the first component is greater than a fourth threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second threshold is less than the first threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

removing, from the application, a second statically added probe that is in a second component of the plurality of components when the invocation rate of the second component is greater than the first threshold and when there is not a component above the second component in the call graph.

8. Non-transitory computer readable storage having computer readable instructions stored thereon for programming a processor to:

statically analyze an application having a plurality of components to determine components in the application to place probes;

statically add probes to the application in the determined components while the application is not running;

execute the application after statically adding the probes;

collect data by the statically added probes while the application runs;

determine metrics for a first of the statically added probes in a first of the components based on the collected data, the metrics comprising an execution time of the first component and an invocation rate of the first component;

move the first statically added probe to a component in the application up a call graph from the first statically added probe when the invocation rate of the first component is greater than a first threshold;

move the first statically added probe to a component in the application down the call graph from the first component when the invocation rate of the first component is less than a second threshold that is less than or equal to the first threshold;

move the first statically added probe to a component in the application down the call graph when the execution time of the first component is greater than a third threshold providing that the invocation rate of the first component is not greater than the first threshold, wherein the moving the first statically added probe up or down the call graph comprises moving the first statically added probe while the application is running;

repeat, for additional statically added probes, the determining and the moving the additional probe to a component up or down the call graph.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage of claim 8, wherein the instructions program the processor to determine whether a concurrency of the first component is greater than a fourth threshold based on the data from the statically added probes, the instructions program the processor move the first probe to a component down the call graph when the concurrency of the first component is greater than the fourth threshold.

10. A system having:

a processor; and

computer readable storage coupled to the processor, the computer readable storage having computer readable instructions stored thereon, the computer readable instructions which, when executed on the processor, cause the processor to instrument an application having a plurality of components, the processor being configured to;

a) automatically statically analyze the application to determine which of the components in the application to statically place probes in;

b) automatically statically add probes to the application in the determined components while the application is not running;

c) receive data from the statically added probes while the application runs;

d) determine metrics for a first of the statically added probes in a first of the components based on the data, the metrics comprising an execution time of the first component and an invocation rate of the first component;

e) move the first statically added probe to a component in the application up a call graph from the first statically added probe when the invocation rate of the first component is greater than a first threshold;

f) move the first statically added probe to a component in the application down the call graph from the first component when the invocation rate of the first component is less than a second threshold that is less than or equal to the first threshold;

g) move the first statically added probe to a component in the application down the call graph when the execution time of the first component is greater than a third threshold providing that the invocation rate of the first component is not greater than the first threshold, wherein the moving the first statically added probe up or down the call graph comprises moving the first statically added probe while the application is running;

h) repeat said d) through said g) for additional statically added probes.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein based on the data from the statically added probes the processor determines whether a concurrency of a thread associated with the first component is greater than a fourth threshold, the processor moves the first probe to a component down the call graph from the first component when the concurrency of the thread associated with the first component is greater than the fourth threshold.