Managing diagnostic information

• US 9,176,847 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2013
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Malinowski, Joseph V., Perez, Miguel A., Reed, David C., Smith, Max D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lottich, Joshua P
• Application Number:
  US13/899,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20140351655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0727 in a storage system, e.g. in a DASD or network based storage system drivers for digital recording or reproducing units G06F3/06; circuits for error detection or correction within digital recording or reproducing units G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0778 Dumping, i.e. gathering error/state information after a fault for later diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A method of and system for managing diagnostic information is disclosed. The method and system may include creating a data space in volatile memory. The data space may be configured to collect a selected diagnostic information. The selected diagnostic information may include a first diagnostic information from a first source and a second diagnostic information from a second source. The method and system may include collecting in the data space the selected diagnostic information. The method and system may include releasing from the data space at least a portion of the selected diagnostic information in response to a triggering event.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing diagnostic information, the method comprising:

allocating a data space in a volatile memory to store a selected diagnostic information, the selected diagnostic information including a first diagnostic information from a first source and a second diagnostic information from a second source, the selected diagnostic information being a subset of information recorded by a generalized trace facility recording events of the first and second sources;

collecting in the data space the selected diagnostic information, the collecting including;

an intermixing of the first diagnostic information and the second diagnostic information during a time window preceding an error event, and

a wrapping in the data space of at least a portion of the selected diagnostic information when a collection threshold amount of the data space is reached; and

dumping from the data space to a non-volatile memory at least a portion of the selected diagnostic information in response to the error event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first source is an application program and the second source is an input/output component.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected diagnostic information includes a third source and a fourth source, and the first source is a first server, the second source is a second server, the third source is a host adapter, and the fourth source is a device adapter.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the error event includes an improper lock-of a resource.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the error event includes an attempt to access a resource exceeding a latency threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected diagnostic information includes a first interrupt by the first source and a second interrupt by the second source.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected diagnostic information includes a first application history of the first source and a second application history of the second source.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected diagnostic information includes a first channel command by the first source and a second channel command by the second source.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected diagnostic information includes a first supervisor call (SVC) by the first source and a second SVC by the second source.

10. A system for managing diagnostic information, comprising:

a remote system; and

a host system, at least one of the remote system and the host system including a diagnostic information management module, the diagnostic information management module comprising;

a data space creation module to allocate a data space in volatile memory configured to store a selected diagnostic information, the selected diagnostic information including a first diagnostic information from a first source and a second diagnostic information from a second source, the selected diagnostic information being a subset of information recorded by a generalized trace facility recording events of the first and second sources;

a collection module to receive in the data space the selected diagnostic information, intermix the first and second diagnostic information during a time window preceding an error event, and release at least a portion of the selected diagnostic information when a collection threshold amount of the data space is reached; and

a release module to dump from the data space to a non-volatile memory at least a portion of the selected diagnostic information in response to the error event.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first source is an application program and the second source is an input/output component.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the selected diagnostic information includes a third source and a fourth source, and the first source is a first server, the second source is a second server, the third source is a host adapter, and the fourth source is a device adapter.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the error event includes an improper lock of a resource.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the error event includes an attempt to access a resource exceeding a latency threshold.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the selected diagnostic information includes a first interrupt by the first source and a second interrupt by the second source.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the selected diagnostic information includes a first input-output (I/O) tracing of the first source and a second I/O tracing of the second source.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the selected diagnostic information includes a first channel command by the first source and a second channel command by the second source channel command.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the selected diagnostic information includes a first supervisor call (SVC) by the first source and a second SVC by the second source supervisor call (SVC).

19. A storage system, comprising:

a remote system having two or more storage devices; and

a storage controller having a diagnostic information management module, the diagnostic information management module comprising;

a data space creation module to allocate a data space in volatile memory configured to store a selected diagnostic information, the selected diagnostic information including a diagnostic information from a plurality of sources, the selected diagnostic information being a subset of information recorded by a generalized trace facility recording events of the plurality of sources;

a collection module to receive in the data space the selected diagnostic information, the selected diagnostic information including a first portion and a second portion, wherein the collection module is configured to selectively overwrite the first portion when a collection threshold amount of the data space is reached, the first portion having a lower priority than the second portion; and

a release module to dump from the data space to a non-volatile memory at least a portion of the selected diagnostic information in response to an error event.

20. The storage system of claim 19, wherein the plurality of sources includes a first source, a second source, a third source, and a fourth source, and the first source is a first server, the second source is a second server, the third source is a host adapter, and the fourth source is a device adapter.