Coordinated extendable system for logging information from distributed applications

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Filing Information

  • Patent Number: US6470388
  • Application Number: US9329560
  • Filing date: 06/10/1999
  • Issue date: 10/22/2002
  • Predicted expiration date: 06/10/2019
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  • U.S. Classifications: 709/224  · 709/315  · 709/223  ·
  • International Classifications: --
  • International Classifications: 709314-318 · 709223 · 709224 · 709108 · 709101 · 709203 · 709202 · 370245 · 370254 · 714 45 ·
  • View document at: (opens new window):
    USPTO  ·  PAIR  ·  esp@cenet  ·  Patent Family
    * Related patent documents may or may not exist on these sites
14 Claims, 7 Drawings


Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system and method for centrally coordinating, collecting and storing error, trace, audit and other information in a computer network. Selected applications or processes running at various entities or hosts within the network instantiate one or more “debug” objects that collect particularized information. Each entity also includes at least one logging service layer that communicates with the application or process, and includes a communications resource and one or more state machine engines. In response to collecting error, trace, audit or other information, each debug object passes it to the respective logging service layer, which decides whether or not to forward it to a centralized logging facility disposed within the network. The forwarding of collected information depends on the state of the debug object. If the state of the debug object is enabled, then the logging service layer forwards the collected information to the centralized logging facility. At the centralized logging facility, the information is time-stamped and appended to a log file along with the applications name and the name of the entity or host at which the application is running. If the state of the debug object is disabled, the collected information is not forwarded, and is instead simply discarded by the logging service layer.

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Independent Claims | See all claims (14)

  1. 1. A method for coordinating the collection of error, trace, audit or other such information generated within a computer network, the method comprising the steps of: constructing one or more informational debug objects at a first application or process whereby each informational debug object corresponds to a particular type of error, trace, audit or other information generated by the first application or process; providing a logging service layer in communicating relationship with the application or process; associating each informational debug object constructed at the first application or process with either an enabled state or a disabled state; in response to obtaining error, trace, audit or other information at the first application or process, issuing a log command to the logging service layer that identifies the respective informational debug object and contains the obtained error, trace, audit or other information; and forwarding a log service request containing the obtained error, trace, audit or other information from the logging service layer to a selected logging facility, where the respective informational debug object is associated with the enabled state.
  2. 13. A computer workstation for use in a computer network having a centralized logging facility, the computer workstation including at least one application or process configured to construct one or more informational debug objects, and a network communications facility configured to provide inter-communication with the computer network, the workstation comprising: a logging service layer in communicating relationship with the application or process, the logging service layer comprising: a state machine engine associated with each of the one or more informational debug objects constructed by the application, each state machine engine configured to be in one of enabled or disabled states for its respective informational debug object; and a communications resource in communicating relationship with the network communication facility, wherein the logging service layer is configured to receive information from a first informational debug object constructed by the application and to direct the communications resource to forward the information to the centralized logging facility, provided that the state machine engine associated with the first informational object is in the enabled state.
  3. 14. A computer readable medium containing executable program instructions for coordinating the collection of error, trace, audit or other such information generated within a computer network, the executable program instructions comprising steps for: constructing one or more informational debug objects at a first application or process whereby each informational debug object corresponds to a particular type of error, trace, audit or other information generated by the first application or process; providing a logging service layer in communicating relationship with the application or process; associating each informational debug object constructed at the first application or process with either an enabled state or a disabled state; in response to obtaining error, trace, audit or other information at the first application or process, issuing a log command to the logging service layer that identifies the respective informational debug object and contains the obtained error, trace, audit or other information; and forwarding a log service request containing the obtained error, trace, audit or other information from the logging service layer to a selected logging facility, where the respective informational debug object is associated with the enabled state.