Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-25
2001-08-21
Alam, Hosain T. (Department: 2771)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C714S025000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06279002
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention describes a procedure for measuring the performance of processing steps in programs or parts of programs by means of messages, particularly in application programs which are distributed over several computers.
2. Prior Art
In distributed applications, program parts run on several computers which are usually different. They communicate with one another by transmitting messages over one or more networks.
It is very difficult to determine the end-to-end response time of transactions in a distributed application and to evaluate large response times in particular.
The determination and evaluation of the end-to-end response time of a transaction in a distributed application is necessary because of the following points:
During the development of an application, performance bottlenecks need to be recognised early and removed through design improvements.
During the installation of a distributed application, performance problems often occur. These are connected to the local configuration of hardware and software not having been tested using the new product. In such cases it is very difficult for the customer to assign an error to one of the products involved.
After the successful commissioning of a distributed application, one will want to measure and evaluate the end-to-end response time of transactions. This is necessary in order to be able to ensure the availability of the application for the user. In addition, one wishes to analyse the end-to-end response time by components in order to recognise the cause of a fault on exceeding a pre-given limit value.
The determination of the end-to-end response time of transactions in distributed applications is technically necessary.
Currently there are a number of procedures for determining the end-to-end response time.
One of the procedures for determining the end-to-end response time is based on the idea of fitting the application parts with instruments so that they can signal the start and end of transactions (or transaction parts) to an agent running outside the application. The agent ensures that the data are brought together centrally and evaluated. In this procedure, the measurements of transaction parts belonging to a transaction call cannot be correlated, i.e. one cannot know which measurement values belong to a particular transaction call. In order to facilitate a correlation, a globally clear identification of the transaction call must be introduced into this procedure. Such an extended procedure is technically complex because the agent is outside the application logic and therefore globally clear identifications are required. As all measurement values for evaluation have to be collected together at a central point, the discovery of associated values from a large number of measurement values is very laborious.
In addition, there are costly hardware monitors with common electronic clocks with which one can monitor system calls over several computers. Hardware monitors are expensive and the instrumentation is very costly. A disadvantage of hardware monitors is in that they cannot supply any data to application levels. Thus calls from operating system services can be counted and measured but the allocation of transactions to an application is difficult. In addition, only computers with the same type of architecture can be monitored. This often does not occur with distributed applications because the servers and clients are usually different.
Otherwise there are the so-called profilers with which one can determine which program parts run on a computer and how often and how much time is spent in which program parts. However, it is not possible to receive coherent information on transaction parts running on different computers.
All the above procedures are based on the application being measured from outside, i.e. the application logic and instrumentation being fully separate or separate as far as is possible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The task of the present invention is to suggest a procedure which allows the performance data of transactions to be received together with the application data, so that they are easy to report and that an analysis of the end-to-end response time is very simple.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a process for measuring the performance of processing stages of programs or parts of programs by means of messages in a data-processing system, wherein the message which is to be processed by a program receives an area for entries of performance data and the particular processing stage concerned deposits a performance marker in this area.
The present invention further relates to a process for the determination and evaluation of response times of processing stages of a program or parts of a program by means of messages in a data-processing system, wherein the message which is to be processed in a program receives an area for time entries, and that the processing stage of the particular program deposits a time marker in this area.
Still further, the present invention is directed to a data-processing system containing at least one computer, operating system software and programs, characterised in that the message to be processed by means of a program contains an area for performance and/or time entries, and that the particular processing stage of this message deposits a performance entry and/or time entry in this area.
Even further, the present invention is directed to data carriers containing a program for the performance of a process as described above.
The advantages of the procedure in accordance with the present invention are that the integrated processing of application data and performance data describing a transaction call are combined in a response message. All data are available at one point and at the same time.
As the measurement data belonging to a transaction call are combined in a response message, the different transaction paths taken are also able to be recognised and evaluated. The procedure can be used for both the analysis of design and installation problems as well as for ensuring the availability of applications.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4821178 (1989-04-01), Levin et al.
patent: 5581482 (1996-12-01), Wiedenman et al.
patent: 5696701 (1997-12-01), Burgess et al.
patent: 5742819 (1998-04-01), Caccavale
patent: 5913036 (1999-06-01), Brownmiller et al.
Lenz Norbert
Schawer Wolfgang
Alam Hosain T.
Ellenbogen, Esq. Wayne L.
Fleurantin Jean Bolte
International Business Machines - Corporation
Scully Scott Murphy & Presser
LandOfFree
System and procedure for measuring the performance of... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with System and procedure for measuring the performance of..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and System and procedure for measuring the performance of... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2459256