Bytecode Instrumentation for Remote Method Invocation Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for monitoring and diagnosing remote method invocations in networked software applications are inadequate, as they lack application context information, cannot alter remote method invocation messages, and require access to source code or modifications, leading to poor performance and scalability issues.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for programmatically instrumenting bytecode to capture performance metrics of remote method invocations by intercepting and altering bytecode at runtime, inserting sensors to collect metrics such as bytes sent, response times, and serialization information, without requiring access to source code, and storing these metrics in thread-local storage for analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If network sniffing is used to monitor remote method invocations, then performance monitoring is enabled, but application context information is lost and no trace tags can be added
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces bytecode instrumentation as an intermediary mechanism that operates between the remote method invocation framework and the monitoring system. By inserting instrumentation code at specific bytecode locations, the system gains both performance monitoring capability and application context information simultaneously, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the bytecode with additional instrumentation instructions embedded. This instrumented bytecode copy maintains the original application functionality while adding monitoring capabilities, allowing the system to capture both performance metrics and application context without disrupting normal operation.
2Measurement precision
If remote management protocols are used to query performance information, then aggregated performance metrics are obtained, but source code modifications are required and metrics cannot be associated with particular transactions
Solution Approach 1:
The instrumentation code is automatically injected by a bytecode instrumentation tool without requiring manual source code modifications. The system self-configures by intercepting bytecode during loading and injecting monitoring instructions at appropriate locations, eliminating the need for developers to modify source code while maintaining the ability to associate metrics with specific transactions.
3Measurement precision
If manual source code modification is used to add performance monitoring, then detailed performance information is captured, but source code access is required and application downtime may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bytecode instrumentation is performed in advance by injecting instrumentation code into the bytecode before the application runs. This preliminary action allows detailed performance monitoring to be enabled without requiring source code access or modification during operation, and avoids application downtime by using pre-compiled instrumented bytecode.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical process of manual source code editing and compilation with an automated bytecode instrumentation system. This substitution eliminates the need for source code access and manual intervention, allowing performance monitoring to be enabled through automated bytecode transformation without causing application downtime.
4Ease of operation
If remote method invocation frameworks are used, then programming complexity is reduced, but costly usage of remote invocations is not detected
Solution Approach 1:
The bytecode instrumentation acts as an intermediary layer that transparently monitors remote method invocations without affecting the simplified programming interface. The instrumentation code intercepts bytecode instructions at appropriate locations to detect and measure the cost of remote invocations while preserving the ease of use provided by the framework.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system monitor and diagnose the performance of remote method invocations using bytecode instrumentation in distributed multi-tier applications. The method and system use automated instrumentation of client application bytecode and server application bytecode with sensors to measure performance of remote method invocations and operations performed during remote method invocations. Performance information is captured for each remote method invocation separately, allowing performance diagnosis of multithreaded execution of remote method invocations, so that throughput and response time information are accurate even when other threads perform remote method invocations concurrently. The captured performance metrics include throughput and response time of remote method invocation, object serialization, and transport. The performance metrics are captured per remote method invocation. Performance metrics may be sent to a processing unit for storage, analysis, and correlation.