Distributed System Request Monitoring via Tracking Interface Injection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current monitoring approaches for distributed systems focus on single service components, failing to accurately capture the overall effect of user application service requests across the entire system, as they do not account for the complex interactions and processes across multiple servers and software modules.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that involve generating unique identifiers for user requests, injecting tracking interfaces into processes across multiple servers, and recording logs based on these identifiers to track and analyze user request execution, allowing for comprehensive monitoring and analysis of distributed system behavior.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If tracking interfaces are injected into all processes across multiple servers to monitor user requests, then measurement precision of system-wide user request execution is improved, but device complexity and performance overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemeasurement precisionVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the distributed system into multiple process instances across different servers, with each process independently instrumented with tracking interfaces. This allows system-wide monitoring to be achieved through composition of individual process monitoring, improving measurement precision while managing device complexity through modular decomposition of the monitoring infrastructure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a universal tracking interface design that can be injected into any process within the distributed system, regardless of the specific service module or server. This multi-functional tracking interface handles various types of user requests and system operations uniformly, reducing the need for custom monitoring solutions for each process and thereby managing device complexity while maintaining comprehensive measurement precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Measurement precision

If tracking interfaces are injected into all processes across multiple servers to monitor user requests, then measurement precision of system-wide user request execution is improved, but performance overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemeasurement precisionVSAvoidperformance
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements self-service mechanisms where the tracking interfaces automatically record and report user request execution data without requiring external intervention or additional processing resources. The instrumented processes generate and transmit monitoring data autonomously, reducing the performance overhead associated with centralized data collection and processing while maintaining high measurement precision across the distributed system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial monitoring by selectively instrumenting only the critical paths and key service modules that have the greatest impact on overall system performance and user request processing. This approach achieves sufficient measurement precision for system-wide monitoring while minimizing the performance overhead by avoiding instrumentation of every single process instance across all servers.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Device complexity

If monitoring is concentrated on a single service component, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision of overall system behavior is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice complexityVSAvoidmeasurement precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the monitoring scope from a single service component to multiple process instances across different servers, while maintaining manageable device complexity through modular architecture. Each segment (process instance) is monitored independently with standardized tracking interfaces, and the results are aggregated to provide system-wide measurement precision without requiring a monolithic complex monitoring system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges the monitoring capabilities across multiple process instances and servers by aggregating the data from individually instrumented processes. This combination approach achieves comprehensive system-wide measurement precision while keeping the complexity of each individual monitoring component relatively simple, as each process uses standardized tracking interfaces rather than requiring complex custom monitoring solutions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP2895956B1Method and system for monitoring execution of user request in distributed system
Publication Date: 2024.02.07 ALIBABA GROUP HOLDING LTD
  • EP2895956B1 patent drawingFigure 1
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  • EP2895956B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Embodiments of the present application relate to a method, a system and a computer program product for monitoring execution of a user request on a distributed system. A method for monitoring execution of user requests on a distributed system is provided. The method includes sampling a user request received by a plurality of servers, generating an identifier corresponding to the user request sampled by the plurality of servers, injecting tracking interfaces in advance into processes executed by the plurality of servers, determining whether the current process contain the identifier corresponding to the user request, in the event that the current process contains the identifier corresponding to the user request when the process has executed the tracking interface, recording information corresponding to the identifier relating to the function indicated by the tracking interface and generating a log, and individually collecting the generated log according to the corresponding identifier.