Event Tracing for Static Performance Factors in Deployed Systems

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current performance modeling is challenging due to the difficulty in accurately determining static performance factors like transaction workflow and action costs in deployed systems, requiring specialized expertise and controlled environments, resulting in approximate models that do not fully represent real-world system behavior.

Innovation Solution

A computing system with event tracing capabilities and a transaction identification component that traces and stores actions and costs in a workflow data store, allowing for the derivation of static performance factors directly in a deployed system, enabling more accurate performance modeling without the need for laboratory conditions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If performance modeling is conducted in a controlled laboratory environment with expert consultants, then measurement precision and reliability of static performance factors are improved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccuracy of static performance factorsVSAvoidcomplexity of modeling process

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service by allowing the deployed system to trace and report its own performance factors automatically. The event tracing component captures transactions and actions directly from the live system, eliminating the need for external expert consultants to manually analyze performance in controlled environments. This automated self-characterization approach maintains measurement precision while significantly reducing the complexity and cost of the modeling process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of expert consultants analyzing system performance in laboratories with an automated electronic event tracing system. The tracing component electronically captures, stores, and processes performance data directly from the deployed system, substituting human expertise with automated computational mechanisms that achieve the same measurement precision without the associated complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Productivity

If automated tools are used to determine physical topology, logical topology, and system workload in deployed systems, then productivity is improved, but measurement precision of static performance factors deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveefficiency of performance modelingVSAvoidaccuracy of transaction workflow and action costs

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by having the event tracing component continuously monitor and capture actual transactions and actions as they occur in the deployed system. This feedback loop ensures that the automated tools receive accurate, real-time data about transaction workflows and action costs, allowing the system to automatically determine static performance factors with high measurement precision while maintaining high productivity through automation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If expert consultants manually analyze system components in controlled environments, then reliability of performance factors is improved, but loss of time increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetrustworthiness of performance modelVSAvoidtime required for performance modeling

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by automatically capturing and storing performance data in the event log before the performance modeling process begins. The event tracing component continuously monitors and records transactions and actions as they occur in the deployed system, so that when modeling is needed, the data is already available for immediate analysis. This eliminates the time-consuming process of manually collecting data in controlled environments while maintaining high reliability through automated data capture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS7747986B2Generating static performance modeling factors in a deployed system

Publication Date: 2010.06.29 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

A computing system for determining performance factors for using in performance modeling of a deployed subject system, is presented. The computing system includes a plurality of software components comprising the subject system. Each of the components is susceptible to event tracing while executing on the computing system. The computing system includes a tracing component. The tracing component is configured to trace events of the components of the subject system as they execute. The computing system includes a transaction identification table. The transaction identification table comprises starting and ending actions for transactions performed by the subject system. The computing system also includes a transaction identification component that identifies actions from traced events, identifies related actions corresponding to a transaction according to the starting and ending actions in the transaction identification table, and stores the related actions in the transaction workflow data store.