Software Call Path Tracking via Intermediary Monitoring Client
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Solution Overview
Problem
In complex and heterogeneous application environments, such as enterprise and Web-based systems, monitoring and troubleshooting are challenging due to the diversity and scale of applications, making it difficult to identify and address performance issues and failures in real-time.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for tracking software calls across multiple threads, generating a dependency map that includes physical and logical components, and using a publish/subscribe messaging bus for efficient communication and data logging, enabling real-time monitoring and problem detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional monitoring methods are used in heterogeneous application environments, then implementation is simpler, but the ability to track and analyze call paths across diverse applications deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a monitoring client as an intermediary component that sits between the application server and the monitoring infrastructure. This client intercepts and logs method invocation data, including call paths, parameters, and return values, without requiring modifications to the underlying heterogeneous applications. The intermediary approach enables precise call path tracking while isolating the complexity of the monitoring system from the monitored applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical instrumentation methods (such as code insertion or profiling agents) with an event-driven logging mechanism. The monitoring client subscribes to method invocation events and logs them to a data store, allowing precise tracking of call paths across heterogeneous applications without the overhead of active profiling or code modification.
2Reliability
If detailed call path tracking is implemented across all applications, then problem identification capability improves, but the overhead and resource consumption worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential monitoring data (method names, call paths, parameters, and return values) needed for problem identification, rather than logging all application execution details. This selective extraction approach maintains high problem detection reliability while minimizing the overhead of data collection and storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial monitoring by focusing on specific method invocations and call paths that are most relevant to problem detection, rather than uniformly monitoring all applications at the same level of detail. This allows the system to achieve sufficient reliability for troubleshooting while reducing overall resource consumption.
3Loss of information
If comprehensive logging of all method invocations is performed, then complete visibility into application behavior is achieved, but the difficulty of analyzing and processing the data worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges call path information with method invocation data (parameters, return values, timestamps) into unified log entries. This consolidation preserves complete information about application behavior while organizing the data in a structured format that simplifies analysis and processing compared to separate logging of different event types.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds temporal and contextual dimensions to the logged data by including timestamps, call paths, and hierarchical relationships between method invocations. This dimensional enrichment transforms raw invocation data into structured information that is easier to analyze and correlates with system performance issues.
Data Source
AI summary
In various embodiments, a system, method, and a computer-readable medium for performing operations for tracking numerous software calls in an enterprise environment is provided. The method includes tracking, during a runtime operation of an enterprise environment, layers through which software calls pass. The tracking includes logging physical components involved in each of the software calls, annotating each of the physical components with metadata that is directly indicative of each of the physical components, and logging a reliance of each of the physical components on others of the physical components. Other systems and methods are disclosed.