Synthetic Test Video Capture for Application Fault Diagnosis

Solution Overview

Problem

In synthetic application performance monitoring, it is challenging to determine whether a test failure is due to a fault in the application being tested or in the test itself, leading to time-consuming and cryptic log reviews.

Innovation Solution

Capturing videos of synthetic tests in real-time during execution and storing them alongside test logs allows administrators to quickly identify the source of failures by reviewing the video, thereby facilitating quicker fault correction and reducing application downtime.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If automated synthetic monitoring tests are deployed periodically to check application performance, then monitoring efficiency and fault detection speed are improved, but it becomes difficult to determine whether test failures are due to application faults or test faults, increasing diagnostic complexity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemonitoring efficiencyVSAvoidfault source identification difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces video recording as an intermediary medium between the automated test execution and the administrator's analysis. The video capture system records the actual user interface interactions and application responses during test execution, serving as a mediator that provides visual evidence to help administrators determine whether test failures are caused by application faults or test script errors, thereby resolving the diagnostic uncertainty while maintaining automated monitoring efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a visual copy of the test execution process through video recording. Instead of relying solely on cryptic log files, the system generates a visual replica of what actually occurred during the test, including UI rendering, element interactions, and application responses. This visual copy allows administrators to quickly assess whether the test script behaved as expected or if the application responded incorrectly, significantly improving fault source identification

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Reliability

If administrators review test logs to determine test failure causes, then fault detection is achieved, but the process becomes time-consuming and complex due to cryptic log information

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefault detection accuracyVSAvoiddiagnostic time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a visual copy of the test execution process through video recording. Instead of relying solely on cryptic log files, the system generates a visual replica of what actually occurred during the test, including UI rendering, element interactions, and application responses. This visual copy allows administrators to quickly assess whether the test script behaved as expected or if the application responded incorrectly, significantly improving fault source identification

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs visual differentiation through video playback, where different states and events during test execution can be visually distinguished. The video format allows administrators to quickly identify anomalies, errors, and unexpected behaviors through visual cues rather than parsing text logs, reducing diagnostic time while maintaining accurate fault detection

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

Data Source

PatentUS10657032B2Systems and methods for monitoring performance of applications

Publication Date: 2020.05.19 ATLASSIAN PTY LTD

AI summary

Embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method for monitoring an application hosted on a server. The method includes receiving a test request at a monitoring system, the test request including information about a synthetic test to be performed on an application and a test script for performing the test. The method further includes scheduling a monitoring task based on the test request, the monitoring task comprising information about a test start time and in response to determining a scheduled monitoring task is ready for execution, automatically launching a client application, retrieving the test script and automatically executing the test script in the client application. The method further includes automatically recording in real time, the state of the user interface of the client application while executing the test script, generating a video file of the recording, and upon ending of the monitoring task, transmitting the video file to a client device.