Adjusting an operation of a computer using generated correct dependency metadata

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10031798-B2
Application number	US-201615226099-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 2, 2016
Priority date	Sep 29, 2013
Publication date	Jul 24, 2018
Grant date	Jul 24, 2018

Abstract

One or more processors acquire dependency metadata, where the dependency metadata is used for representing dependency on data among at least two components of an application. The processor(s) acquire error information and data output, where the error information is used for describing errors that occur while running the application, and where the data output includes data output by the at least two components while running the application. The processor(s) analyze, based on the error information, dependency metadata and data output relevant to the error information, where the analyzing includes determining, based on a null pointer exception in the error information and dependency metadata corresponding to the null pointer exception, that corresponding data has not been output by a component corresponding to the null pointer exception. The processor(s) then use an analysis result to improve the operation of a computer that is running the application.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A processor-implemented method comprising:
acquiring, by one or more processors, original dependency metadata, wherein the original dependency metadata is used for representing dependency on data among at least two components of an application, wherein the original dependency metadata is created in a cloud platform, wherein the at least two components of the application comprise a first component and a second component, and wherein execution of the second component is dependent upon data that is outputted by the first component;
searching, by a local computer that is connected to the cloud platform over a network, a memory in the local computer for a copy of the original dependency metadata;
in response to the local computer locating the copy of the original dependency metadata in the memory in the local computer, retrieving, by one or more processors, the copy of the original dependency metadata from the memory in the local computer, wherein transmission pressure on the network is reduced when retrieving the copy of the original dependency metadata;
acquiring, by one or more processors, error information and data output, wherein the error information is used for describing errors that occur while running the application, and wherein the data output includes data output of the first component while running the application;
analyzing, by one or more processors and based on the error information, the original dependency metadata and the data output of the first component relevant to the error information, wherein said analyzing comprises determining, based on a null pointer exception in the error information and dependency metadata corresponding to the null pointer exception, that corresponding data has not been output by a component corresponding to the null pointer exception;
providing, by one or more processors, an analysis result, wherein the analysis result includes at least one of: a reason why an error occurs, a prompt for an error correction method, a relevant dependency metadata leading to an occurrence of the error, and relevant data output leading to the occurrence of the error;
and
adjusting, by one or more processors, an operation of a computer that is executing the application based on the analysis result.

2. The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
acquiring, by one or more processors, order constraints, wherein the order constraints are used for representing execution order of the at least two components;
acquiring, by one or more processors, data input, wherein the data input includes data read by components while running the application; and
determining, by one or more processors, redundant order constraints that exist in the order constraints based on the order constraints and the data input.

3. The processor-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein said acquiring order constraints comprises:
acquiring, by one or more processors, order constraints by analyzing the acquired original dependency metadata.

4. The processor-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein said acquiring order constraints comprises:
acquiring, by one or more processors, order constraints by parsing a profile of an application instance.

5. The processor-implemented method of claim 2 , further comprising:
prompting, by one or more processors and to a user, existing redundant order constraints and dependency metadata leading to the redundant order constraints.

6. The processor-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein said acquiring data input comprises:
acquiring, by one or more processors, from the cloud platform, data input recorded by the cloud platform, wherein the data input includes data read by components while running the application on the cloud platform; and
running, by one or more processors, the application and recording data read by components while running the application.

7. The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein said acquiring error information and data output comprises:
acquiring, by one or more processors and from the cloud platform, error information and data output recorded by the cloud platform, wherein the error information describes errors that occurred while running the application on the cloud platform, and wherein the data output includes data output by components while running the application on the cloud platform;
re-running, by one or more processors, the application;
recording, by one or more processors, error information that describes errors that occurred while running the application; and
recording, by one or more processors, data output from predetermined components that occur from running the application.

8. The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
based on the analysis result, modifying, by one or more processors, the original dependency metadata in order to generate a correct dependency metadata, wherein the correct dependency metadata corrects a dependency of the second component on the first component found in the original dependency metadata that caused the null pointer exception, and wherein modifying the original dependency metadata automatically adds a new data source identifier for data generated by the first component that is required by the second component.

9. The processor-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein a terminal acquires the error information from the cloud platform, and wherein the terminal analyzes the original dependency metadata and data output relevant to the error information in order to reduce a workload of the cloud platform.

10. A computer program product comprising one or more computer readable storage media, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computer readable storage media, the stored program instructions comprising:
program instructions to acquire dependency metadata, wherein the dependency metadata is used for representing dependency on data among at least two components of an application, and wherein the dependency metadata is created in a cloud platform;
program instructions to search, by a local computer that is connected to the cloud platform over a network, a memory in the local computer for a copy of the dependency metadata;
program instructions to, in response to the local computer locating the copy of the dependency metadata in the memory in the local computer, retrieve the copy of the dependency metadata from the memory in the local computer, wherein transmission pressure on the network is reduced when retrieving the copy of the dependency metadata;
program instructions to acquire error information and data output, wherein the error information is used for describing errors that occur while running the application, and wherein the data output includes data output by said at least two components while running the application;
program instructions to analyze, based on the error information, dependency metadata and data output relevant to the error information, wherein said program instructions to analyze comprise program instructions to determine, based on a null pointer exception in the error information and dependency metadata corresponding to the null pointer exception, that corresponding data has not been output by a component corresponding to the null pointer exception;
program instructions to provide an analysis result, wherein the analysis result includes at least one of: a reason why an error occurs, a prompt for an error correction method, a relevant dependency metadata leading to an occurrence of the error, and relevant data output leading to the occurrence of the error; and
program instructions to adjust an operation of a computer that is executing the application based on the analysis result.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Huang Gang
• Jiang Tan
• Lan Ling
• Yao Yong
• Yi Li
• Wang Liang
• Zhang Yu

Classifications

• H04W4/60

  Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits · CPC title

• G06F11/0793

  Remedial or corrective actions (recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40) · CPC title

• G06F11/079 Primary

  Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis (in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36) · CPC title

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title

• G06F11/0709

  in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems · CPC title