Systems and methods for monitoring object activity through an external agent using a proxy object

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for monitoring the activity of an object to aid in debugging a problem with an application using the object. An operating system registry is altered to reference a proxy object when the application attempts to reference the object. The proxy object exposes an interface exposed by the object. Communications passing between the application and the object can be monitored in the proxy object. The proxy object can be monitored locally or remotely through a remote procedure channel.

1 . A method comprising the steps of: 
 altering an operating system registry to redirect application data sent from an application to an object;    receiving the redirected application data sent from the application to the object;    forwarding the redirected application data to the object;    receiving object data sent from the object to the application;    forwarding the object data to the application; and    outputting the application data and the object data to an external agent.    
     
     
         2 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the outputting step further comprises the external agent reading the application data and the object data.  
     
     
         3 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the outputting step further comprises outputting the application data and the object data via remote procedures channel (RPC).  
     
     
         4 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the external agent is a common object model (COM) object.  
     
     
         5 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the outputting further comprises outputting the application data and the object data to a remote location.  
     
     
         6 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the steps are performed in a computer system; and    the outputting further comprises outputting the application data and the object data to an object within the computer system.    
     
     
         7 . One or more computer-readable media containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, perform acts comprising: 
 configuring a proxy object to intercept data that passes to and from the object and to and from an application that uses the object;    configuring an operating system registry that handles activity between the application and the object to reference the proxy object when the application references the object; and    monitoring data that passes to and from the proxy object.    
     
     
         8 . One or more media as recited in  claim 7 , wherein: 
 the proxy object further comprises a common object model (COM) object having a remote procedures channel; and    the monitoring data further comprises remotely monitoring the data via the remote procedures channel.    
     
     
         9 . One or more media as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the configuring the proxy object further comprises configuring the proxy object to expose an object interface for the application to utilize, the object interface being an interface exposed by the object.  
     
     
         10 . One or more media as recited in  claim 7 , further comprising creating the proxy object.  
     
     
         11 . One or more media as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the configuring the operating system registry occurs prior to the application being launched.  
     
     
         12 . One or more media as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the object further comprises an aggregatable object.  
     
     
         13 . One or more media as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the object further comprises a COM object.  
     
     
         14 . One or more media as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the monitoring data further comprises storing the data on one or more computer-readable media.  
     
     
         15 . One or more media as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the monitoring data further comprises printing the data.  
     
     
         16 . One or more media as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the monitoring data further comprises displaying the data on at least one electronic display.  
     
     
         17 . A system for monitoring activity of an object, the system comprising means for performing functions, the functions comprising: 
 altering an operating system registry to reference a proxy object so that when an application references the object, the proxy object is referenced instead;    monitoring data transmitted to and from the proxy object; and    wherein the proxy object receives application data sent from the application to the object, forwards the application data to the object, receives object data sent from the object to the application, and forwards the object data to the application.    
     
     
         18 . A system as recited in  claim 17 , wherein the functions further comprise creating the proxy object.  
     
     
         19 . A system as recited in  claim 17 , wherein the monitoring further comprises monitoring the data transmitted to and from the proxy object further comprises remotely monitoring the data transmitted to and from the proxy object.  
     
     
         20 . The method as recited in  claim 17 , wherein the proxy object further comprises a remote procedure channel (RPC) through which the data is monitored.  
     
     
         21 . The method as recited in  claim 17 , wherein the object further comprises an aggregatable object.  
     
     
         22 . A system as recited in  claim 17 , wherein the object further comprises a common object model (COM) object.  
     
     
         23 . A system as recited in  claim 17 , wherein the monitoring the data further comprises storing the data on one or more computer-readable media.  
     
     
         24 . A system as recited in  claim 17 , wherein the monitoring the data further comprises printing the data.  
     
     
         25 . A system as recited in  claim 17 , wherein the monitoring the data further comprises displaying the data on an electronic display.  
     
     
         26 . A system as recited in  claim 17 , wherein the proxy object does not alter normal activity of the application or the object.