Event logging and performance analysis system for applications

Abstract

An event logging and analysis mechanism which creates an event object for event of an application to be logged. The event logging mechanism logs into the event object the start time, end time and other information regarding the event. The analysis of the collected event objects may include hierarchical and contextual grouping as well as aggregation of events considered to be identical. The mechanism operates independent of the application whose events it logs and can be turned on and off independently. A user may define the levels of hierarchy and contexts upon which to analyze the event objects.

1 - 22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . A method of logging events for a plurality of applications that operate on an operating system of a first computer, the method comprising:
 receiving a request from a particular application of said applications to create an event object associated with an event of the application that has not been logged;   in response to said request, creating the event object in a first memory space that is separate from a second memory space in which said application operates;   from the application, receiving temporal data and other data regarding the event;   storing the received data regarding the event in the event object; and   processing the stored data regarding the event in order to produce processed event data for display on a web browser of a second computer that is connected to the first computer through the Internet,   wherein said receiving the request, said creating, said receiving the data, said storing, and said processing are performed by an event logging mechanism that is part of said operating system and operating independently from said application on the first computer on which said application operates.   
     
     
         24 . A method according to  claim 23  further comprising:
 checking whether event logging has been turned on for the event.   
     
     
         25 . A method according to  claim 24 , wherein said creating, receiving the data, and storing are performed for each event having event logging turned on, wherein a plurality of event objects are created for a plurality of events. 
     
     
         26 . A method according to  claim 25 , wherein said processing comprises analyzing said event object after event logging is turned off. 
     
     
         27 . A method according to  claim 26 , wherein processing includes:
 allowing user definition of the hierarchical levels of granularity of said events whose event objects are to be analyzed; and   allowing user definition of contexts for differentiating repeated occurrences of events deemed identical by nature of their hierarchical position.   
     
     
         28 . A method according to  claim 27 , wherein processing further includes:
 grouping events into their hierarchical subgroups; and   grouping events by their context, if any are defined.   
     
     
         29 . A method according to  claim 28 , wherein processing further comprises:
 traversing through the hierarchy of subgroups until the subgroup of finest granularity is traversed;   subdividing said events into further subgroups;   computing statistics for each subgroup while traversing; and   displaying said statistics.   
     
     
         30 . A method according to  claim 29 , wherein if said subgroup of finest granularity has been traversed, then:
 aggregating events deemed identical by virtue of their hierarchical position into an aggregate;   computing statistics for each aggregate; and   displaying said statistics for each said aggregate.   
     
     
         31 . A method according to  claim 29 , wherein said processing includes:
 aggregating events deemed identical by virtue of their context into an aggregate;   computing statistics for each aggregate; and   displaying said statistics for each said aggregate.   
     
     
         32 . An event logging method comprising:
 for each of a plurality of events that need to be logged within a plurality of applications operating on an operating system of a computer:
 recording event data for each of a plurality of application events in a first memory space that is uniquely allocated for the event logging method, said first memory space separate from a second memory space allocated for the plurality of applications; 
   for each application in said plurality of application, grouping a plurality of said event data into a plurality of hierarchical sets of events, wherein each hierarchical set comprises a parent event and at least one child event; and   for a plurality of said hierarchical sets of events, defining a nested hierarchical display of event data that displays the parent events at one aligned level in the hierarchy and displays the child events at another aligned level in the hierarchy under the corresponding parent events, wherein said recording, grouping, and defining are performed by an event logging mechanism that is part of the operating system of said computer and that runs independently from said applications on said computer.   
     
     
         33 . A method according to  claim 32 , wherein the operating system comprises a framework, said framework comprising the event logging mechanism. 
     
     
         34 . A method according to  claim 32  further comprising checking, for each event identified by a particular application within the plurality of applications, whether event logging has been enabled. 
     
     
         35 . A method according to  claim 34 , wherein said nested hierarchical display is displayed in a web browser. 
     
     
         36 . A method according to  claim 32 , wherein the memory space occupied by the event data is within a memory space that has been allocated solely to the event logging mechanism. 
     
     
         37 . A method according to  claim 32 , wherein the events that are logged by the event logging mechanism have not been previously logged by any other application. 
     
     
         38 . A method according to  claim 32 , wherein information placed in the event data is first logged by the event logging mechanism. 
     
     
         39 . A method according to  claim 32 , wherein each event comprises an enable/disable state, wherein a disable state of a particular event precludes any system from logging said particular event. 
     
     
         40 . A method according to  claim 35 , wherein said computer is a first computer, wherein said web browser executes on a second computer that is connected to said first computer through the Internet. 
     
     
         41 . An article comprising a computer readable medium storing a computer program for execution by at least one processor, the computer program comprising a set of instructions which when executed causes:
 for each event in a plurality of events relating to an application (i) that generates web pages and responds to selections received through said generated web pages and (ii) that operates on an operating system of a computer,
 receiving event data related to at least one of a request for a web page, generation of a web page, and a request received through a selection of an item of the generated web page; and 
 recording said event data information regarding the event, 
   wherein said receiving and recording are performed by an event logging mechanism that is part of the operating system of said computer and that runs independently from said application on said computer on which said application executes.   
     
     
         42 . An article according to  claim 41 , wherein the comprises a framework, said framework comprising the event logging mechanism.