A relational approach to monitoring complex systems

ABSTRACT

Monitoring is an essential part of many program development tools, and plays a central role in debugging, optimization, status reporting, and reconfiguration. Traditional monitoring techniques are inadequate when monitoring complex systems such as multiprocessors or distributed systems. A new approach is described in which a historical database forms the conceptual basis for the information processed by the monitor. This approach permits advances in specifying the low-level data collection, specifying the analysis of the collected data, performing the analysis, and displaying the results. Two prototype implementations demonstrate the feasibility of the approach.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.4 OPERATING SYSTEMS
      D.4.8 Performance
          Subjects: Monitors

Additional Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.2 COMPUTER-COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
      C.2.4 Distributed Systems
          Subjects: Distributed applications

  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
  D.4 OPERATING SYSTEMS
      D.4.8 Performance
          Subjects: Measurements

  H. Information Systems
  H.2 DATABASE MANAGEMENT
      H.2.1 Logical Design
          Subjects: Data models
      H.2.3 Languages
          Subjects: Query languages
          Nouns: QUEL

General Terms:
Design, Experimentation, Languages, Measurement, Performance