| CPC G06F 11/079 (2013.01) [G06F 11/0748 (2013.01); G06F 21/62 (2013.01)] | 20 Claims |
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1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
storing a plurality of diagnostic files as a computer system attempts to perform a plurality of different tasks in an access-restricted environment, wherein the plurality of diagnostic files comprise diagnostic metadata, the diagnostic metadata comprising:
identifiers of a plurality of logical resources in use by the computer system as the computer system attempts to perform the plurality of different tasks; and
data values associated with logical resources of the plurality of logical resources as the computer system attempts to perform the plurality of different tasks;
wherein a particular problem prevents the computer system from correctly performing one or more tasks of the plurality of different tasks;
on a machine in the access-restricted environment, authenticating a user to the access-restricted environment, wherein the access-restricted environment is restricted from communicating information over any computer network to a separate diagnostic tool environment that is also accessible to the user;
in the access-restricted environment:
receiving error metadata that identifies a starting set of information in the access-restricted environment for troubleshooting a particular error resulting from the particular problem, wherein the error metadata, without analysis of the starting set of information in the access-restricted environment, does not reveal which problem of at least two different candidate problems of a plurality of different candidate problems resulted in the particular error; and
initiating a signature generation mode using the starting set of information, and, in the signature generation mode without requiring any additional troubleshooting from the user:
based at least in part on the starting set of information:
accessing, from the plurality of diagnostic files, one or more particular diagnostic files potentially relevant to the particular error; and
selecting one or more particular categories of the particular error from a plurality of candidate categories of errors;
based at least in part on the selected one or more particular categories of the particular error, selecting one or more diagnostic metadata extraction policies from a plurality of different candidate diagnostic metadata extraction policies managed in the access-restricted environment;
applying the one or more diagnostic metadata extraction policies to extract, from the one or more particular diagnostic files, particular diagnostic metadata specific to the selected one or more particular categories of the particular error, the particular diagnostic metadata identifying one or more particular logical resources of a plurality of particular logical resources in the one or more particular diagnostic files;
identifying the particular problem from the plurality of different candidate problems based at least in part on comparing the particular diagnostic metadata to known patterns of diagnostic metadata for at least one of said at least two different candidate problems, wherein the plurality of different candidate problems comprise said at least two different candidate problems and one or more other candidate problems that, if present, would result in a different error other than the particular error;
identifying a particular source of the particular problem from a plurality of different candidate sources of the particular problem based at least in part on the one or more particular logical resources identified by the particular diagnostic metadata; and
generating a signature for the particular problem, wherein the signature comprises human-readable text, the human-readable text comprising:
a problem identifier that identifies the particular problem from the plurality of different candidate problems, and
a source identifier that identifies the particular source from the plurality of different candidate sources; and
causing display of the signature, wherein the signature is consumable by a diagnostic interface in the separate diagnostic tool environment.
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