Method and system for storing and displaying system operation traces with asynchronous event-pairs

Claim 1

A method of displaying system operation trace information within a display device of a computer, comprising: displaying a window within said display device; displaying an axis within said window having points along said axis which correspond to time; displaying graphical objects in relation to said axis which correspond to selected event-pairs within said system operation, such that a position of a graphical object in relation to said axis is indicative of a starting and an ending time of an event-pair corresponding to that graphical object, wherein a relative position of any two of said graphical objects is indicative of a nesting relationship therebetween; and in response to a new event-pair having a starting time nested within a prior event-pair, said starting time preceding an ending time of a third event-pair having a nesting depth identical to said new event-pair, automatically displaying a graphical object representing said new event-pair adjacent to a graphical object representing said prior event-pair such that said graphical object representing said new event-pair is not visually obscured by a graphical object representing said third event-pair.

Claim 2

A method of displaying system operation trace information within a display device of a computer, comprising: displaying a window within said display device; displaying an axis within said window having points along said axis which correspond to time; displaying graphical objects in relation to said axis which correspond to selected event-pairs within said system operation, such that a position of a graphical object in relation to said axis is indicative of a starting and an ending time of an event-pair corresponding to that graphical object, wherein a relative position of any two of said graphical objects is indicative of a nesting relationship therebetween; and in response to a new event-pair having a starting time nested within a prior event-pair, said starting time preceding an ending time of a third event-pair having a nesting depth identical to said new event-pair, automatically displaying a graphical object representing said new event-pair adjacent to a graphical object representing said prior event-pair such that said graphical object representing said new event-pair is not visually obscured by a graphical object representing said third event-pair.

Claim 3

A system for displaying system operation trace information within a display device of a computer, comprising: means for displaying a window within said display device; means for displaying an axis within said window having points along said axis which correspond to time; means for displaying graphical objects in relation to said axis which correspond to selected event-pairs within said system operation, such that a position of a graphical object in relation to said axis is indicative of a starting and an ending time of an event-pair corresponding to that graphical object, wherein a relative position of any two of said graphical objects is indicative of a nesting relationship therebetween; and means, responsive to a new event-pair having a starting time nested within a prior event-pair, said starting time preceding an ending time of a third event-pair having a nesting depth identical to said new event-pair, for automatically displaying a graphical object representing said new event-pair adjacent to a graphical object representing said prior event-pair such that said graphical object representing said new event-pair is not visually obscured by a graphical object representing said third event-pair.

Claim 4

A system for displaying system operation trace information within a display device of a computer, comprising: means for displaying a window within said display device; means for displaying an axis within said window having points along said axis which correspond to time; means for displaying graphical objects in relation to said axis which correspond to selected event-pairs within said system operation, such that a position of a graphical object in relation to said axis is indicative of a starting and an ending time of an event-pair corresponding to that graphical object, wherein a relative position of any two of said graphical objects is indicative of a nesting relationship therebetween; and means, responsive to a new event-pair having a starting time nested within a prior event-pair, said starting time preceding an ending time of a third event-pair having a nesting depth identical to said new event-pair, for automatically displaying a graphical object representing said new event-pair adjacent to a graphical object representing said prior event-pair such that said graphical object representing said new event-pair is not visually obscured by a graphical object representing said third event-pair.

Claim 6

A method of displaying system operation trace information within a display device of a computer, comprising: displaying a window within said display device; displaying an axis within said window having points along said axis which correspond to time; determining if an event-pair within said system operation, having a starttime and an endtime, has a parent with which said event-pair is nested; in response to determining that said event-pair does not have a parent with which said event-pair is nested, setting a visual depth counter to 0; in response to determining that said event-pair has a parent with which said event-pair is nested, setting said visual depth counter to a visual depth 1 level greater than a visual depth of said parent with which said event-pair is nested; determining if said starttime of said event-pair is earlier than an endtime of a latest occurring prior event-pair at a visual depth indicated by said visual depth counter; in response to determining that said starttime of said event-pair is earlier than an endtime of a latest occurring prior event-pair at a visual depth indicated by said visual depth counter, incrementing said visual depth counter until said starttime of said event-pair is later than an endtime of a latest occurring prior event-pair at a visual depth indicated by said visual depth counter; displaying a graphical object corresponding to said event-pair at a visual depth with respect to said axis indicated by said visual depth counter, such that a position of said graphical object along said axis is indicative of said starttime and said endtime of said event-pair, and such that said visual depth at which said graphical object is displayed is indicative of a nesting level of said event-pair; and setting said endtime of a latest occurring prior event-pair at said depth indicated by said visual depth counter to said endtime of said event-pair.

Claim 7

A method of displaying system operation trace information within a display device of a computer, comprising: displaying a window within said display device; displaying an axis within said window having points along said axis which correspond to time; determining if an event-pair within said system operation, having a starttime and an endtime, has a parent with which said event-pair is nested; in response to determining that said event-pair does not have a parent with which said event-pair is nested, setting a visual depth counter to 0; in response to determining that said event-pair has a parent with which said event-pair is nested, setting said visual depth counter to a visual depth 1 level greater than a visual depth of said parent with which said event-pair is nested; determining if said starttime of said event-pair is earlier than an endtime of a latest occurring prior event-pair at a visual depth indicated by said visual depth counter; in response to determining that said starttime of said event-pair is earlier than an endtime of a latest occurring prior event-pair at a visual depth indicated by said visual depth counter, incrementing said visual depth counter until said starttime of said event-pair is later than an endtime of a latest occurring prior event-pair at a visual depth indicated by said visual depth counter; displaying a graphical object corresponding to said event-pair at a visual depth with respect to said axis indicated by said visual depth counter, such that a position of said graphical object along said axis is indicative of said starttime and said endtime of said event-pair, and such that said visual depth at which said graphical object is displayed is indicative of a nesting level of said event-pair; and setting said endtime of a latest occurring prior event-pair at said depth indicated by said visual depth counter to said endtime of said event-pair.

Claim 8

A system for displaying system operation trace information within a display device of a computer, comprising: means for displaying a window within said display device; means for displaying an axis within said window having points along said axis which correspond to time; means for determining if an event-pair within said system operation, having a starttime and an endtime, has a parent with which said event-pair is nested; means, responsive to determining that said event-pair does not have a parent with which said event-pair is nested, for setting a visual depth counter to 0; means, responsive to determining that said event-pair has a parent with which said event-pair is nested, for setting said visual depth counter to a visual depth 1 level greater than a visual depth of said parent with which said event-pair is nested; means for determining if said starttime of said event-pair is earlier than an endtime of a latest occurring prior event-pair at a visual depth indicated by said visual depth counter; means, responsive to determining that said starttime of said event-pair is earlier than an endtime of a latest occurring prior event-pair at a visual depth indicated by said visual depth counter, for incrementing said visual depth counter until said starttime of said event-pair is later than in endtime of a latest occurring prior event-pair at a visual depth indicated by said visual depth counter; means for displaying a graphical object corresponding to said event-pair at a visual depth with respect to said axis indicated by said visual depth counter, such that a position of said graphical object along said axis is indicative of said starttime and said endtime of said event-pair, and such that said visual depth at which said graphical object is displayed is indicative of a nesting level of said event-pair; and means for setting said endtime of a latest occurring prior event-pair at said depth indicated by said visual depth counter to said endtime of said event-pair.

Claim 9

A system for displaying system operation trace information within a display device of a computer, comprising: means for displaying a window within said display device; means for displaying an axis within said window having points along said axis which correspond to time; means for determining if an event-pair within said system operation, having a starttime and an endtime, has a parent with which said event-pair is nested; means, responsive to determining that said event-pair does not have a parent with which said event-pair is nested, for setting a visual depth counter to 0; means, responsive to determining that said event-pair has a parent with which said event-pair is nested, for setting said visual depth counter to a visual depth 1 level greater than a visual depth of said parent with which said event-pair is nested; means for determining if said starttime of said event-pair is earlier than an endtime of a latest occurring prior event-pair at a visual depth indicated by said visual depth counter; means, responsive to determining that said starttime of said event-pair is earlier than an endtime of a latest occurring prior event-pair at a visual depth indicated by said visual depth counter, for incrementing said visual depth counter until said starttime of said event-pair is later than in endtime of a latest occurring prior event-pair at a visual depth indicated by said visual depth counter; means for displaying a graphical object corresponding to said event-pair at a visual depth with respect to said axis indicated by said visual depth counter, such that a position of said graphical object along said axis is indicative of said starttime and said endtime of said event-pair, and such that said visual depth at which said graphical object is displayed is indicative of a nesting level of said event-pair; and means for setting said endtime of a latest occurring prior event-pair at said depth indicated by said visual depth counter to said endtime of said event-pair.

Claim 10

A method of inserting an event-pair into a data structure storing a plurality of event-pairs and specifying relationships between said plurality of event-pairs, comprising: examining start times of event-pairs within said data structure to determine a first event-pair having a start time immediately preceding a start time of an event-pair to be inserted; comparing said start time of said event-pair to be inserted with start times and end times of later occurring event-pairs within said data structure to determine a second event-pair having a start time immediately following said start time of said event-pair to be inserted; inserting said event-pair to be inserted into said data structure; and specifying relationships between said event-pair to be inserted and said first and said second event-pairs according to a predetermined set of rules.

Claim 11

A method of inserting an event-pair into a data structure storing a plurality of event-pairs and specifying relationships between said plurality of event-pairs, comprising: examining start times of event-pairs within said data structure to determine a first event-pair having a start time immediately preceding a start time of an event-pair to be inserted; comparing said start time of said event-pair to be inserted with start times and end times of later occurring event-pairs within said data structure to determine a second event-pair having a start time immediately following said start time of said event-pair to be inserted; inserting said event-pair to be inserted into said data structure; and specifying relationships between said event-pair to be inserted and said first and said second event-pairs according to a predetermined set of rules.

Claim 13

A system for inserting an event-pair into a data structure storing a plurality of event-pairs and specifying relationships between said plurality of event-pairs, comprising: a memory storing said data structure; means for examining start times of event-pairs within said data structure to determine a first event-pair having a start time immediately preceding a start time of an event-pair to be inserted; means for comparing said start time of said event-pair to be inserted with start times and end times of later occurring event-pairs within said data structure to determine a second event-pair having a start time immediately following said start time of said event-pair to be inserted; means for inserting said event-pair to be inserted into said data structure; and means for specifying relationships between said event-pair to be inserted and said first and said second event-pairs according to a predetermined set of rules.

Claim 14

A system for inserting an event-pair into a data structure storing a plurality of event-pairs and specifying relationships between said plurality of event-pairs, comprising: a memory storing said data structure; means for examining start times of event-pairs within said data structure to determine a first event-pair having a start time immediately preceding a start time of an event-pair to be inserted; means for comparing said start time of said event-pair to be inserted with start times and end times of later occurring event-pairs within said data structure to determine a second event-pair having a start time immediately following said start time of said event-pair to be inserted; means for inserting said event-pair to be inserted into said data structure; and means for specifying relationships between said event-pair to be inserted and said first and said second event-pairs according to a predetermined set of rules.