Patent ID: 8327189

Claim:
A method of diagnosing an incident on a computer system, the method comprising: after the incident on the computer system has occurred, electronically receiving a bundle of diagnostic information from the computer system and storing the diagnostic information in a memory; after electronically receiving the bundle of diagnostic information from the computer system and storing the diagnostic information in the memory, electronically applying a set of diagnostics analyzers from a diagnostics analyzer database to the diagnostic information using processing circuitry which is coupled to the diagnostics analyzer database, the electronic application of the set of diagnostics analyzers from the diagnostics analyzer database to the diagnostic information resulting in a set of analyzer results; and electronically generating a report which identifies a reason for the incident on the computer system based on the set of analyzer results; wherein the diagnostics analyzer database stores fault signature detector entries, each fault signature detector entry including (i) a fault signature, (ii) a known fault associated with that fault signature, and (iii) a recommendation to remedy that known fault; wherein electronically applying the set of diagnostics analyzers from the diagnostics analyzer database to the diagnostic information includes: scanning the diagnostic information for the fault signature of each fault signature detector entry stored in the diagnostics analyzer database, and providing a fault indication signal identifying whether the fault signature of any fault signature detector entry was discovered in the diagnostic information during scanning of the diagnostic information for the fault signature of each fault signature detector entry; wherein the diagnostics analyzer database further stores invariant violation detector entries, each invariant violation detector entry including a known invariant condition which is needed for proper operation of the computer system; wherein electronically applying the set of diagnostics analyzers from the diagnostics analyzer database to the diagnostic information further includes: scanning the diagnostic information for the known invariant condition of each invariant violation detector entry stored in the diagnostics analyzer database, and providing an invariant indication signal identifying whether the known invariant condition of any invariant violation detector entry was violated based on scanning the diagnostic information for the known invariant condition of each invariant violation detector entry; and wherein electronically applying the set of diagnostics analyzers from the diagnostics analyzer database to the diagnostic information is complete only after (i) the fault indication signal has been provided and (ii) the respective invariant indication signal has been provided, the fault indication signal and the invariant indication signal forming at least a portion of the set of analyzer results.