Patent ID: 8381193

Claim:
An apparatus for visual log analysis, the apparatus comprising: a processor; a memory in communication with the processor, the memory storing modules for execution by the processor, the memory comprising, a log consolidation module executable on the processor configured to retrieve, from each of a plurality of devices on a network, a plurality of log entries from a log maintained by the device and to consolidate the plurality of log entries, each of the plurality of devices maintaining a distinct set of log entries corresponding to loggable events associated with the device, wherein metadata information is generated and stored with a log entry in response to creation of the log entry, the metadata information executable on the processor configured to identify a topology relationship between the device that generated the log entry and other network devices; a metadata reader module executable on the processor configured to read the metadata information stored with the log entries, the stored metadata identifying a topology relationship between the device that generated the log entry stored with the metadata and the other network devices; a parsing module in communication with the log consolidation module, the parsing module executable on the processor configured to parse the log entries retrieved from each of the plurality of devices based on the metadata stored with the log entries to identify log entries from different devices on the network that are related based on the topology relationship identified by the metadata, wherein the parsing module is executable on the processor further configured to parse the log entries stored in a plurality of formats by the plurality of devices on the network, the log entries comprising a copy of data involved in a loggable event, a date/time stamp, and a device or user identifier: and a display module in communication with the parsing module, the display module configured to display a graphical representation of the log entries.