Patent ID: 7483911

Claim:
A computer-implemented method comprising: creating a log record within a log buffer used to image the log record prior to writing the log record to a log file of a first system instance, the log record containing actual log information, the first system instance being a hardware and software instance of a system, the log buffer being hardware memory; setting a flag in memory other than the log buffer and corresponding to the log record, the flag indicating at least one of whether the log record has been sent to a second system instance and whether the log record has been received by the second system instance, the second system instance also being a hardware and software instance of the system; sending the log record over a network from the first system instance to the second system instance; embedding non-log information within a simulated log record having a format identical to a format of the log record and having at least body and header and footer metadata sections, the non-logic information embedded in the body section of the simulated log record; setting at least one otherwise unused bit of the metadata section of the simulated log record to indicate that the simulated log record is simulated and does not contain actual log information; and, sending the simulated log record over the network from the first system instance to the second system instance, wherein the simulated log record has a same length as the log record.