Method And System For Clustered Real-Time Correlation Of Trace Data Fragments Describing Distributed Transaction Executions

A computer-implemented method for monitoring transaction execution in a distributed computing environment, comprising:

• determining, by an agent instrumented in a method, whether execution of the method starts a new transaction executing in the distributed computing environment, where the agent is executed by a processor of a host computing device;
• selecting, by the agent, an identifier for one of a plurality of correlation servers, associating the selected identifier for a given correlation server with the new transaction, selecting a transaction identifier for the new transaction and associating the selected transaction identifier with the new transaction, where the identifier for the given correlation server is selected from a listing of the correlation servers stored on the host computing device and the steps of selecting and associating are in response to a determination that the method started the new transaction;
• retrieving, by the agent, the identifier for the correlation server and the transaction identifier from a currently executing transaction in response to a determination that the execution of the method does not start the execution of a new transaction;
• creating, by the agent, a trace event that indicates the execution of the method, where the trace event includes the transaction identifier, the selected identifier for the given correlation server and at least one metric indicative of performance of the method;
• and
• sending, by the agent, the trace event across a network to the given correlation server located remotely from the host computing device.

A computer-implemented system for monitoring transaction execution in a distributed computing environment, comprising:

• a listing of correlation servers stored in a memory device of a host computing device;
• an agent instrumented in a method and configured to monitor performance of the method, wherein the agent is executed by a processor of the host computing device;
• wherein the agent determines whether execution of the method starts a new transaction executing in the distributed computing environment and, in response to a determination that the method started the new transaction, selects an identifier for one of a plurality of correlation servers in the listing of correlation servers, associating the selected identifier for a given correlation server with the new transaction, selecting a transaction identifier for the new transaction and associating the selected transaction identifier with the new transaction;
• wherein the agent, in response to a determination that the execution of the method does not start the execution of a new transaction, retrieves the identifier for the given correlation server and the transaction identifier from a currently executing transaction;
• and
• the given correlation server in data communication via a network with the host computing device and located remotely from the host computing device, wherein the agent creates a trace event that indicates the execution of the method and send the trace event across the network to the given correlation server, where the trace event includes the transaction identifier, the selected identifier for the given correlation server and at least one metric indicative of performance of the method.