Systems and methods for analyzing bus data
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorsJohn Charles Dun, Kenneth D. Ray, Glen Thomas Slick
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods for analyzing transactions on a bus. A software module can cause a trace packet to be generated and sent out on a bus to an invalid address. The trace packet triggers a protocol analyzer and permits the bus data flowing on the bus when the software module detected a problem to be analyzed. The trace packet causes the protocol analyzer to trigger even though the bus protocol is normal and the protocol analyzer would not otherwise trigger. The trace packet can be used to analyze and debug communications flowing on a bus when the software module detects a problem.
Claims20
A computing system that includes:
- a bus used for communication between a host computer and one or more devices;
- a protocol analyzer;
- and
- one or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions for implementing a method for a software module to trigger the protocol analyzer to capture data on the bus when a protocol of the bus is functioning properly, wherein the method comprises:
- detecting an error with a device;
- generating a trace packet,
- sending the trace packet on the bus to an invalid address, wherein the trace packet triggers the protocol analyzer such that data on the bus is captured.
A computing system that includes:
- a bus used for communication between a host computer and one or more devices;
- a protocol analyzer;
- and
- one or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions for implementing a method for a software module to trigger the protocol analyzer to capture data on the bus when a protocol of the bus is functioning properly, wherein the method comprises:
- detecting a condition with a device;
- causing a trace packet to be generated, wherein the trace packet is known to the protocol analyzer;
- sending the trace packet on the bus to an invalid address, wherein the trace packet triggers the protocol analyzer such that data on the bus is captured.
A computing system that includes:
- a bus used for communication between a host computer and one or more devices;
- a protocol analyzer;
- and
- one or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions for implementing a method for a software module to trigger the protocol analyzer to capture data on the bus when a protocol of the bus is functioning properly, wherein the method comprises:
- receiving a call, at a device driver, from an upper layer software module, wherein the upper layer software module has detected a problem with a particular device;
- generating a trace packet in response to the call from the upper layer software module, wherein the trace packet has been previously identified to the protocol analyzer;
- sending the trace packet on the bus to an invalid address, wherein the protocol analyzer triggers upon detecting the trace packet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.