Tracing operations in multiple computer systems

A performance trace system comprising:

• an administration unit, the administration unit to manage a trace of a computer application having a plurality of components running on a plurality of systems, including a first component of the computer application running on a first system and a second component of the computer application running a second system, the administration unit including a first import module for trace data generated for the first system and a second import module for trace data generated for the second system, the first system and the second system having different computer environments;
• a first trace element implemented in the first system to collect a first set of trace data from a trace of the operation of the first component and provide the first set of trace data via the first import module;
• and
• a second trace element implemented in the second system to collect a second set of trace data from a trace of the operation of the second component and provide the second trace data via the second import module;
• wherein the administration system uses a trace correlator to identify data for an end to end trace of the computer application on the plurality of systems, the end to end trace of the computer application being a trace of the computer application over each of the plurality of systems on which the computer application is running, the trace correlator being an identifying data object that is included with a first communication sent to the first system for a trace of the first component running on the first system and with a second communication sent to the second system for a trace of the second component running on the second system, the trace correlator including an identification for the end-to-end trace of the computer application, the first communication being sent in a format appropriate for the first computer system and the second communication being sent in a format appropriate for the second computer system;
• and
• wherein the administration system is configured to combine the first set of trace data from the first system and the second set of trace data from the second system to generate a combined trace result, wherein combining the first set of trace data and the second set of trace data includes utilizing the trace correlator to correlate the first set of trace data and the second set of trace data with the end to end trace.

A computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program having instructions for a performance trace of a computer application, the instructions including:

• enabling an end to end performance trace for the computer application, the computer application including a plurality of components running on a plurality of systems, including a first component running on a first computer system and a second component running on a second computer system, the first computer system and the second computer system having different computer environments;
• generating a trace correlator for an end to end trace of the computer application, the end to end trace of the computer application being a trace of the computer application over each of the plurality of systems on which the computer application is running, the trace correlator being transferred with a first communication sent to the first system for a trace of the first component running on the first system and with a second communication sent to the second system for a trace of the second component running on the second system, the trace correlator being an identifying data object, the trace correlator including an identification for the end to end trace of the computer application, the first communication being sent in a format appropriate for the first computer system and the second communication being sent in a format appropriate for the second computer system;
• running the computer application, including running the first component of the computer application on the first system and the second component on the second system;
• collecting sets of trace data from traces of each of the components of the computer application, including collecting a first set of trace data from a trace of the first component on the first system and collecting a second set of trace data from a trace of the second component on the second system;
• and
• generating a combined performance trace by combining the sets of trace data, including the first set of trace data from the trace of the first component and the second set of trace data from the trace of the second component, to generate a combined trace result, wherein combining the first set of trace data and the second set of trace data include utilizing the trace correlator to correlate the first set of trace data and the second set of trace data with the end to end trace.