Using SSSL principle to design support tools
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Start, Stop and Send Log (SSSL) principle was applied to design of many tools created in Citrix for troubleshooting customer issues. My favorite examples are WindowHistory, MessageHistory, and ScreenHistory.
In a typical scenario, a customer has a GUI issue, downloads a tool, runs it, clicks on a “Start” button, tries to reproduce the issue, clicks on a “Stop” button and then sends a log either saved in a file or copied from the tool’s dialog. Simple action, no need for customers to become familiar with colored and complex GUI tools especially when an issue is hot and there is no time to play. Upon the arrival of the log file a skilled engineer can analyze it and provide further recommendations. Of course, SSSL tools must record all information that would be necessary to look at during analysis.
SSSL principle promotes agile iterative and incremental development of tools. Because it is difficult to know in advance about all information necessary to record, the first version usually implements logging of essential data only and what is missing in other available tools. The GUI is very simple and this shortens the development time. Later, after support incidents and analysis of their logs, it becomes apparent that more information needs to be recorded and then the second version is born, etc.
SSSL principle also promotes design and implementation reuse. Because GUI and certain operations are the same you can reuse common source code.
Finally after some time when more and more SSSL tools appear you can refactor them into a unified SSSL framework where individual tools become pluggable components. This is what is coming this summer: GUI History Monitor that will combine all separate SSSL “History” tools together.
- Dmitry Vostokov -
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