Archive for the ‘Software Problem Solving’ Category
Sunday, October 21st, 2012
Pattern-driven software post-construction problem solving involves using preexisting pattern languages and pattern catalogs for software diagnostics, troubleshooting and debugging. Pattern-based software post-construction problem solving addresses PLS (Pattern Life Cycle) - from the discovery of a new pattern through its integration into an existing catalog and language, testing, packaging and delivering to pattern consumers with subsequent usage, refactoring and writing case studies:

- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org + TraceAnalysis.org -
Posted in Announcements, Debugging, Pattern-Based Debugging, Pattern-Based Software Diagnostics, Software Diagnostics, Software Problem Solving | No Comments »
Friday, July 13th, 2012
For some time I was struggling with finding a good name for memory dump and software trace analysis activities. The name Memoretics I use for the science of memory dump analysis (that also incorporates software traces) seems not so good to describe the whole practical activity that should be transparent to everyone in IT. Fortunately, I timely understood that all these activities constitute the essence of software diagnostics that previously lacked any solid foundation. Thus, Software Diagnostics Institute was reborn from the previous Crash Dump Analysis Portal. This institute does pure and applied research and scientific activities and in recent years was funded mainly from OpenTask publisher and recently from Memory Dump Analysis Services. The latter company also recognized that the broadening of its commercial activities requires a new name. So, Software Diagnostics Services was reborn:
The First Comprehensive Software Diagnostics Service
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org + TraceAnalysis.org -
Posted in Announcements, Cloud Memory Dump Analysis, Complete Memory Dump Analysis, Core Dump Analysis, Crash Analysis Report Environment (CARE), Crash Dump Analysis, Debugging, Debugging Bureau, Debugging Industry, Debugging Methodology, Debugging Today, Debugging Trends, Education, Education and Research, Escalation Engineering, Event Tracing for Windows (ETW), First Fault Software Diagnostics, Generative Debugging, JIT Crash Analysis, JIT Memory Space Analysis, Java Debugging, Kernel Development, Kernel Memory Dump Analysis, Linux Crash Corner, MFC Debugging, Mac Crash Corner, Mac OS X, Malware Analysis, Memoretics, Memory Analysis Forensics and Intelligence, Memory Analysis Report System, Memory Dump Analysis Methodology, Memory Dump Analysis Services, Minidump Analysis, New Debugging School, Pattern-Driven Debugging, Pattern-Driven Software Support, Performance Monitoring, Root Cause Analysis, SQL Debugging, Security, Software Debugging Services, Software Diagnostics, Software Diagnostics Institute, Software Diagnostics Services, Software Engineering, Software Problem Solving, Software Technical Support, Software Trace Analysis, Software Trace Analysis Report Environment (STARE), Tools, Training and Seminars, Troubleshooting Methodology, Unified Software Diagnostics, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Azure, Windows Mobile, Windows Server 2008, Windows System Administration, x64 Mac OS X, x64 Windows | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 5th, 2012
-
Motivated by 7 Habits of Highly Effective Debuggers I would like to reflect on a distinction between diagnostics and problem solving as separate processes (although highly related). First, we reverse the precept from that article because stories such as software logs and traces are of primary importance to software diagnostics (and not only). And without diagnostics there is no effective debugging (treatment, problem solving, etc.)
The Principle Precept of Diagnostics
Stories NOT Statistics secure certainty.
Next parts will be about actual habits so please stay tuned. I would try to finish this list before the forthcoming Webinar on software diagnostics.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org + TraceAnalysis.org -
Posted in 7 Habits, Core Dump Analysis, Crash Dump Analysis, Escalation Engineering, Software Diagnostics, Software Engineering, Software Narratology, Software Problem Solving, Software Technical Support, Software Trace Analysis | No Comments »
Sunday, April 15th, 2012
In a week this short full color book should appear in online bookstores:
- Title: Software Narratology: An Introduction to the Applied Science of Software Stories
- Authors: Dmitry Vostokov, Memory Dump Analysis Services
- Description: This is a transcript of Memory Dump Analysis Services Webinar about Software Narratology: an exciting new discipline and a field of research founded by DumpAnalysis.org. When software executes it gives us its stories in the form of UI events, software traces and logs. Such stories can be analyzed for their structure and patterns for troubleshooting, debugging and problem resolution purposes. Topics also include software narremes and their types, anticipatory software construction and software diagnostics.
- Publisher: OpenTask (April 2012)
- Language: English
- Product Dimensions: 28.0 x 21.6
- Paperback: 26 pages
- ISBN-13: 978-1908043078

- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org + TraceAnalysis.org -
Posted in Announcements, Books, CDF Analysis Tips and Tricks, Code Reading, Computer Science, Debugging, Debugging Methodology, Debugging Trends, Education and Research, Escalation Engineering, Event Tracing for Windows (ETW), Hermeneutics of Memory Dumps and Traces, Ideas, Narralog Programming Language, New Debugging School, Pattern-Driven Debugging, Pattern-Driven Software Support, Presentations, Publishing, Root Cause Analysis, SPDL, Science of Software Tracing, Software Behavior DNA, Software Behavior Patterns, Software Behavioral Genome, Software Diagnostics, Software Engineering, Software Narrative Fiction, Software Narrative Science, Software Narratology, Software Narremes, Software Problem Description Patterns, Software Problem Solving, Software Technical Support, Software Trace Analysis, Software Trace Analysis and History, Software Trace Deconstruction, Software Trace Linguistics, Software Trace Modeling, Software Trace Reading, Software Trace Visualization, Software Tracing Implementation Patterns, Software Troubleshooting Patterns, Structural Trace Patterns, Systems Thinking, Testing, Tools, Trace Analysis Patterns, Training and Seminars, Troubleshooting Methodology, UI Problem Analysis Patterns, Unified Debugging Patterns, Unified Software Diagnostics, Webinars | No Comments »
Monday, April 9th, 2012
Memory Dump Analysis Services organizes a free Webinar on Unified Software Diagnostics (USD) and the new scalable cost-effective software support model called Pattern-Driven Software Support devised to address various shortcomings in existing tiered software support organizations. Examples cover Windows, Mac OS and Linux.

Date: 22nd of June, 2012
Time: 17:00 (BST) 12:00 (EST) 09:00 (PST)
Duration: 60 minutes
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/172771078
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org + TraceAnalysis.org -
Posted in Announcements, Best Practices, Crash Dump Analysis, Crash Dump Patterns, Debugging, Debugging Methodology, Debugging Trends, Economics, Escalation Engineering, Event Tracing for Windows (ETW), JIT Crash Analysis, JIT Memory Space Analysis, Malware Analysis, Malware Patterns, Memoretics, Memory Analysis Forensics and Intelligence, Memory Dump Analysis Methodology, Memory Dump Analysis Services, New Acronyms, New Debugging School, Pattern Prediction, Pattern-Driven Debugging, Pattern-Driven Software Support, Root Cause Analysis, Science of Memory Dump Analysis, Science of Software Tracing, Software Behavior DNA, Software Behavior Patterns, Software Behavioral Genome, Software Diagnostics, Software Engineering, Software Narratology, Software Problem Description Patterns, Software Problem Solving, Software Support Patterns, Software Technical Support, Software Trace Analysis, Software Troubleshooting Patterns, Software Victimology, Software and Economics, Structural Memory Patterns, Structural Trace Patterns, Systems Thinking, Testing, Tools, Trace Analysis Patterns, Training and Seminars, Troubleshooting Methodology, UI Problem Analysis Patterns, Unified Debugging Patterns, Unified Software Diagnostics, Victimware, Webinars, Workaround Patterns | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 20th, 2012
The previous definition of software narratology was restricted to software traces and logs (the top left quadrant on a software narrative square, also the part of Memoretics which studies memory snapshots). Now, with the broadening of the domain of software narratology to the whole world of software narrative stories including actor interactions with software in construction requirements use cases and post-construction incidents we give another definition:
Software narrative is a representation of software events and changes of state. Software Narratology is a discipline that studies such software narratives (software narrative science).
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org + TraceAnalysis.org -
Posted in Announcements, Cloud Computing, Code Reading, Computer Forensics, Computer Science, Crash Dump Analysis, Crash Dump Patterns, Debugging, Memoretics, Science of Memory Dump Analysis, Science of Software Tracing, Software Behavior DNA, Software Behavior Patterns, Software Behavioral Genome, Software Engineering, Software Narrative Science, Software Narratology, Software Narremes, Software Problem Description Patterns, Software Problem Solving, Software Technical Support, Software Trace Analysis, Software Trace Deconstruction, Software Trace Modeling, Software Trace Reading, Structural Trace Patterns, Testing, Trace Analysis Patterns | No Comments »
Sunday, March 11th, 2012
The development of SPDL requires extending pattern-driven analysis approach to software problems such as software defect and software incident descriptions. Such a pattern language should help with accurate problem identification and problem resolution through software behaviour analysis and with choosing, for example, appropriate workaround patterns or, for a debugging strategy, unified debugging patterns. This can also be applicable to software security incident descriptions as well.
For this first part, we introduce a pattern called, Problem Summary. This is a very short description that summarizes the essence of the problem from a submitter point of view such as a software user or a technical support engineer. Whether it is correct or incorrect is another problem itself but the missing summary usually requires close reading of the whole problem description text and analyze together various relevant parts to reconstruct the summary.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org + TraceAnalysis.org -
Posted in Debugging, Escalation Engineering, SPDL, Security, Software Engineering, Software Problem Description Patterns, Software Problem Solving, Software Support Patterns, Software Technical Support, Victimware | No Comments »
Sunday, March 11th, 2012
After introducing software narrative planes it is logical to expand the field of software narratology to cover the whole domain of software construction and post-construction. We therefore combine both pairs of planes to create a narratological square:

Please also register for the forthcoming free Webinar: Introduction to Software Narratology where I plan to provide a coherent overview of the recent developments in this new field.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org + TraceAnalysis.org -
Posted in Computer Science, Debugging, Science of Software Tracing, Software Engineering, Software Narrative Science, Software Narratology, Software Narremes, Software Problem Description Patterns, Software Problem Solving, Software Trace Analysis | No Comments »
Sunday, March 11th, 2012
Based on an idea of expression and content planes from glossematics with a basic unit of glosseme we can organize software traces with corresponding patterns and software trace narremes (basic units of software narrative such as traces and event logs) into 2 planes: software trace narrative plane (expression) with narremes and the corresponding program lines of traces (PLOTs) source code and design plane (content) with their own set of construction narremes such as collaboration of software constructs. All this corresponds to the following diagram:

The same can be said about actor interaction level of software construction (what ought to be) and post-construction (what is) phases having their own construction and post-construction narratives, patterns and narremes such as in requirements (use cases) and in problem and software incident descriptions:

In the forthcoming articles I provide more examples and explanations including specific software narremes useful from the practical post-construction software problem solving perspective. Please also register for the forthcoming free Webinar: Introduction to Software Narratology where I plan to provide a coherent overview of this new field.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org + TraceAnalysis.org -
Posted in Computer Science, Science of Software Tracing, Software Narratology, Software Narremes, Software Problem Solving, Software Trace Analysis, Software Trace Linguistics | No Comments »
Sunday, February 19th, 2012
Memory Dump Analysis Services (DumpAnalysis.com) organizes a free Webinar about software narratology: an application of ideas from narratology to software narrative stories.

Learn about this exciting new discipline and a field of research. When software executes it gives us its stories in the form of UI events, software traces and logs. Such stories can be analyzed for their structure and patterns for troubleshooting, debugging and problem resolution purposes.
Prerequisites: basic software troubleshooting and ability to read software generated logs.
Audience: anyone can benefit from this new perspective: from software users to software engineers and managers.
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/603136294
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org + TraceAnalysis.org -
Posted in Announcements, Computer Science, Debugging, Escalation Engineering, Intelligence Analysis Patterns, Memory Dump Analysis Services, SPDL, Science of Software Tracing, Security, Software Behavior DNA, Software Behavior Patterns, Software Behavioral Genome, Software Engineering, Software Narrative Fiction, Software Narratology, Software Problem Description Patterns, Software Problem Solving, Software Technical Support, Software Trace Analysis, Software Trace Deconstruction, Software Trace Linguistics, Software Trace Modeling, Software Trace Reading, Software Trace Visualization, Software Tracing Implementation Patterns, Software Tracing for Dummies, Software Troubleshooting Patterns, Software Victimology, Structural Trace Patterns, Testing, Tools, Trace Analysis Patterns, Troubleshooting Methodology, UI Problem Analysis Patterns, Unified Debugging Patterns, Unit Testing, Victimware, Webinars, Windows System Administration | No Comments »
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
Forthcoming Accelerated Software Trace Analysis training requires extensive real life like software logs with multiple software behaviour patterns. The similar accelerated memory dump analysis trainings (unmanaged / native Windows and .NET) also required good memory dumps but this problem was solved by modeling patterns of abnormal software behaviour in an appropriate implementation language such as C++ and C#. Modeling software traces with hundreds of software components, processes and threads would require enormous programming efforts. Therefore, the natural approach is to describe a desired software trace in some declarative language (or minimally imperative) and get a million line software log that models a specific combination of trace analysis patterns. So, welcome to such a language called Narralog: Software Narrative Log or Narrative Logic. Please note that this language is different from Riemann programming language which is a language to describe software problems and generate software problem solving tools. Language details and whether a kind of a Metadefect Template Library will be used to implement Narralog or simple macroprogramming is suffice will be decided and announced when we further develop our training.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org + TraceAnalysis.org -
Posted in Metadefect Template Library, Narralog Programming Language, Riemann Programming Language, SPDL, Software Behavior DNA, Software Behavior Patterns, Software Behavioral Genome, Software Defect Construction, Software Engineering, Software Narrative Fiction, Software Narratology, Software Problem Solving, Software Trace Analysis, Software Trace Modeling, Software and Modeling, Trace Analysis Patterns | No Comments »
Monday, December 12th, 2011
More than 4 years passed since I provided a longer structuralist definition. Recently I came to recognize a pattern-driven iterative and incremental nature of memory and software trace analysis and post-construction software problem solving in general and therefore a one sentence definition became necessary:
“Recognition and interpretation of patterns of software behavior”
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org + TraceAnalysis.org -
Posted in Announcements, Crash Dump Analysis, Crash Dump Patterns, Malware Analysis, Malware Patterns, Memiotics (Memory Semiotics), Memoretics, Memory Analysis Forensics and Intelligence, Science of Memory Dump Analysis, Science of Software Tracing, Software Behavior Patterns, Software Narratology, Software Problem Solving, Software Trace Analysis, Structural Memory Patterns, Structural Trace Patterns, Trace Analysis Patterns, Victimware | No Comments »
Monday, December 5th, 2011
On the portal I published my vision of software tools as a service in the context of post-construction software problem solving. The main part is software problem description language (SPDL) which was previously introduced as Riemann programming language. I have decided to keep the name.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org + TraceAnalysis.org -
Posted in Announcements, Debugging, Debugging Methodology, Riemann Programming Language, SPDL, Software Problem Solving, Software Technical Support, TaaS, Tool Objects, Tools | No Comments »
Friday, November 11th, 2011
One of the new initiatives for 2012 is the development of SPDL (Software Problem Description Language). Its purpose is automatic generation of a software troubleshooting tool(s) based on the description of a problem. Here software problem means a post-construction problem as outlined in Introduction to Pattern-Driven Software Problem Solving. The tool construction will utilize an expanded set of DebugWare and Workaround patterns together with the refind version of RADII software development process. This will also provide necessary effectiveness, efficiency and enhanced problem solving capabilities to existing TaaS (Tools as a Service) implementations that are limited in the number of tools they offer.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ DumpAnalysis.org + TraceAnalysis.org -
Posted in Announcements, Computer Science, Crash Dump Analysis, DebugWare Patterns, Debugging, Generative Debugging, New Acronyms, New Debugging School, SPDL, Software Behavior DNA, Software Behavior Patterns, Software Behavioral Genome, Software Engineering, Software Problem Solving, Software Technical Support, Software Trace Analysis, Software Troubleshooting Patterns, Software and Modeling, TaaS, Testing, Tool Objects, Tools, Troubleshooting Methodology, Unified Debugging Patterns, Windows System Administration | No Comments »