Intelligent collection of diagnostic data for communication to diagnosis site

1. A method of identifying diagnostic data for communication from a first site to a second site, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computer system at the first site, a request to create a package to be communicated from the first site to the second site;

identifying, by the computer system, a first set of one or more incidents in response to the request, each incident corresponding to an error in a system at the first site;

identifying, by the computer system, a second set of incidents correlated to the first set of incidents,

wherein each first incident in the first set of incidents is correlated to a second incident in the second set of incidents, correlation being based upon information values stored by correlation keys in metadata associated with the incidents, and

a first value stored by a correlation key in metadata associated with the first incident is the same as a second value stored by the correlation key in metadata associated with the second incident;

determining, by the computer system, diagnostic data for the first set of incidents and the second set of incidents; and

preparing, by the computer system, a package comprising the diagnostic data determined for the first set of incidents and the second set of incidents.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the request identifies a problem; and

identifying the first set of incidents comprises:

identifying a plurality of incidents based upon the problem; and

determining the first set of incidents from the plurality of incidents, wherein the first set of incidents is a subset of the plurality of incidents.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein identifying the plurality of incidents comprises determining incidents that correspond to the problem based upon a problem key associated with each incident, the problem key associated with an incident identifying a set of attributes associated with the incident.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein all the incidents included in the plurality of incidents have the same associated problem key.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein determining the first set of incidents comprises determining the first set based upon a time associated with the incidents in the plurality of incidents.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the request identifies one or more incidents.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the second set of incidents comprises:

determining the second set of incidents based upon one or more correlation keys associated with the second set of incidents and one or more correlation keys associated with the first set of incidents, wherein each correlation key associated with an incident specifies an attribute and a value associated with the attribute for the incident.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the second set of incidents comprises:

determining if an incident is to be included in the second set of incidents based upon a value associated with an attribute of the incident and a value associated with the same attribute of at least one incident in the first set of incidents.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the attribute of an incident is a time when the incident was created, a process or system component or session in which an error that caused creation of the incident occurred, a logical operation that resulted in an error that caused creation of the incident, or a context identifier associated with the incident.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining diagnostic data that is correlated to the diagnostic data determined for the first set of incidents and the second set of incidents, and wherein preparing the package comprises including the correlated diagnostic data in the package.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein determining the correlated diagnostic data comprises determining the correlated diagnostic data using one or more correlation keys associated with the first set of incidents and the second set of incidents, wherein each correlation key associated with an incident specifies an attribute and a value associated with the attribute.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising communicating the package from the first site to the second site.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a plurality of instructions for controlling a processor to identify diagnostic data for communication from a first site to a second site, the plurality of instructions comprising:

instructions that cause the processor to receive, at the first site, a request to create a package to be communicated from the first site to the second site;

instructions that cause the processor to identify a first set of one or more incidents in response to the request, each incident corresponding to an error in a system at the first site;

instructions that cause the processor to identify a second set of incidents correlated to the first set of incidents,

wherein each first incident in the first set of incidents is correlated to a second incident in the second set of incidents, correlation being based upon information values stored by correlation keys in metadata associated with the incidents, and

a first value stored by a correlation key in metadata associated with the first incident is the same as a second value stored by the correlation key in metadata associated with the second incident;

instructions that cause the processor to determine diagnostic data for the first set of incidents and the second set of incidents; and

instructions that cause the processor to prepare a package comprising the diagnostic data determined for the first set of incidents and the second set of incidents.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein:

the request identifies a problem; and

the instructions that cause the processor to identify the first set of incidents comprise:

instructions that cause the processor to identify a plurality of incidents based upon the problem; and

instructions that cause the processor to determine the first set of incidents from the plurality of incidents, wherein the first set of incidents is a subset of the plurality of incidents.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the instructions that cause the processor to identify the plurality of incidents comprise instructions that cause the processor to determine incidents that correspond to the problem based upon a problem key associated with each incident, the problem key associated with an incident identifying a set of attributes associated with the incident.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the instructions that cause the processor to determine the second set of incidents comprise:

instructions that cause the processor to determine the second set of incidents based upon one or more correlation keys associated with the second set of incidents and one or more correlation keys associated with the first set of incidents, wherein each correlation key associated with an incident specifies an attribute and a value associated with the attribute for the incident.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein:

the plurality of instructions further comprises instructions that cause the processor to determine diagnostic data that is correlated to the diagnostic data determined for the first set of incidents and the second set of incidents; and

the instructions that cause the processor to prepare the package comprise instructions that cause the processor to include the correlated diagnostic data in the package.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the plurality of instructions further comprises instructions that cause the processor to communicate the package from the first site to the second site.

19. A system located at a first site for identifying diagnostic data for communication from the first site to a second site, the system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory;

wherein the processor is configured to:

receive a request to create a package to be communicated to the second site;

identify a first set of one or more incidents in response to the request, each incident corresponding to an error in a monitored system;

identify a second set of incidents correlated to the first set of incidents,

wherein each first incident in the first set of incidents is correlated to a second incident in the second set of incidents, correlation being based upon information values stored by correlation keys in metadata associated with the incidents, and

a first value stored by a correlation key in metadata associated with the first incident is the same as a second value stored by the correlation key in metadata associated with the second incident;

determine diagnostic data for the first set of incidents and the second set of incidents; and

prepare a package comprising the diagnostic data determined for the first set of incidents and the second set of incidents.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein:

the request identifies a problem; and

the processor is configured to:

identify a plurality of incidents based upon the problem; and

determine the first set of incidents from the plurality of incidents, wherein the first set of incidents is a subset of the plurality of incidents.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein the diagnostic data comprises diagnostic files, diagnostic logs, diagnostic dumps, trace data, run reports, or a combination thereof.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein the diagnostic data comprises files generated for the first and second incidents, process trace files for the first and second incidents, results of health checks relative to the first and second incidents, or a combination thereof.

23. The method of claim 1 , wherein the correlation key identifies a time of creation of the incident, and the first incident is correlated to the second incident in response to the first incident being created within a certain time threshold of the second incident.

24. The method of claim 1 , wherein the correlation key identifies a process, system component, or session in which an error that caused creation of the incident occurred.

25. The method of claim 1 , wherein the correlation key identifies a logical operation that resulted in an error that caused creation of the incident.

26. The method of claim 1 , wherein the correlation key comprises a context identifier associated with the incident.

27. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: identifying correlated diagnostic data that is correlated with the first and second incidents, wherein the first value stored by a correlation key in metadata associated with the first and second incidents is the same as a third value stored by the correlation key in the correlated diagnostic data, and

the diagnostic data for the first set of incidents and the second set of incidents comprises the correlated diagnostic data.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein the correlated diagnostic data comprises a trace file for at least one other process, wherein the trace file is correlated with the first set of incidents and the second set of incidents, and the trace file includes a time stamp, a problem key, an error message, an incident number, or a combination thereof.

29. The method of claim 27 , wherein the correlation key identifies a time, a process, an address space, a session, or a combination thereof.