Correlation of source code with system dump information

1. A method of analyzing a software error, the method comprising:

accessing at least one dump file created in response to a crash of software executing on a processing system;

identifying, based on the dump file, a base version of at least one software module that was loaded when the crash occurred;

identifying, based on the dump file, maintenance that has been applied to the software module;

generating, via a processor, a report recommending new corrective maintenance to be applied to the software module;

generating a list file comprising a list of entries, at least one of the entries identifying the at least one software module;

extracting from the dump file first failure data capture information;

determining that the first failure data capture information identifies at least one failure code or problem that corresponds to the entry in the list file identifying the at least one software module; and

sorting the list file to generate a sorted output file indicating the entry identifying the at least one software module as having high priority.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

generating an output file that comprises source code for the at least one software module, and indicates the maintenance that has been applied to the at least one software module.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying, based on the dump file, the base version of the at least one software module that was loaded when the crash occurred comprises:

processing memory structures contained in the dump file to locate areas in the memory structures that contain information about the at least one software module that was loaded when the crash occurred.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein processing the memory structures contained in the dump file comprises:

identifying entries in a loader domain and a program manager domain.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the report recommending new corrective maintenance to be applied to the at least one software module comprises:

identifying the at least one software module in the sorted output file;

receiving from a service database information indicating a latest available maintenance update for the at least one software module;

determining whether the maintenance that has been applied to the at least one software module includes the latest available maintenance update; and

when the maintenance that has been applied to the at least one software module does not include the latest available maintenance update, indicating the latest available maintenance update in the report recommending new corrective maintenance to be applied to the at least one software module.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying the at least one software module in the sorted output file;

receiving from a service database source code for the at least one software module and a listing of the maintenance that has been applied to the at least one software module; and

generating an output file that comprises the source code for the at least one software module, and indicates the maintenance that has been applied to the at least one software module.

7. A system comprising:

a processor programmed to initiate executable operations comprising:

accessing at least one dump file created in response to a crash of software executing on a processing system;

identifying, based on the dump file, a base version of at least one software module that was loaded when the crash occurred;

identifying, based on the dump file, maintenance that has been applied to the at least one software module;

generating a report recommending new corrective maintenance to be applied to the at least one software module;

generating a list file comprising a list of entries, at least one of the entries identifying the at least one software module;

extracting from the dump file first failure data capture information;

determining that the first failure data capture information identifies at least one failure code or problem that corresponds to the entry in the list file identifying the at least one software module; and

sorting the list file to generate a sorted output file indicating the entry identifying the at least one software module as having high priority.

8. The system of claim 7 , the processor further programmed to initiate executable operations comprising:

generating an output file that comprises source code for the at least one software module, and indicates the maintenance that has been applied to the at least one software module.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein identifying, based on the dump file, the base version of the at least one software module that was loaded when the crash occurred comprises:

processing memory structures contained in the dump file to locate areas in the memory structures that contain information about the at least one software module that was loaded when the crash occurred.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein processing the memory structures contained in the dump file comprises:

identifying entries in a loader domain and a program manager domain.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein generating the report recommending new corrective maintenance to be applied to the at least one software module comprises:

identifying the at least one software module in the sorted output file;

receiving from a service database information indicating a latest available maintenance update for the at least one software module;

determining whether the maintenance that has been applied to the at least one software module includes the latest available maintenance update; and

when the maintenance that has been applied to the at least one software module does not include the latest available maintenance update, indicating the latest available maintenance update in the report recommending new corrective maintenance to be applied to the at least one software module.

12. The system of claim 7 , the processor further programmed to initiate executable operations comprising:

identifying the at least one software module in the sorted output file;

receiving from a service database source code for the at least one software module and a listing of the maintenance that has been applied to the at least one software module; and

generating an output file that comprises the source code for the at least one software module, and indicates the maintenance that has been applied to the at least one software module.

13. A computer program product for analyzing a software error, the computer program product comprising

a computer readable storage device having program code stored thereon, the program code executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

accessing, via the processor, at least one dump file created in response to a crash of software executing on a processing system;

identifying via the processor, based on the dump file, a base version of at least one software module that was loaded when the crash occurred;

identifying via the processor, based on the dump file, maintenance that has been applied to the at least one software module;

generating, via the processor, a report recommending new corrective maintenance to be applied to the at least one software module;

generating a list file comprising a list of entries, at least one of the entries identifying the at least one software module;

extracting from the dump file first failure data capture information;

determining that the first failure data capture information identifies at least one failure code or problem that corresponds to the entry in the list file identifying the at least one software module; and

sorting the list file to generate a sorted output file indicating the entry identifying the at least one software module as having high priority, wherein

the computer readable storage device is not a transitory, propagating signal per se.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , the method further comprising:

generating, via the processor, an output file that comprises source code for the at least one software module, and indicates the maintenance that has been applied to the at least one software module.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein identifying, based on the dump file, the base version of the at least one software module that was loaded when the crash occurred comprises:

processing memory structures contained in the dump file to locate areas in the memory structures that contain information about the at least one software module that was loaded when the crash occurred.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein generating the report recommending new corrective maintenance to be applied to the at least one software module comprises:

identifying, via the processor, the at least one software module in the sorted output file;

receiving, via the processor, from a service database information indicating a latest available maintenance update for the at least one software module;

determining, via the processor, whether the maintenance that has been applied to the at least one software module includes the latest available maintenance update; and

when the maintenance that has been applied to the at least one software module does not include the latest available maintenance update, indicating, via the processor, the latest available maintenance update in the report recommending new corrective maintenance to be applied to the at least one software module.

17. The computer program product of claim 13 , the method further comprising:

identifying, via the processor, the at least one software module in the sorted output file;

receiving from a service database, via the processor, source code for the at least one software module and a listing of the maintenance that has been applied to the at least one software module; and

generating, via the processor, an output file that comprises the source code for the at least one software module, and indicates the maintenance that has been applied to the at least one software module.