Method and system for storing and displaying system operation traces

Abstract

A method and system of displaying system operation trace information are provided which include displaying a window within the display device of a computer and displaying an axis within the window having points along it which correspond to time. Graphical objects, corresponding to event-pairs selected from the trace of system operation, are then displayed in relation to the axis such that the position of a graphical object in relation to the axis is indicative of the starting and ending time of the corresponding event-pair. In response to a new event-pair having a starting time nested within a previously inserted event-pair and preceding an ending time of a third event-pair having a nesting depth identical to the new event-pair, a graphical object representing the new event-pair is automatically displayed adjacent to the graphical object representing the prior event-pair such that the graphical object representing the new event-pair is not visually obscured by the graphical object representing the third event-pair. In a second aspect of the invention, a new event-pair is inserted into the data structure storing system operation trace data. Start times of event-pairs within the data structure are examined to determine second and third event-pairs having start times immediately preceding and immediately following the new event-pair's start time, respectively. The new event-pair is then inserted into the data structure, wherein relationships between event-pairs are specified according to a predetermined set of rules.