BACKGROUND

An autonomic computing environment is able to manage itself and dynamically adapt to change in accordance with business policies and objectives. An autonomic system is capable of monitoring an environment (Monitoring), analyzing a monitoring result (Analyzing), planning an improvement if there is any problem (Planning), and executing the improvement (Executing). Collectively, these processes are known as the MAPE loop. Since the autonomic computing environment enables an activity to be performed on the basis of self-monitoring or self—detecting in an IT environment, an IT professional does not need to start a task. The autonomic computing environment may be self-configuring (dynamically adapting to changing environments), self-healing (discovering, diagnosing, and correcting problems to prevent system disruptions), self-optimizing (tuning resources and balance workloads to maximize the use of IT resources), and self-protecting (anticipating, detecting, or identifying to prevent danger and protect against attacks).

SUMMARY

Symptom problem determination systems accumulate a large number of symptoms. Symptoms include a rule for detecting a set of events related to a given problem. It is problematic to register and add symptoms endlessly due to recording medium capacity, security, and compliance. Repeated symptom definitions may cause a plurality of symptoms to be extracted even if only one type of problem occurs. Non-associated symptoms may be extracted due to low accuracy of a symptom rule (a ‘loose symptom rule’). Specifically, a detection error may occur. A user is not able to identify the repeated symptom definition or the detection error.

Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for enabling verification of a symptom. One embodiment of the present invention is a computer system for enabling verification of a symptom. The computer system may be a server computer for implementing autonomic computing or be a computer associated with a server computer. The computer system includes a symptom database which stores the symptom, a specimen database which stores a specimen including a set of events detected according to a rule of a certain symptom, and an analysis unit which analyzes the specimen stored in the specimen database using a new symptom in order to determine whether to add the new symptom to the symptom database. A result of the analysis may be presented on a display device connected to the computer system. Additional embodiments may include a method of causing a computer system to perform the method described below and a computer program that causes the foregoing computer system to perform the method described below. The computer program may be distributed in the form of a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or other recording mediums or provided via a network.

One embodiment of the present invention is a computer system for enabling verification of a new symptom. The new symptom includes a rule for detecting a set of events related to a given problem. The computer system includes a symptom database which stores existing symptoms and a specimen database which stores existing specimens. An existing specimen includes a set of events detected according to a rule of one of the existing symptoms. The computer system also includes an analysis unit comprising a computer processor and a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor. The computer memory has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of analyzing the existing specimens stored in the specimen database using the new symptom to determine whether to add the new symptom to the symptom database.

One embodiment of the present invention is a computer-implemented method for enabling verification of a new symptom. The method includes providing a symptom database which stores existing symptoms; providing a specimen database which stores existing specimens; and analyzing the specimens stored in the specimen database using a new symptom in order to determine whether to add the new symptom to the symptom database.

One embodiment of the present invention is a computer program product for enabling verification of a new symptom. The new symptom includes a rule for detecting a set of events related to a given problem. The computer program product is disposed upon a computer-readable medium. The computer program product includes computer program instructions capable of maintaining a symptom database which stores symptoms; computer program instructions capable of maintaining a specimen database which stores specimens; and computer program instructions capable of analyzing existing specimens stored in a specimen database using the new symptom in order to determine whether to add the new symptom to a symptom database containing existing symptoms.

An existing specimen includes a set of events detected according to a rule of one of the existing symptoms. An existing specimen may include a first specimen, which includes a set of events detected according to a rule of a certain symptom, and a second specimen which includes the first specimen and at least one of events preceding the first specimen and events following the first specimen.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the following more particular descriptions of exemplary embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers generally represent like parts of exemplary embodiments of the invention.

