An Exploration of the challenges associated with software logging in large systems

Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2016-05-29 18:11:34.114

Features of software development tools /

Item 247.

Software tools : a building block approach /

"Partially sponsored by The National Science Foundation ... " -t.p.

Features of seven audit software packages--principles and capabilities /

Includes bibliographical references (p. 51).

Modeling and measurement techniques for evaluation of design alternatives in the implementation of database management software /

Thesis--University of Maryland.

Computer software management : a primer for project management and quality control /

Includes bibliographical references (p. 48-49).

An Exploration of the challenges associated with software logging in large systems

Over the past few years, logging has evolved from from simple printf statements to more complex and widely used logging libraries. Today logging information is used to support various development activities such as fixing bugs, analyzing the results of load tests, monitoring performance and transferring knowledge. Recent research has examined how to improve logging practices by informing developers what to log and where to log. Furthermore, the strong dependence on logging has led to the development of logging libraries that have reduced the intricacies of logging, which has resulted in an abundance of log information. Two recent challenges have emerged as modern software systems start to treat logging as a core aspect of their software. In particular, 1) infrastructural challenges have emerged due to the plethora of logging libraries available today and 2) processing challenges have emerged due to the large number of log processing tools that ingest logs and produce useful information from them. In this thesis, we explore these two challenges. We first explore the infrastructural challenges that arise due to the plethora of logging libraries available today. As systems evolve, their logging infrastructure has to evolve (commonly this is done by migrating to new logging libraries). We explore logging library migrations within Apache Software Foundation (ASF) projects. We i find that close to 14% of the pro jects within the ASF migrate their logging libraries at least once. For processing challenges, we explore the different factors which can affect the likelihood of a logging statement changing in the future in four open source systems namely ActiveMQ, Camel, Cloudstack and Liferay. Such changes are likely to negatively impact the log processing tools that must be updated to accommodate such changes. We find that 20%-45% of the logging statements within the four systems are changed at least once. We construct random forest classifiers and Cox models to determine the likelihood of both just-introduced and long-lived logging statements changing in the future. We find that file ownership, developer experience, log density and SLOC are important factors in determining the stability of logging statements.

RAGE Reusable Game Software Components and Their Integration into Serious Game Engines

This paper presents and validates a methodology for integrating reusable software components in diverse game engines. While conforming to the RAGE com-ponent-based architecture described elsewhere, the paper explains how the interac-tions and data exchange processes between a reusable software component and a game engine should be implemented for procuring seamless integration. To this end, a RAGE-compliant C# software component providing a difficulty adaptation routine was integrated with an exemplary strategic tile-based game “TileZero”. Implementa-tions in MonoGame, Unity and Xamarin, respectively, have demonstrated successful portability of the adaptation component. Also, portability across various delivery platforms (Windows desktop, iOS, Android, Windows Phone) was established. Thereby this study has established the validity of the RAGE architecture and its un-derlying interaction processes for the cross-platform and cross-game engine reuse of software components. The RAGE architecture thereby accommodates the large scale development and application of reusable software components for serious gaming.

D6.1 – Ecosystem Software Platform with Underlying Software Repository, Digital Library and Media Archive

The objective of D6.1 is to make the Ecosystem software platform with underlying Software Repository, Digital Library and Media Archive available to the degree, that the RAGE project can start collecting content in the form of software assets, and documents of various media types. This paper describes the current state of the Ecosystem as of month 12 of the project, and documents the structure of the Ecosystem, individual components, integration strategies, and overall approach. The deliverable itself is the deployment of the described components, which is now available to collect and curate content. Whilst this version is not yet feature complete, full realization is expected within the next few months. Following this development, WP6 will continue to add features driven by the business models to be defined by WP7 later on in the project.

Integrating Scientific Publication into an Applied Gaming Ecosystem

Salman, M. et al. (2016). Integrating Scientific Publication into an Applied Gaming Ecosystem. GSTF Journal on Computing (JoC), Volume 5 (Issue 1), pp. 45-51.

Software Components for Serious Game Development

The presentation explains the approach of the RAGE project. It presents three examples of RAGE software components and how these can be easily reused for applied game development.

The RAGE Software Asset Model and Metadata Model

Software assets are key output of the RAGE project and they can be used by applied game developers to enhance the pedagogical and educational value of their games. These software assets cover a broad spectrum of functionalities – from player analytics including emotion detection to intelligent adaptation and social gamification. In order to facilitate integration and interoperability, all of these assets adhere to a common model, which describes their properties through a set of metadata. In this paper the RAGE asset model and asset metadata model is presented, capturing the detail of assets and their potential usage within three distinct dimensions – technological, gaming and pedagogical. The paper highlights key issues and challenges in constructing the RAGE asset and asset metadata model and details the process and design of a flexible metadata editor that facilitates both adaptation and improvement of the asset metadata model.

Software Components for Serious Game Development

The large upfront investments required for game development pose a severe barrier for the wider uptake of serious games in education and training. Also, there is a lack of well-established methods and tools that support game developers at preserving and enhancing the games’ pedagogical effectiveness. The RAGE project, which is a Horizon 2020 funded research project on serious games, addresses these issues by making available reusable software components that aim to support the pedagogical qualities of serious games. In order to easily deploy and integrate these game components in a multitude of game engines, platforms and programming languages, RAGE has developed and validated a hybrid component-based software architecture that preserves component portability and interoperability. While a first set of software components is being developed, this paper presents selected examples to explain the overall system’s concept and its practical benefits. First, the Emotion Detection component uses the learners’ webcams for capturing their emotional states from facial expressions. Second, the Performance Statistics component is an add-on for learning analytics data processing, which allows instructors to track and inspect learners’ progress without bothering about the required statistics computations. Third, a set of language processing components accommodate the analysis of textual inputs of learners, facilitating comprehension assessment and prediction. Fourth, the Shared Data Storage component provides a technical solution for data storage - e.g. for player data or game world data - across multiple software components. The presented components are exemplary for the anticipated RAGE library, which will include up to forty reusable software components for serious gaming, addressing diverse pedagogical dimensions.

Evaluating conservation and fisheries management strategies by linking spatial prioritization software and ecosystem and fisheries modelling tools

Well-designed marine protected area (MPA) networks can deliver a range of ecological, economic and social benefits, and so a great deal of research has focused on developing spatial conservation prioritization tools to help identify important areas. However, whilst these software tools are designed to identify MPA networks that both represent biodiversity and minimize impacts on stakeholders, they do not consider complex ecological processes. Thus, it is difficult to determine the impacts that proposed MPAs could have on marine ecosystem health, fisheries and fisheries sustainability. Using the eastern English Channel as a case study, this paper explores an approach to address these issues by identifying a series of MPA networks using the Marxan and Marxan with Zones conservation planning software and linking them with a spatially explicit ecosystem model developed in Ecopath with Ecosim. We then use these to investigate potential trade-offs associated with adopting different MPA management strategies. Limited-take MPAs, which restrict the use of some fishing gears, could have positive benefits for conservation and fisheries in the eastern English Channel, even though they generally receive far less attention in research on MPA network design. Our findings, however, also clearly indicate that no-take MPAs should form an integral component of proposed MPA networks in the eastern English Channel, as they not only result in substantial increases in ecosystem biomass, fisheries catches and the biomass of commercially valuable target species, but are fundamental to maintaining the sustainability of the fisheries. Synthesis and applications. Using the existing software tools Marxan with Zones and Ecopath with Ecosim in combination provides a powerful policy-screening approach. This could help inform marine spatial planning by identifying potential conflicts and by designing new regulations that better balance conservation objectives and stakeholder interests. In addition, it highlights that appropriate combinations of no-take and limited-take marine protected areas might be the most effective when making trade-offs between long-term ecological benefits and short-term political acceptability.

DORIS Software. New Tool to Process Sound Velocity Profiles

Hydrographic and geosciences surveys, using acoustic devices, need to use accurate water sound velocity profiles. Because the acoustic path depends on the sound velocity profile (SVP), the use of the most accurate SVP is one of the keys to conducting effective surveys (with multibeams, for instance). To date, the existing software available does not answer to both the needs of efficiency and simplicity (sometimes not so easy to operate, sometimes not so accurate). DORIS provides a handy freeware to post-process SVP for the hydrographic communities.