WO2007109556A2

WO2007109556A2 - Automation control system having digital logging

Info

Publication number: WO2007109556A2
Application number: PCT/US2007/064197
Authority: WO
Inventors: Seafe Moorer; Eric Eichensehr
Original assignee: Exceptional Innovation, Llc
Priority date: 2006-03-16
Filing date: 2007-03-16
Publication date: 2007-09-27
Also published as: WO2007109556A3

Abstract

A convergence and automation system includes (a) an internet -protocol based network, (b) hardware implemented with a web service for devices (WSD) protocol, wherein the hardware includes a plurality of devices connected to the network, each device being configured to perform at least one service, and a server connected to network and configured to control the devices for converging and automating the services thereof, and (c) software implemented with the WSD protocol and configured to establish communication among the sever and the devices and perform a logging function to record events and errors taking places in the convergence and automation system.

Description

AUTOMATION COMTROL SYSTEM HAVING DIGITAL LOGGING

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTiON

1 Reid Df the invention

1[CKKHJ The invention is directed to monitoring an automation and convergence system, aπq more parfrcolady to monitoring the automation and convergence system us,ng a logging iuoctson

2 Reiateo Art

|0ø02| Household, academic faciiity and/or busings spaces now more commonly have mo?e than one audio or video device such as 00/OVO player, portable NP3 player, tuner, preamo power snip, speakers, VCR DVR. computers running mβdss players or connected so some other source of audio or vscieo (e.g. Internet radio, satellite radio and the hke.κ etc. Typioaliy, a CD/DVD player from one company comes w-th its own remote eonuoi and an amplifier by an entirely different company comes with ii& own remote control The same space may have a PC w-th its Keyboard and mouse, and yet another company^'s portable MP3 player With Its own control switches While each audio device is. doing precisely what it was designed to do. each operates completeiy

from the others wsfh the possible exception of the portable UP3 piaye? that may be connected to a PC for synchronisation Aa a result, a user ends up 90?ng from one keypad to another or juggling a series of remote oαntrois in order to oontroi the devices |0u03:| Since these audso/video and sϊmiiar devices are not designed to communicate with each other o^ their communication Is very limited, access to these audio/vsdeo devices rs limited by thesr physical locations For example. ■* is difficult to play an MP3 fiie saved in a PC hard disk dnve sn one room or area (a child^'s bedroom) on speakers iocated sn another room or area (an entertainment foom}. Thus, In order for a user to eoioy music ot h^s or her choice whenever and wherever he or she wants, each room needs to he equipped with aii the necessary audio/video equipment and digital audio/video cement

|0dδ4| Also, the audio/video devices are no* designed to communicate with other home devices (e 9 . TY. Nghtino, security system, etc } Thus, it is difficult, si not impossible, to converge !he devices for common centroi for certain occasions. For exampie, sn order to watch a movse, the user most lorn on a TV, a DVD player and an audio amplifier by using three different remote consols. Then the user muat set the TV to recesve a video ssgnai irom the DVD player, set the audio ampMser to receive an audio signai Pom the DVD player and use another control unit to adjust the lighting of the mom Even ^hen a user ohi^es a universal remote, as is known sn the art, the result is a plura^ty of devices thai ass separately operated and are operated separately from a ssngie universal remote These devices^, do not converge as described above. Moreover, the devices iack any alcs^sry to monitor or log their actions so as to hatter ascertain the performance and troubieshoot th^ devices fCH!l)§J Accordingly, there is a need for a solution to the aforementioned need to monitor the accessibility. conoeetao-iirhΛ controlabiliry and convergence issues

SUMMARY Or THE INVENT! [OfWJ The inventors meets the foregoing needs using an automaton speonc \P based automaton protocol, which results sn a significant increase in discovery and communications between devices and other advantages apparent from the discusser* heresn pKICFff Accordingly, in one aspect of the invention, a convergence and automation system mctodes an internet- protocol based network, hardware implemented wsth a web service tor devices (WSO) protocol, the hardware includes a plurality of devices connected to the network, each device besng configured to perform at least one service, and a server corrected to network and configured to control the devices to converge and automate the services thereof, and the hardware configured to establish communication amon9 the server and the devices and perform a togging function to record events and errors taking place in tne convergence and automation system. [OPδS] The hardware may include at least one client connected to the network and configured to control at least a portion of the services of the plurality devices. Each o* the plurality of devices may be selected from the group consisting of an audio device, vsdeo device, intercom device, lighting control device, security device and HVAC dev.oe The at least one client may be seteotec! from the group consoling of e- television, personal computer, personal data assistant and remote controller. The logging function may include generating messages riescnDsng the events end errors taking place sn the convergence and automation system Each of the messages may include a time stamp component, message type component, process component and description of event component. The messages may snciucJe trace messages describing the events, and error messages describing the errors 1^'he trace messages may include service-reiated mes&age-s that include a recording of the events related to the services performed by the devices, discovery messages that include a recording of the events related to introduction ano acknowledgement of new services sn the software, messaging messages that include a reeordmg of the events related to communication among the* de-vsces. and subscription management messages that include a recording of the events related to subscription Hixtorv of the services, among the devices The error messages may include configuration error messages that include a recording of the errors related to settings or fnggering of the devices, network error messages that include a recording of me errors foisted to failure to communicate between the hardware and software, msssino system fiie messages ihs? include s recording of the errors related to msssing necessary files, and scripting/scheduling error messages that include a recording of the errors related to errors m scnρt& or scheduling of me scripts, The ^oggsng Function may include filtering sorting and searching the messages The logging function may include printing a report of the messages fCMKIBJ According^, in another aspect of the invention, an article includes a machine ieadaole medium having embodied thereon a program, the program bemg execrable by a machine to pemsrrn a logging function Io record events and errors taking place in a convergence and automation system, me convergence and automation system including an smernet-protocol based nsiworK hardware implemented with a web service for rievsces iWSD^ protocol and software smpiesT-ented wsth tne WSD protocol and configured to establish communicator_* sn the hardware and perform the logging function t.o record !he events and errors

[001 OJ The hardware may include a plurality of devices connected to the network, each rievsce being configured to perform at tea-st one sen/see, and a server connected to networK and configured to control the devices for converging and automating the services thereof The software may be configured to establish communication among the server and the devices. The ioggsng function may include generating messages dβscnriπg tne events and error taking places so the convergence and automation system, The •messages may include a lime stamp component, message type component process component, ano descrspso-n of event component The messages may include trace messages describing the events, and error messages describing the errors. Tne trace messages may include service-related messages that include a recording of the events related m the sennces performed by the devices, discovery messages that include a recording of th<s events related ΪU introduction and acknowledgement of new services in of the software, messaging messages that include a recording Df the even's related \o communication among the devices, and subscription management messages that include a recording of the events related to subscription history of the services among the devices Tb^ e-rror messages may include configuration error messages recording the errors related to settings o? triggering of the devices, network error messages recording the errors related to failure to communicate between the hardware and software, missing system file messages recording the errors related to massing necessary files, and senøtlr^;g/schedusiog error messages recording the errors related^' to errors -n scripts or scheduling of the scripts The ioggsng Function rnay include littering, sorting ar*d searching the messages

[0011 J Additional features, advantages, and embodiment of the invention may be set forth or apparent from coπssdeosbon of the following detailed description, drawings, and claims rVioreovet. it is to be understood that both the foregomg summary of the invention and me following detailed description are exempiary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the invention as claimed

BRIEF DESCRIPTION GF THE DRAWINGS

PMH Zf The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of rhe invention are incorporated sn and constitute a part of ihss specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the invention, No attempt ss made to show structural details of the invention sn mors detail then may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the Invent-on and the various ways m which A may be practiced in the dravv^gs f!KH3] fig. 1 shows an overview of a convergence and automation system (CAS) oonstiuc'ed according to the pnnαpies of the invention;

|δO14J Fig 2 shows a screen capture image of a §oo viewer, constructed according to the principles of the invention:

[001Sl ^F*9 3 shows a screen capture image of the log viewer of Fig 2 bang configured for filtering messages; fOCIi€] Figs. 4{a> shows a screen capture images of the log yiewef of Fig. 2 be-ng used to display ell messages.

|001?| Fig 4(b) sbo^s a screen capture image of the teg viewer of Fig 2 Peing used to display only trace messages;

!CIf)ISJ fig 4{c) snows a screen capture image of the log v-ewer of Fig 2 being used to dlspiay only error messages,

[OC)I SJ Rg c shows a screen capture Image of the iog views? of Fig. 2 being used to sort messages,

|S02δ] Fsg. 6(^! shows a screen capture image of me teg viewer of F;g 2 being used to search messages

** føtitTJ Fsg 6{b) shows a screen capture image of the tog viewer of Fg. 2 besng used to clear the seieeted messages; p>C^2] FiQ, 6(c) snows a screen capture image of the tog viewer of Rg 2 being used to d^;«ρtav an expandsd stack trace for an erro? message,

|CK>23j π§. 6(0} shows a screen capture image of a dialog box showing additional

Information about *he error when a user selects "Show Expanded Errors" :π F-g 6(c):

|!K>24] Fjg ?(a) shows a screen capture image of a print preview window constructed acoordsne to the principles of the invention:

ICI02SJ Fig. ?(&} shows a screen capture image of a page setup window constructed according to ^he uncouples of the invention. fϋølSJ F 59 7(C) shows a screen capture smage of the print preview Window or Fsg ?(a) vvith a word-wrapping function enabled.

[002?] F;g 8(a) shows an exemplary tnace message having four core components constructed according to the principles of trie invention-

|0O1S1 FIg. B(b) si^ows an exemplary error message havsng four core components consUuoted accordsncj to ihe pnncsples of the invention.

|0δ29] f -g u shows a portion of a service provider hogging fite constructed according to

*he pnncφies of the invention.

P03U| Fig 10 shows a taote listing common lrace messages alphabehcaϋy by the f^st ietter o? ihe message text constructed according to the pnncspies of the invention;

|M31| Fig. 1 Us) shows a table listing networking error messages aiphabehcaϋy by the tlrst ^ner O-I the message text constructed accor^'dlng to the principles of the invention.

[δ§32| Fig 1 tfb) shows a table listing configuration error messages alphabetically oy the first letter of the message te^t oonstnjcted according to the pnnoϊpies of the invention;

|0D33| Fig 1 1{o) shows a table Psting script/schedrile error messages alphabebcaϋy by the ϊifst letter of the message text constructed according to the pnnoiples of the invention.

P034]

b)? the first letter of the message text constructed according to the principles of the

DETAILED DESCRiPTION OF THE INVENTION

P03§] The embodiments of the invention and the various features and advantageous derails thereof are explained more fully With reference to the non-lsrrntino embodiments and exs-mpies lhaϊ are descdc-ect and/or illustrated sn the accompanying drawings and detasleα >n rhe following description, it should be noted that the features illustrated sn the drawings are not necessaniy drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment may be employed with other embodiments as the sailed artisan would recognize, even if not βspϋeitiy staled herein. Descnptioπs of weli-known components and processing techniques may be ornitteo^* so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the ? invention The examples used herein are intended merely to raciϋtate an understanding of ways :π which the invention may he practiced and to further enable those of sKiϋ sn the art to practice the embodiments of the invention Accordingly, the examples and embodiments herein shcdd not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention which ss defined soieiy by the appended claims and applicable law. Moreover, si is noted that

• o iike reference numerals represent srmuar parts throughout me severai views- of the drawings

|0CKl8j Fig 1 shows an overview of a convergence and automation systøm (CAS) for use with a portable remote control communications and media consumption device constructed according ;o the pnnc-iples of the invention The CAS solution may be a i?.. comusnahori ol^' hardware and software, The hardware may inoiude a server 10 connected to a network 12 (e 9 \P baseύ Wired or wsreiess network such as an Ethernet network) and may possihiy be connected to the internet 14, devices 10? ;e,g sud-o 20. video 22, sntercom 24. lightine, 26, secudry system 2S₁ HVAC 39, and the iike) and ofents 104 (e 9 TV 30, persona; computer (PC) 32, persona! digital assistance (PDA) 34, coniroiier 36

^ such as a control panel, game controHer 0,e. XBox'^, not shown} and the ii^e), Moreover, ^he ciients 104 may snoiude a remote controi 3Ss or a portafeie device 106 for remote con^oi. communications and med^;a consumption, which may be configured to function as bom the cisent and device. The server 10 rnay fce any type of computer such as a PC connected to the r^hvori* 12 The diems 104 such as ciients 30_s 32, 34, 36 provide a

-0 ucer with controi over the devices 102 sue?) as devices 20_: 22. 24, 26. £8, 29,

|δδ3T| The software O.e, application) enables the hardware devices 102 arid/or e ents 104 to communicate with each other despite thesf afferent proprietary languages and communication protocols, and may provide the user with controi over most or aii the hardware ⁽rofn a single client The application may utilise ar least one poήson o? the vθ hardware to send commands to the devices 102 and receive feedback from them The application integrates centralized device control into a PC based rnedsa environment (a.9 , Microsoft Windows XP Media Center'^ or ivNcrosott Windows Vssta™ environment) that ntay store, organize and piay digital media content. The user may use the remote controi 3Si or the portable devsoe 106 to iisten to music, watch and record television, enjoy family

3*- photooraphs and borne movses. as well as adjust the lighting, secure the home, adjust the semperalure, distribute music throughout the house check surveiϋence cameras and the δ like Moreover, the portable- device 105 has further communication features as noted belo*v

|C)<I3UJ The application may be imp&merstec⁾ with Web Services The Web Services use standard Intern^et protocol {\P) and are based on $t3«dard XivtL-reiated technologies such as SOAF⁵ (Simple Object Access Protocol) for communications and WSDI. (vVeb Services Device Language? to describe Interfaces. T be devices implemented with Web Service for Device (VVSO) become biacl< boxes on the network, providing services to any apphcanon. on any platform, wnt ten sn any ianguage. Moreover, the use of WSO allows far the capabilities of Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) that seamlessly connects and ssmply iiΥφiementahon as is known in the art. flKXSø] The invention is directed to the logging functionary of ine CAS to monitor the processes and Interactions tsKsng pises

me CAS. The loo; fi(es generated Dy the CAS application may be used by a user, sn^aiier, technical support staff and/or the ϋke for mc>n>to?mo. U*scmg and diagnostic CAS operations. Hie n^ssages in the fog fϋes may cofuam text that indicates what the message is for afxi the systems or processes involved f0U4δ] logging may be inj baled by setting the CAS to trace the log^sng. which may De a default setting for the CAS eper aison dunng the CAS conjuration. System integrators may use the log flies and the reference information to help treubiosheot a problem sn the field suceessfυ% or be of assistance

solving a problem by relaying information fVom the iog hies to the CAS technical support staff

|it)41| The device / software modules, methods or implementations described herein are intended for operation With dedicated hardware implementations Including, but net ismited to semiconductors, application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays and other hardware devices constructed to implement the software modules methods or implementation functionality described below Moreover, various embodiments ø* the invemϊon described herao are intended for operation as software pfocjrams running on a computer processor such aa PG running the Windows^"^ operating system as is well known in the art The functional and operational description of the various device / software modules methods or implementations described herein may be used together, separately, or in vanous combinations thereof. The device / software modules methods or implementations will now he described in detail.

CAS Log V;ewer

[0042 J The soggmg system used in CAo may generate standard text-based files tha? are autom&hcsϋy read from tne moment the CAS Is initiated at startup until the final execution of shutdown. Depending on the penoo of time they cover, leg ϋfes may become quite sarge as they capture all activity of the application. The CAS Log Viewer is as> application created to assist the users m filtering through the log messages to find those relevant to the issue he or she is trying to trouPleshoot

ICIMSJ Fsg 2 shows, ao exemplary log viewer 40 constructed according to the pnnapies o^; ih** invention. The log vsewer 40 of the invention may be integrated with the control panes of a Windows™ operating system or implemented as a utility program >n a CAS program group. The log viewer 40 may be starred by opening Windows Explorer ^T!l\ navigating to the cαntroi pane? or a CAS program folder an the local drive, and double- clicking the corresponding executable i^'sie or program (e.g , bgvsewer exe). The user may navsgate the log viewer 40 ussng a mouse, keyboard, input device, or the like. As shown so Rg. 2. the iog viewer 40 oi^' the invention may inoiude several elements such as a menu her 42, search box 44. component pane $B ar?cl/or log information psne 48 and the HHe [OfM€l To view a iog, rhe user may seisct "FUB" and ^v'Oρe?v^: jn the menu bar 42. and then browse to the iog file. The tog viewer 40 may aliow the user to isolate messages penasoing to a speofic system component As shown h Ro. 3 to view oniy the messages for a specie component the user may ciiok the box tα the te^ of a component to piace a check b&Side the component in the components pane 46 and then seioct "Apply " Additsonai filtsring functionality may mclude the ability se ect muitiple components for viewing i^or exampie, so Fig 4(a). the user may select "Edif and "Check Ail" to see ali messages or seieot "Ed if and "UπCheck AIP^; to clear the seieoterJ messages. Also, the user may seiect "Fiitsr" and "Select Trace" to show only Irace messages' as shown in Rg 4(0J. Further the user may seieot "Ritef and "Select Error^" to show only Εrror Iviessages as showr^ in Rg. 4(c)

[§11461 ^{ξ ?li?} ^°9 messages In the iog Information pane 46 may be soded Py content headings such as time, type, component salphaoetioai sorts, message content tatphabetiCB.! s-ort) or the iike, as shown m FIg. S, To sort on one of these criteria, the use? may simply select the heading 5 he or she wants, and then the messages may Pe sorted according to the selected heading. Selecting the same heading again may resort in reverse chronoioglcal or alphabetical order from the ongmai sort

|δO4øJ in Rg 6(a}_; the user may search for specific strings of text withsn messages and matching results may be highlighted within the iog information window 4§, TQ conduct ^ search, the user may enter a term In the search box 44 and seiect "Find" 602 and seiect "Nexf βθ*= to continue to move through matching results or select "Previous^'1 806 to Oacktraϋk through them To clear the highlighted messages the user may select Εdif and "Ciear Selected^" as shown in fig 6(b^ To select multiple, consecutive messages, the user may press the SHIFT key while clicking on the desired begm^ng and ending messages To sslee* multiple, nonconsecutive log messages, the user may press and nold the CTRL key whlie choking on desired messages. The user may see as> expanded stack trace for an er?o? message by highlighting me error, nghi-dicksng and selecting ^' Show Expanded Errors¹ as. shown in F;g S(o? Then an "Expanded Error Information" s dialog

Rg 6Cd), wh-ch may be pnoted as a report by selecting T^e" and Trim^1' from the menu bar 42 |004T] The user may print reports based o^ selected messages using the T;ie" and ^"Pnnr command ^rom the menu bar 42 To r>rewew a report, the user may seleo? "File" and ^'Pnnt Preview,^" s^d a ^"Print Prc-view" wsndow may appear as shown in Fig ?(a}. To it> change page setup for a report, the user may Ti;e^:" and ^"Page Setup^" from the menu bar 42 and then a ^"Page S«tuρ>^s window may appear as shown sn Rg. ?(b) To turn word wrapping on or off for a report, the use? may seiect Εdii" and '-Wordwrap^'1 from me menu bar 42 As shown m Fsg ?{c), word wrapping may break a iiπs at a natural word break, rather than hetween characters wsthin a ward.

ir;terpretabon of log Fsfe Messages

Pd4SJ Each message niay be reρreser?ted by a unsgue line of text in the log file. A message may he either a ^'Trace¹ message (deta:isng an event) or an 'Error^' message (detaϊhfig

may be four core components to a ?o message Time Stamo Message Type. Process Issuing the message and a Description, The sample shown sn Fig 8(a) ss a trace message that indicates that at 12.25. a Senai Port Controller created a confer for the C0M17 pom As another example, a command sent to a speαfiς thermostat aod being successfully received by the thermostat may be represented in the folfowsng two messages:

3/14/2Ot)S 2.35 24 PM - Trace- (Apnlarre 2) Sending message: SN2 CS^ON 3/1 ^2^QOS 2:35:24 P^ - Trace (Apniasre 2) Message received' SH2 Cβ~OM

|004t| H may noi bs uncomπ^on sn the log that an anticipated ' message received" hne 50 follows just aher a "sending message^1' Isne. However, because there are so many systems that can he supposed by ihe CAS and large numbers of messages may be transmitted almost simultaneously, there may be a vanity ot other logged messages from other devices oooumng behs/eers the two. In fact, if something occurs that affects multiple areas of the sofiware, th^» user may see hundreds of ϊog messages With the exact same time o-_; stamo on them [DDiOJ For the most part, the information and entries contained in the iogs may be in the brm of trace messages used Io track the progress of transactions and interactions between the interna^; processes of the CAS These trace messages may be sent ^nd received by services and processes within the CAS in response to requests made by & interrsai and extern^ components Because of the muititude of different systems the CAS supports each with ^;ts own unique messaging needs, a comprehensive defaii of ail of the possible trace messages may be extensive and unwteldy To address thss issue, trace ^■ messages may contain iniustiveiy iabeied components, Whiie the exact command being sent to or from a devsce may not be understandable, the user may be able to determine u^ when the command was sent and If it was received, which may oe the most reievsnt information to system instaiiers.

ICI0S1] fVsuch of ths- information logged by the CAS may detail the Interactions between different components of the software. Knowing the basic functions of these components and thesr reiatsonsbip me-y assist the user ;n understanding the iog. For each de^ee 102

^{■ :}Λ (e g. _: ii9hting 26, HVAC 29, etc), there may he a cor responding 'service' sn the CAS that facilitates controi (a lighting service, HVAC service, etc). When lfte CAB is started, the necessary services are aiso sorted. Events such as "Staring

or "Adding Hesteo. Service^'' may indicate that a service hss beers started Other Servsee-reiafed messages nsay include "Configuration is loaded.^" Xontroiior is created/^' "ControHer is found,"

-x^{> "}Starting Service,^{" "}Adding Hosted Service.^" "Sending Heϋo for service." and the ϋke |OδS^] Onoe started, a service may need to advertise its presence to the rest ot the software The ofhe? software components may be then aware mat a new service (and thus a πsw cieviceMs now on me network At the steiuo advertisement mav be dene bv issuing a ^"heiio¹ (^■ e., ^'Sending HeHo" for Service), and other components may indicate that s^:. they have heard this ^'heiio' (s,e., "HaUo received^") sn response, whsch *s referred to as ^'discovery^' ^n me CAS if the service is besng started after Nϋai startup bas been completed sn i^;eo o^ a heϋo message, a Prone' may be sent Other system components men may send 'Probe Matches^' m response Messages such as ^{^}Probe Received" and ^"Seeding Probe Matches¹ may indicate that a service Has been added and discovered

^o sisccessmisy Usscovery reiatsd messages may inciyde "Sending Heiio." ''t-ioito Received.^'' ^''Probe Received," ^"Sending Probe Matches/ and the like flM!S3] Messages that invoive ending a command to a device a^d receiving a response may be found close together, Common trace messages mvoiveεt in this process may include ^"Sending

' Message Received/" "Received Non-conforming Message^'"

AS n e., v^r>en a device returns more information than is regus-eo by the CAS). "Received N«ϋ Event^" •;>. e. , when a devsce does no* return messages in response to commands from the CAS). 'Getting Script Template.^"' and the ^;sκa. flK)S4] A number of trace messages may refer to 'Subscription Management ^' For example wfrm^*- the ux&r accesses device controls, for example, lighting controls,, some

,t> components of the software then may automatically subscribe to events issued c<y the lhghtmg service, When the use? rsavigat&s off of the lighting controls page, the component may unsuPscnoe from the lighting service If a service re stopped o? shut dQVvfs all of Hs existing subscriptions may be cleared These processes of suPscnptson and unsubsshption may be captured sn the log. For troubleshooting purposes.

Ks subscription messages may indicate either successful communication between components and services, or thai a service has been slopped or shut down and its subscriptions cleared Common trace messages dealing with subscriptions may include ^"Ending Unsubscribe;^' "Removing Subscription,^" "Cfeanng subscriptions." "Subscriptions cleared^" and tNs IiKe. The tafele shown in Fig. 10 lists the common trace messages

■ ? alphabetically by the first leiter of the message text

|δl)$S] l^"be log t^'sie also may receive error messages that a?e generated when expected conditions are not met or unexpected conditions arise sn the system Error messages may also be gerserated wten exceptions occur within the soft are as the result of a failed transaction or a mhxssrsg or ^correct address or port. When errors occur, log entries may

?o bo generated that may be interpreted either by integrators or by technical staff *n the course of troubleshooting the problem. An exemplary error message is shown jr* Fig. Bφ). whsch is similar to the trace message shown in F;g 8C&). An error snessages may be idemifiad by the ~messaoe type^' category, which may Includes ^"Error^" as shown su fig 8;b) £r?or Messages may fall into several categories such as configuration errors, rf- networking errors, mssssno system flies _: scripting/scheduling errors and the like

|βδ§β| ^'The configuration errors may be related to the settings of a devsςe or the trigger atiempfino. ?o Vitiate coπUαf at me d«v>ce t.og errors indicating a possible configuration problem may Include "Could not oreaie an instance of this type.^" "Error occur? ed ss? iding events.^" "Error occurred sending message." ^s Psrtibon Mame invalid," ^''Application setting

30 bas an invalid value.^{" "}Zone Name Invalid," "Network device not responding.'^' "Received restore for zone X which does not have partition mapping/ "Received alarm -tor zone X, which does not have partition mapping,^" "Port Open Failure" and the like. The table shown FIg, 11(0) lists the configuration error messages alphabetically by the first letter of the message text.

^ |δ0ST] Some loo errors may indicate a problem with the network such as a possible failure to communicate between the software and physical devices. Such problems may nave a physical cause, for example, an unplugged or poony fitted cable. The proplem could also be an addressing issue such as a wrong serial port number for a device, or an incorrect IP Address, Log errors thai indicate a possible networking problem may snclycie ^■An error has occurred sersdsng the probe message, ^': "Error occurred sending events;^' ^"Error sending bye message,^" Εrror sending heifo message'^' and the like. The table showf! in Frg 1 Ka) lists the network error messages aiphabetseally by tHe first letter of the message text

[tK)§8| Otner enor messages may indicate that a necessary DLL or system tlte rs msssmg in this case, me user may need to check this installation against the required file structures and/or the iatest available CAS system flies Ic- ensure that 'S of the necessary system components are present Leg errors mat indicate a possible mrssing system file may include "Type could not be loaded. Please check to make sure me file containing X is ■o the bsn directory,^" The constructor for X has thrown an exception Please chβcx to make sure the file containing Y ss in the bin directory.^" "Ccuid not create devsce^'1 and the SsKe. Tne ^ahie shown in Fig I i(d) lists the msseing system error messages alphabetical by the first ietter of the message text

[CIOSSl An error sπ the sohpt or scheduling oi a scnpt may trigger one o! me foliowing log errors ^"Couid not retrieve script tertiplates.^'' Xodo not load schedules as the oorrfig U% ι§ coffvspt,^{" "}Could not execuie schedule;¹ "Could not save schedules to file; "Could not compile script,^" "Execution of script X received an error," ^"Cannot perform action, script is sn use^" ano the hke IC the user &ees one of these sohpting/scheduisng errors, he or she may ne«d to check the sonpt or schedule setup using either a. CPA configuration tooi or control penei The tabie shown In Fsg 11 (c) lists the script/schedule error messages aiphabeticasly by the first letter of the rrsessage text.

PHtOj An error condition is may not always accompanied by an error message. For example, problems such as faulty or unplugged communications cables may generate log Uaoe messages t.nat show tsmeout conditions because a command coulo noi get through The mosi common indicator of a no-n-responsive. non-error may be the 'NuH Event ^race njisssage ^'

|l⁾i>§1] ^'T^'ne ioggsng system used m CAS rriay ger^erala standard t^xt-based lues that are automatically read from the moment CAS is initiated at startup uniύ the finai execution of shutdown These iVes may be viewed directly as text files The ioggmg system may piaoe log files sn me Logs directory under the Applications folder on the CAS server 10, τ$> access these loo. files, one may need the CAS administrator permissions. Windows Explorer* a text reader or editor ARenng information m the log files may have no effect on the system as the messages are evidence of events which have already occurred and are only a record of them To view log flies, the user may use a text editor such as Notepad Io open *fte fύe and view the messages- as in an exemplary log file shown in Fig. vϊ fO(MS2] The methodologies described herem may be impiemerrleo^' by vaoous means depending upon the application For example, these memodoiogses may be implemented sn hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. For a haκ;fware implementation, the processing unsts may be implemented within one or more application specie smec/a^d circuits ?ASiCsϊ, digital signal processors COSPs-. digital siønal processing devices (DSFDs). proo/smmafete iogsc devices (PLDs), Field programmable gate arrays CFPOAs)₁ processors, control tens, micro-controllers, microprocessors, electron-e devices, other etectronsc units des-gned to perfdfϊϊi the functions descπbed heTein. or a corrsbsnatiori thereof. pθ€31 For a ^;.rrnware and/o? software smpiemefstoion, the methodologies may be ^■mpiementod wit" modules (e 9 , procedures, fu notions, and so or;} that penorm the sunotions oescnb-ed nerein Any machsn© readabfe medium tangibly embodying may be used in imrjiementmg the methodologies described h&rmn for example, software codes may Pe stored in a memory, for example ihe memory of client or device, and execufad by a processor . ror examoie a gerserahpurpose processor Memory may be implemented wiihin the processor or external to the processor As used herein the t&rro ^'Ynemory^'' refers 10 any ϊype of long lem\ shod tem\ volatile . nonvolat-hs. or otber memory and ss not to be iimsted to any particular type of memory or number of memones, or type of media upon which memory ;s stored

|CM)S4J Whiie the invention has been described ;n terms of exemplary embodiments, ihoee skilled sn the art will reoogns^e that the invention can be practiced with modsticauons in the spsfit and scope of the appended claims These exampies given above are merely iiiustrative and are not meant to be an exhaustive list of afi possible designs, embodiments, aooiications or modifications of the mventson.

Claims

WHAT tS CLArMED tS.

1. A convergence and automation system, comprising, an internet-protocol based network; hardware implemented with a w-sb service for devsces (WSD) protocol said hardware comprising a plurality of devices connected to me network, each device i&eing configured to perform at ieast on© sendee; and a server connected to network and configured to control the devices to converge ano: automate me services thereof, sard hardware configured to estabissn communication among the server and the devices and perform a i^pggsng function to recoid events and errors taking plaoe m the convergence and aurαmation system.

2. The convergence θnd

system of claim 1 , wherein said hardware ⁽urtner comprises at least one cPent connected to the network and configured to control at i^βa-st a poison of the services of the plurality devices.

3. The convergence and automation system of claim 2, wherein each of saκ.1 plurality of devices ^;s selected from the group consisting of an audio device, video device, saleroom device, iighuno cornroi devsoe secunty device and HVAC device

4 The convergence and automation system of clasm 2. wherein said si leas? one cl-ent ss selected frc-m lhe group consisting of a television, personal computer persoπai data assistant and remote controller.

5 The con^erxjence and auton^atson system of ciaJro 1 , wherein sssd logging fu^ot-on comprises generating massages- descnoiog the evems and errors taking place in the convergence and automation system

6. The convergence and automation system of ciaim 5. wherein each of the messages comprises, a time stamp component, message type component, process component, and description of event component.

T The convergence and automation system of cia-m 5_; wherein the messages comprise: trace messages describing the events, and error messages desαiosng me errors.

δ. The convergence and automaton system of claim 7. wherein me trace \ messages comprise, service-reiaied messages that comprise a recording of the events related b said senses performed by said devices. discovery messages that comprise a recording of the events related Io introduction and acknowledgement of new services in SSKS software:

:^;.- messaging messages that compose a recording of me events related to communication among ssic! devices, and subscription management messages that comprise a recording of the events reiateo^' to subscription history of said services among said devices

5$ 9 The conveyances and automation system of ciaim ?, wherein said error messages compose configuration error mess-ages that compose a recording of the errors reiate-d ^ settings or triggering o^ said devsces. network errør messages Ih^l comprise a recording of the errors reiaieg to sa-iure to ^ communicate between sasd hardware aπcj soϋware, missing syslem fϋe messages that comprise a recording of the θr?o?s reiateo to missing necessary files, and scripting/scheduling error messages that compose a recording of the enors reiatsd ξ.o errors -n scripts or schedu^ling of said scnpts,

,^s;v

10 The convergence and automaton system of ciaim o, wherssπ sasci logging ^■function furmer comprises fϊHehπg, sorting and seafclnrsg the messages.

1 1 The convergence and automation system of ciasm 10, wherein the togging function former oemorises printing a report o^ the massages,

12 An

comprising a machine readable medium having embodied mereon a program, the program being executable Dy a machine to perform a ioggmg f^mchon to record events and errors taking place m a convergence and automation system, said convergence and automation system comprising an internet-protocol based network, hardware impiemented with a weo service for devices (VVSD) protocol and software Im&iementee; «mh the WSO protocol and configured to establish communication *n the hardware and perform the logging function to fecorςf the events a«d errors

13 The article of ciasm 12, wheresn the hardware comprises^'

*, a plufaisty of devices connected to the network, each device hesng configured Io penorm at. leas^ one service, and a server connected Hs network and configured to control the devices for converging and automating the services thereof

m 14. The article of claim 13. wheresn the software ss configured to estaoPsh communication among the server and the devices,

I S. The article of ciairn 14. wherøϊn the logging function comprig.es generating describing the events and error iaksng places In the convergence and !?■ automation system

In The article of daim i §. wherein each of the messages corrspnses a tmie stamp component, message type component, process component, and description of event component

I T. The article of claim 16, wheresn the messages oompnse- trace messages descn&ing ine events, and Bi tor messages describing the errors

^c iθ The article of clasm IT, wherein the trace messages comprise¹ service- ^elated messages that compose a recording of the events related to the services performed Ov the devices: discovery messages that comprise a recording of the events related to introduction and acknowledgement of new services in of the software. si^; messaging messages ^hat comprise a recording of the events related to commu ication among saio; devices; and subscription management messages that comprise a recording of the events reiateo *c suhscnption hsstory of said services among said devices,

^s I S The article of ciaim 17. wherein me error messages comprise. conjuration error messages recording the errors ?elsUκ1 to βeitnge or lnggenng of the devices. network error messages, record^ϋ, the en"o?x related Io failure to communicate between the hardware and software: rousing system ήie messages rsoorclsng the errors related to missing necessary fsfes, arid scripting/scheduling error messages recording ihs errors 5-elated to errors ir» scripts or sclieduϊϊng of Uie scripts

20, The artϊde of daim 16\ wherein tho bgosng func^on further comprmes ^Hsrmg, sorting and searching the messages