Using time travel to diagnose computer problems

Abstract

The solution to a number of modern computer problems takes the form of a manual, expert-guided search through a large space of computer configurations. For example, if a desktop computer is crashing or malfunctioning, a troubleshooter will use her knowledge of system features such as configuration files, registries, and dynamic library versions to apply a series of configuration changes until the system once again begins functioning. As another example, to obtain good performance from a complex system like a database or a web application, a specialized and highly paid administrator will explore the set of application and operating system parameters to find the optimal values.