Abstract: | The paper describes in detail the implementation of INMON, a prototype monitor for recording and displaying interaction networks. The interaction network is designed to show the interrelationships between significant events that occur during the processing of an interaction on a loosely-coupled distributed system. By being directed at analysing what happens in an interaction, this approach is fundamentally different from other graphical representations that show what happens during the execution of a single program on a distributed system. Examples are given of interaction networks recorded by INMON. The approach is based on very general models of a distributed system and of an interaction, and could be widely applied. We conclude by summarizing what is needed to provide facilities within any operating system for recording interaction networks. |