Blackout

We recently analyzed a Process Monitor log which had a several hour gap we call Blackout. If you see such a pattern, it might have the following possible causes:

•    Some files from Split Trace (Volume 7 page 305) are missing;

•    Split Trace file set was artificially created;

•    The tracing scope system was paused or frozen (for example, a virtualized system), or restarted;

•    The tracing itself was paused.

Blackout pattern is different from Visibility Limit (Volume 7, page 301) where the latter is about the inherent inability to trace, whereas the former is only temporary inability due to circumstances listed above. It is also different from Discontinuity (Volume 4, page 341) pattern where the latter is about gaps in individual Threads of Activity (Volume 4, page 339) or Adjoint Threads of Activity (Volume 5, page 283).