Providing a monitoring service in a cloud-based computing environment

• US 10,038,619 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2017
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mercuri, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilles, Jude Jean
• Application Number:
  US15/476,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20170207991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 709224, 709223, 709225, 709203, 709204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3072 where the reporting involves data filtering, e.g. pattern matching, time or event triggered, adaptive or policy-based reporting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/18 Protocol analysers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

Technologies are described herein for providing a monitoring service in a cloud-based computing environment. A request is received from a user to subscribe to the monitoring service. The monitor workflow may correspond to the monitoring service. A first call to a finder application is executed over a communications network to retrieve data points according to the monitor workflow. A second call to an analyzer application is executed over the communications network to identify a relevant data point in the data points. A third call to a notifier application is executed over the communications network to notify the user of the relevant data point.

Claims

1. A method, implemented at a computing device that includes one or more hardware processors, for providing a monitoring service in a cloud-based computing environment, the method comprising computer-implemented operations for:

retrieving a monitor workflow corresponding to the monitoring service;

executing, at the one or more hardware processors, a first call to retrieve data points according to the monitor workflow;

executing, at the one or more hardware processors, a second call to identify a plurality of relevant data points in the data points; and

executing, at the one or more hardware processors, a third call to notify a user of the plurality of relevant data points.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request from a user to subscribe to the monitoring service, comprising:

receiving subscription criteria from the user, the subscription criteria specifying relevant parameters related to the monitoring service;

receiving a time limit to provide the monitoring service; and

receiving a notification configuration from the user, the notification configuration specifying a notification method to be implemented by a notifier application.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein retrieving the monitor workflow corresponding to the monitoring service comprises:

determining whether a database contains an existing monitor workflow corresponding to the subscription criteria;

in response to determining that the database contains the existing monitor workflow corresponding to the subscription criteria, retrieving the existing monitor workflow from the database; and

in response to determining that the database does not contain the existing monitor workflow corresponding to the subscription criteria, generating a new monitor workflow corresponding to the subscription criteria.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein executing the first call to retrieve data points according to the monitor workflow comprises sending the subscription criteria to a finder application.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the finder application is configured to (a) query one or more content services to retrieve the data points corresponding to the subscription criteria and (b) return the data points in response to the first call.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the second call to identify the plurality of relevant data points in the data points comprises sending the data points to an analyzer application.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the analyzer application is configured to (a) query one or more context services to retrieve context information providing contextual insight to the data points, (b) apply the context information to the data points to identify a relevant data point, and (c) return the relevant data point in response to the second call.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the third call to notify the user of the relevant data point comprises sending the relevant data point and the notification configuration to a notifier application.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the notifier application is configured to (a) identify a relevant notification service from a plurality of notification services, the relevant notification service configured to notify the user through the notification method, and (b) instruct the relevant notification service to notify the user of the relevant data point through the notification method.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising terminating the monitoring service when the monitoring service expires.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request from a user to subscribe to the monitoring service from a faç

ade.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the monitor workflow corresponding to the monitoring service comprises receiving the monitor workflow corresponding to the monitoring service from a monitoring application.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitor workflow specifies web addresses for a finder application, an analyzer application, and a notifier application.

14. A hardware computer system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor; and

a program module which executes in the processor from the memory and which, when executed by the processor, causes the computer system to provide a monitoring service in a cloud-based computing environment by receiving a time limit to provide the monitoring service,

receiving a notification configuration, the notification configuration specifying a notification method to be implemented by a notifier application,

retrieving a monitor workflow corresponding to subscription criteria, the subscription criteria specifying relevant parameters related to the monitoring service, and

executing a first call to a finder application to retrieve data points corresponding to the subscription criteria according to the monitor workflow.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the program module further causes the computer system to provide the monitoring service in the cloud-based computing environment by executing a second call to an analyzer application to identify a relevant data point in the data points.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the program module further causes the computer system to provide the monitoring service in the cloud-based computing environment by executing a third call to a notifier application to notify a user of the relevant data point through the notification method.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein executing a first call to a finder application to retrieve data points corresponding to the subscription criteria according to the monitor workflow comprises sending the subscription criteria to the finder application;

and wherein the finder application is configured to (a) query one or more content services to retrieve the data points corresponding to the subscription criteria and (b) return the data points in response to the first call.

18. The computer system of claim 16, wherein executing a third call to a notifier application to notify the user of the relevant data point through the notification method comprises sending the relevant data point and the notification configuration to the notifier application;

and

wherein the notifier application is configured to (a) identify a relevant notification service in a plurality of notification services, the relevant notification service configured to notify the user through the notification method, and (b) instruct the relevant notification service to notify a user of the relevant data point through the notification method.

19. A computer-readable hardware storage device having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive a workflow lifecycle configuration, the workflow lifecycle configuration specifying a time limit to provide the monitoring service;

receive a notification configuration, the notification configuration specifying a notification method to be implemented by a notifier application;

determine whether a database contains an existing monitor workflow corresponding to subscription criteria, the subscription criteria specifying relevant parameters related to a monitoring service;

in response to determining that the database contains the existing monitor workflow corresponding to the subscription criteria, retrieve the existing monitor workflow as a monitor workflow from the database;

in response to determining that the database does not contain the existing monitor workflow corresponding to the subscription criteria, generate a new monitor workflow as the monitor workflow corresponding to the subscription criteria;

execute a first call to a finder application to retrieve data points corresponding to the subscription criteria according to the monitor workflow; and

execute a second call to an analyzer application to identify a plurality of relevant data point in the data points.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, further comprising computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to provide the monitoring service by executing a third call to a notifier application to notify a user of the relevant data point through the notification method.

21. The computer system of claim 20, wherein computer-executable instructions to execute a first call to a finder application to retrieve data points corresponding to the subscription criteria according to the monitor workflow comprises computer-executable instructions to send the subscription criteria to the finder application;

and

wherein the finder application is configured to (a) query one or more content services to retrieve the data points corresponding to the subscription criteria and (b) return the data points in response to the first call.