Method and apparatus of establishing customized network monitoring criteria

• US 10,241,883 B1
• Filed: 10/03/2016
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Inventors: Lingen, Mark Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Chau
• Application Number:
  US15/283,875
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3013 where the computing system is an embedded system, i.e. a combination of hardware and software dedicated to perform a certain function in mobile devices, printers, automotive or aircraft systems testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof G05B23/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3024 where the computing system component is a central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3041 where the computing system component is an input/output interface interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units G06F13/00
• 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: H04L 43/065 related to network devices

Abstract

A method and apparatus of monitoring computer devices operating on a network is disclosed. Computer devices are all different and require monitoring settings that are tailored to their specific requirements. One example of the present invention may include a method of monitoring at least one computer device operating on a network. The method may include receiving audit information representing attributes of the computer device and storing the audit information in memory. The method may also include comparing the audit information to a predefined monitor set of objects to be monitored. The method may further include creating a new monitor set based on the comparison of the audit information and the predefined monitor set. The new monitor set is different from the predefined monitor set and is generally used to monitor objects which are included in the audited device. The method may also include monitoring the at least one computer device based on the new monitor set.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

initiating an all objects trigger command to monitor a predefined monitor set of all objects except objects which are identified as not discoverable on at least one computer device based on audit information obtained during an audit session;

receiving, via a receiver of another computer device, the audit information representing device hardware attributes and device software attributes of the at least one computer device and storing the audit information in a memory, wherein the audit information comprises at least one less object to be monitored than the predefined monitor set of all objects originally intended to be monitored by the all objects trigger command;

comparing, via a processor of the another computer device, the audit information to the predefined monitor set of all objects intended to be monitored on the at least one computer device;

responsive to the comparing, removing at least one object present in the predefined monitor set of all objects initiated by the all objects trigger command which is not identified from the audit information;

creating, via the processor of the another computer device, a new monitor set of objects based on the comparison of the audit information and the predefined monitor set of all objects, and at least one new threshold as a value that should not be exceeded by the at least one computer device, wherein the new monitor set of objects has at least one fewer objects to be monitored than the predefined monitor set of all objects; and

monitoring, via the processor of the another computer device, the at least one computer device based on the new monitor set of objects.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the audit information is automatically transferred from the at least one computer device to a server more than once based on a predefined update schedule.

3. The method claim 2, further comprising determining objects present in the audit information and comparing the objects present in the audit information to objects present in the predefined monitor set of all objects.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising storing the new monitor set of objects in the memory in an XML file format and monitoring the at least one computer device based on the objects included in the new monitor set of objects.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising modifying the new monitor set of objects to reflect changes that occur to the objects based on the update schedule.

6. The method claim 1, further comprising renaming the predefined monitor set of all objects to represent the new monitor set of objects.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the hardware attributes and the software attributes comprise at least one of disk information, processor information, memory information, application information and service information.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory configured to store audit information;

a receiver configured to receive the audit information that represents device hardware attributes and device software attributes of at least one computer device and store the audit information in the memory; and

a processor configured to

initiate an all objects trigger command to monitor a predefined monitor set of all objects except objects which are identified as not discoverable on the at least one computer device based the audit information obtained during an audit session;

compare the audit information to the predefined monitor set of all objects to be monitored on the at least one computer device, wherein the audit information comprises at least one less object to be monitored than the predefined monitor set of all objects originally intended to be monitored by the all objects trigger command,

responsive to the compare operation, remove at least one object present in the predefined monitor set of all objects initiated by the all objects trigger command which is not identified from the audit information,

create a new monitor set of objects based on the comparison of the audit information and the predefined monitor set of all objects, and at least one new threshold value as a value that should not be exceeded by the at least one computer device, and wherein the new monitor set of objects has at least one fewer objects to be monitored than the predefined monitor set of all objects, and

monitor the at least one computer device based on the new monitor set of objects.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the audit information is automatically transferred from the at least one computer device to a server more than once based on a predefined update schedule.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to determine objects present in the audit information and compare the objects present in the audit information to objects present in the predefined monitor set of all objects.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to store the new monitor set in the memory in an XML file format and monitor the at least one computer device based on the objects included in the new monitor set of objects.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to modify the new monitor set of objects to reflect changes that occur to the objects based on the update schedule.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to rename the predefined monitor set of all objects to represent the new monitor set of objects.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the hardware attributes and the software attributes comprise at least one of disk information, processor information, memory information, application information and service information.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform:

initiating an all objects trigger command to monitor a predefined monitor set of all objects except objects which are identified as not discoverable on at least one computer device based on audit information obtained during an audit session;

receiving the audit information representing device hardware attributes and device software attributes of the at least one computer device and storing the audit information in a memory;

comparing the audit information to the predefined monitor set of all objects to be monitored on the at least one computer device, wherein the audit information comprises at least one less object to be monitored than the predefined monitor set of all objects originally intended to be monitored by the all objects trigger command;

responsive to the comparing, removing at least one object present in the predefined monitor set of all objects initiated by the all objects trigger command which is not identified from the audit information;

creating a new monitor set of objects based on the comparison of the audit information and the predefined monitor set of all objects, and a new threshold value as a value that should not be exceeded by the at least one computer device, wherein the new monitor set of objects has at least one fewer objects to be monitored than the predefined monitor set of all objects; and

monitoring the at least one computer device based on the new monitor set of objects.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the audit information is automatically transferred from the at least one computer device to a server more than once based on a predefined update schedule.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising determining objects present in the audit information and comparing the objects present in the audit information to objects present in the predefined monitor set of all objects.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising storing the new monitor set of objects in the memory in an XML file format and monitoring the at least one computer device based on the objects included in the new monitor set of objects.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising renaming the predefined monitor set of all objects to represent the new monitor set of objects.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the hardware attributes and the software attributes comprise at least one of disk information, processor information, memory information, application information and service information.