Monitoring service-level performance using key performance indicators derived from machine data

• US 10,380,189 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2017
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Splunk Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Splunk Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Boe, Brent, Bingham, Brian, Coates, John Robert, Fletcher, Tristan Antonio
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh, John B
• Application Number:
  US15/693,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20180041402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/321 Display for diagnostics, e.g. diagnostic result display, self-test user interface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/34 Recording or statistical evaluation of computer activity, e.g. of down time, of input/output operation ; Recording or statistical evaluation of user activity, e.g. usability assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24542 Plan optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/334 Query execution G06F16/335 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/903 Querying for retrieval from the web G06F16/953
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90335 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 : Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 : Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 : Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 : Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06393 : Score-carding, benchmarking or key performance indicator [KPI] analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 : Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 : involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 : Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 : for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 : comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 : Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5032 : Generating service level reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 : Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 : for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/091 : Measuring contribution of individual network components to actual service level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 : Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/55 : Testing of service level quality, e.g. simulating service usage
• 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 67/51 : Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

One or more processing devices create one or more entity definitions that each associate an entity with machine data pertaining to that entity and create a service definition for a service provided by one or more entities. The service definition includes an entity definition for each of the one or more entities. The one or more processing devices create one or more key performance indicators (KPIs). Each KPI is defined by a search query that produces a value derived from the machine data identified in one or more of the entity definitions included in the service definition. Each value is indicative of how the service is performing at a point in time or during a period of time.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending and receiving one or more network transmissions effecting an interface;

creating and storing a service definition representing a service, an entity definition representing an entity, and a search definition representing a search producing a measure of the service, each definition based at least in part on information of one or more of the received network transmissions of the interface, and each of said definitions stored as information of a computer storage directing the operation of a service monitoring system;

wherein the service is performed at least in part by the entity, and the service definition comprises an association with the entity definition;

wherein the entity definition comprises information identifying data pertaining to the entity from among a datastore of machine data comprising machine data pertaining to a plurality of entities;

wherein the search produces the measure of the service based at least in part on the data pertaining to the entity;

wherein the machine data of the datastore reflects activity in an information technology environment and is produced by one or more components of the information technology environment; and

wherein the method is performed by a computing system comprising one or more processors coupled to the computer storage.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the sent network transmissions comprise information to cause a display of a graphical user interface.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the received network transmissions comprise information indicating user interaction with a graphical user interface.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the sent network transmissions comprise information to cause a display of a graphical user interface and the received network transmissions comprise information indicating user interaction with the display of the graphical user interface.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the sent network transmissions comprise information to cause a plurality of different displays of a graphical user interface and the received network transmissions comprise information indicating user interaction with one or more of the plurality of displays of the graphical user interface.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the interface is a graphical user interface.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the interface is a graphical user interface comprising components enabling user interaction to indicate the entity performs the service.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the interface is a graphical user interface comprising components enabling user interaction to indicate an identifier for the service.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the interface is a graphical user interface comprising components enabling user interaction to indicate at least one aspect of the search producing a measure of the service.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the interface is a graphical user interface comprising components enabling user interaction to indicate information for identifying data pertaining to the entity.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the interface is a graphical user interface comprising components enabling user interaction to indicate an identifier for the service, information for identifying data pertaining to the entity, and at least one aspect of the search producing a measure of the service.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein performing the search includes accessing field information of the machine data using a late-binding schema.

13. A system comprising:

a memory; and

a processing device coupled with the memory to perform operations comprising;

sending and receiving one or more network transmissions effecting an interface;

creating and storing a service definition representing a service, an entity definition representing an entity, and a search definition representing a search producing a measure of the service, each definition based at least in part on information of one or more of the received network transmissions of the interface, and each of said definitions stored as information of a computer storage directing the operation of a service monitoring system;

wherein the service is performed at least in part by the entity, and the service definition comprises an association with the entity definition;

wherein the entity definition comprises information identifying data pertaining to the entity from among a datastore of machine data comprising machine data pertaining to a plurality of entities;

wherein the search produces the measure of the service based at least in part on the data pertaining to the entity;

wherein the machine data of the datastore reflects activity in an information technology environment and is produced by one or more components of the information technology environment; and

wherein the method is performed by a computing system comprising one or more processors coupled to the computer storage.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the sent network transmissions comprise information to cause a display of a graphical user interface.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the received network transmissions comprise information indicating user interaction with a graphical user interface.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the sent network transmissions comprise information to cause a display of a graphical user interface and the received network transmissions comprise information indicating user interaction with the display of the graphical user interface.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the sent network transmissions comprise information to cause a plurality of different displays of a graphical user interface and the received network transmissions comprise information indicating user interaction with one or more of the plurality of displays of the graphical user interface.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein the interface is a graphical user interface.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein the interface is a graphical user interface comprising components enabling user interaction to indicate the entity performs the service.

20. The system of claim 13 wherein the interface is a graphical user interface comprising components enabling user interaction to indicate an identifier for the service.

21. The system of claim 13 wherein the interface is a graphical user interface comprising components enabling user interaction to indicate at least one aspect of the search producing a measure of the service.

22. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoding instructions thereon that, in response to execution by one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising:

sending and receiving one or more network transmissions effecting an interface;

creating and storing a service definition representing a service, an entity definition representing an entity, and a search definition representing a search producing a measure of the service, each definition based at least in part on information of one or more of the received network transmissions of the interface, and each of said definitions stored as information of a computer storage directing the operation of a service monitoring system;

wherein the service is performed at least in part by the entity, and the service definition comprises an association with the entity definition;

wherein the entity definition comprises information identifying data pertaining to the entity from among a datastore of machine data comprising machine data pertaining to a plurality of entities;

wherein the search produces the measure of the service based at least in part on the data pertaining to the entity;

wherein the machine data of the datastore reflects activity in an information technology environment and is produced by one or more components of the information technology environment; and

wherein the method is performed by a computing system comprising one or more processors coupled to the computer storage.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22 wherein the sent network transmissions comprise information to cause a display of a graphical user interface.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22 wherein the received network transmissions comprise information indicating user interaction with a graphical user interface.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22 wherein the sent network transmissions comprise information to cause a display of a graphical user interface and the received network transmissions comprise information indicating user interaction with the display of the graphical user interface.

26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22 wherein the sent network transmissions comprise information to cause a plurality of different displays of a graphical user interface and the received network transmissions comprise information indicating user interaction with one or more of the plurality of displays of the graphical user interface.

27. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22 wherein the interface is a graphical user interface.

28. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22 wherein the interface is a graphical user interface comprising components enabling user interaction to indicate the entity performs the service.

29. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22 wherein the interface is a graphical user interface comprising components enabling user interaction to indicate an identifier for the service.

30. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22 wherein the interface is a graphical user interface comprising components enabling user interaction to indicate at least one aspect of the search producing a measure of the service.