Monitoring a network session

• US 10,389,818 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2015
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Anand, Puneet
• Primary Examiner(s): Joo, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US14/814,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20170034282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• 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 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A session, consisting of multiple page views by a user with a web service, is monitored, analyzed, and diagnosed for a user. The session may include one or more requests or page views experienced by a user during the session. The session may be defined as the user experience on a series of network content pages visited through a single instance of a network browser. The session may be determined to end when no activity is detected from the user for a specified period of time. In other implementations, a session may be based on a user indication, a set period of time, or for some other reason. The data is collected by one or more agents throughout the system, reported to a controller, and correlated together at the controller for querying and reporting. The correlated data is reported by the controller to a user through an interface.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a start of a network session of a user, the network session spanning multiple content pages provided to the user during a period of activity, wherein a session identifier is generated for the network session;

communicating with a plurality of agents installed on a plurality of servers, wherein the plurality of agents are configured to collect data associated with a plurality of applications executed during the network session;

receiving, at a remote server, data collected by the plurality of agents during the network session, wherein the data includes;

application data reported with the session identifier, the application data associated with one or more of the plurality of applications executed during the network session,

network data reported with the session identifier, the network data associated with operation of a computer network over which one or more of the multiple content pages were provided to the user during the network session, and

machine data reported with the session identifier, the machine data associated with one or more machines used during the session;

determining, by the remote server, that the network session associated with the session identifier is no longer active based on no activity by the user for a period of time;

correlating the data received at the remote server from the plurality of agents with the network session of the particular user based on the session identifier received with the data; and

reporting, by the remote server, session health based on the correlated data through an interface, the interface including content page information for the multiple content pages provided to the user during the network session and user activity during the network session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network data is collected and reported by a network agent of the plurality of agents.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more machines are selected from a group consisting of one or more servers of the plurality of servers and a client device and the machine data is collected and reported by a machine agent of the plurality of agents.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting session health includes providing timing data associated with resources, user interactions, and client application processing.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting session health includes providing an indication of a user experience for a particular page during the session.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting session health includes providing an indication of a time spent at a particular page during the network session.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing additional data associated with an activity upon receiving user input selecting the activity.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting includes providing an image or a video of the content pages provided to the user during the network session.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein reporting includes providing a playback of a user experience navigating the content pages provided to the user during the network session.

10. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having software encoded thereon, the software when executed by a processor of a device operable to:

detect a start of a network session of a user, the network session spanning multiple content pages provided to the user during a period of activity, wherein a session identifier is generated for the network session;

communicate a plurality of agents installed on a plurality of servers, wherein the plurality of agents are configured to collect data associated with a plurality of applications executed during the network session;

receive data collected by the plurality of agents during the network session, wherein the data includes;

application data reported with the session identifier, the application data associated with one or more of the plurality of applications executed during the network session,

network data reported with the session identifier, the network data associated with operation of a computer network over which one or more of the multiple content pages were provided to the user during the network session, and

machine data associated with the session identifier, the machine data associated with one or more machines used during the session;

determine that the network session associated with the session identifier is no longer active based on no activity by the user for a period of time;

correlate the data received from the plurality of agents with the network session of the particular user based on the session identifier received with the data; and

report session health based on the correlated data through an interface, the interface including content page information for the multiple content pages provided to the user during the network session and user activity during the network session.

11. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the network data is collected and reported by a network agent of the plurality of agents.

12. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the one or more machines are selected from a group consisting of one or more servers of the plurality of servers and a client device and the machine data is collected and reported by a machine agent of the plurality of agents.

13. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein reporting session health includes providing timing data associated with resources, user interactions, and client application processing.

14. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein reporting session health includes providing an indication of a user experience for a particular page during the network session.

15. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein reporting session health includes providing an indication of a time spent at a particular page during the network session.

16. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein the software when executed by the processor of the device is further operable to provide additional data associated with an activity upon receiving user input selecting the activity.

17. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein reporting includes providing an image or a video of the content pages provided to the user during the network session.

18. The tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 10, wherein reporting includes providing a playback of a user experience navigating the content pages provided to the user during the network session.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a one or more network interfaces to communicate with a plurality of agents installed on one or more servers and at least one client device, wherein the plurality of agents are configured to collect data associated with a plurality of applications;

a processor coupled to the network interfaces and configured to execute one or more processes; and

a memory configured to store a process executable by the processor, the process when executed operable to;

detect a start of a network session of a user, the network session spanning multiple content pages provided to the user during a period of activity, wherein a session identifier is generated for the network session

receive data collected by the plurality of agents during the network session, wherein the data includes;

application data reported with the session identifier, the application data associated with one or more of the plurality of applications executed during the network session,

network data reported with the session identifier, the network data associated with operation of a computer network over which one or more of the multiple content pages were provided to the user during the network session, and

machine data reported with the session identifier, the machine data associated with one or more machines used during the session;

determine that the network session associated with the session identifier is no longer active based on no activity by the user for a period of time;

correlate the data received from the plurality of agents with the network session of the particular user based on the session identifier received with the data; and

report session health based on the correlated data through user interface, the user interface including content page information for the multiple content pages provided to the user during the network session and user activity during the network session.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, the network data is collected and reported by a network agent of the plurality of agents.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the one or more machines are selected from a group consisting of one or more servers of the plurality of servers and a client device and the machine data is collected and reported by a machine agent of the plurality of agents.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein reporting session health includes providing timing data associated with resources, user interactions, and client application processing.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein reporting session health includes providing an indication of a user experience for a particular page during the network session.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein reporting session health includes providing an indication of a time spent at a particular page during the network session.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the process when executed is further operable to:

report additional data associated with an activity upon receiving user input selecting the activity.

26. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein reporting includes providing an image or a video of the content pages provided to the user during the network session.

27. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein reporting includes providing a playback of a user experience navigating the content pages provided to the user during the network session.