Complex event processing using pseudo-clock

• US 10,423,468 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2015
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Doyle, Duncan, Tirelli, Edson
• Primary Examiner(s): Derose, Volvick
• Application Number:
  US14/618,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20160231769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,687 Days
• Field of Search: 713502
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/14 Time supervision arrangements, e.g. real time clock
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/52 Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

Systems and methods for complex event processing. An example method may comprise: receiving, by a processing device of a first event processing node, an event data item reflecting a change of a system state, the event data item comprising a unique event identifier and a timestamp; and, responsive to determining a difference between the timestamp and a value of a pseudo-clock associated with the first event processing node, synchronizing the state of the first event processing node with the state of a second event processing node by adjusting the pseudo-clock by the difference.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a first processing device of a first event processing node from a data source, an event data item indicating a change of a system state, the event data item comprising a unique event identifier, a timestamp from the data source, and a value of a state variable associated with the system state;

responsive to determining a first difference between the timestamp and a first value of a first pseudo-clock of the first event processing node, adjusting, by the first processing device, the first value of the first pseudo-clock by the first difference;

receiving, by a second processing device of a second event processing node, the event data item from the data source, wherein the data source is different from the first event processing node and from the second event processing node;

responsive to determining a second difference between the timestamp and a second value of a second pseudo-clock of the second event processing node, synchronizing a second state of the second event processing node with a first state of the first event processing node by adjusting, by the second processing device, the second value of the second pseudo-clock by the second difference, wherein the first difference is unequal to the second difference;

applying, by the first processing device, an event processing rule to values of the event data item to produce an event processing command comprising a command identifier derived from a first identifier of the event processing rule and the unique event identifier of the event data item; and

executing, by the first processing device, the event processing command to perform an action, wherein the action is associated with the command identifier and generates one or more parameters to be passed to a software module of the first event processing node.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising evaluating a conditional statement associated with the event processing rule, wherein the conditional statement comprises the value of the state variable.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, responsive to evaluating the conditional statement, executing the action associated with the command identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising issuing the event processing command to an external command processing system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the command identifier comprises a third identifier of the software module and a value of a parameter, of the one or more parameters, to be passed to the software module.

6. A system comprising:

a first memory; and

a first processing device of a first event processing node, the first processing device operatively coupled to the first memory, the first processing device to;

receive an event data item indicating a change of a system state, the event data item comprising a unique event identifier, a timestamp from a data source, and a value of a state variable associated with the system state; and

responsive to determination of a first difference between the timestamp and a first value of a first pseudo-clock of the first event processing node, adjust the first value of the first pseudo-clock by the first difference;

a second memory; and

a second processing device of a second event processing node geographically separated from the first event processing node, the second event processing node operatively coupled to the second memory, the second processing device to;

receive the event data item from the data source, wherein the data source is different from the first event processing node and from the second event processing node;

responsive to determination of a second difference between the timestamp and a second value of a second pseudo-clock of the second event processing node, synchronize a second state of the second event processing node with a first state of the first event processing node by adjusting the second value of the second pseudo-clock by the second difference, wherein the first difference is unequal to the second difference; and

wherein the first processing device is further to;

apply an event processing rule to values of the event data item to produce an event processing command comprising a command identifier derived from a first identifier of the event processing rule and the unique event identifier of the event data item; and

execute the event processing command to perform an action, wherein the action is associated with the command identifier and is to generate one or more parameters to be passed to a software module of the first event processing node.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first processing device is further to evaluate a conditional statement associated with the event processing rule, wherein the conditional statement comprises the value of the state variable.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first processing device is further to, responsive to evaluating the conditional statement, execute the action associated with the command identifier.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the event processing command is further to issue the event processing command to an external command processing system.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the command identifier is to identify the software module and a value of a parameter, of the one or more parameters, to be passed to the software module.

11. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing device of a first event processing node, cause the processing device to:

receive, by the processing device from a data source, an event data item indicating a change of a system state, the event data item comprising a unique event identifier, a timestamp from the data source, and a value of a state variable associated with the system state;

responsive to determining a first difference between the timestamp and a first value of a first pseudo-clock of the first event processing node, adjust the value of the first pseudo-clock by the first difference;

receive, by a second event processing node, the event data item from the data source, wherein the data source is different from the first event processing node and from the second event processing node;

responsive to determining a second difference between the timestamp and a second value of a second pseudo-clock of the second event processing node, synchronize a second state of the second event processing node with a first state of the first event processing node by adjusting, by the processing device, the second value of the second pseudo-clock by the second difference, wherein the first difference is unequal to the second difference; and

apply, by the second event processing node, an event processing rule to values of the event data item to produce an event processing command comprising a command identifier derived from a first identifier of the event processing rule and the unique event identifier of the event data item; and

execute, by the second event processing node, the event processing command to perform an action, wherein the action is associated with the command identifier and is to generate one or more parameters to be passed to a software module of the second event processing node.

12. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 11, further comprising executable instructions causing the processing device to evaluate a conditional statement associated with the event processing rule, wherein the conditional statement comprises the value of the state variable.

13. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, further comprising executable instructions causing the processing device to execute the action associated with the command identifier and in response to evaluation of the conditional statement.