Monitoring enterprise networks with endpoint agents

• US 10,659,325 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2017
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ThousandEyes, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dam, Martin, Meisel, Michael, Rodrigues, Nelson, Oliveira, Ricardo V., Alessandri, Santiago
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Liang Che A
• Application Number:
  US15/622,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20170366421A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 709201, 709202, 709223, 709224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5032 Generating service level reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• 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

Abstract

Techniques for monitoring enterprise networks with endpoint agents are disclosed. In some embodiments, a system, process, and/or computer program product for monitoring enterprise networks with endpoint agents includes deploying a plurality of endpoint agents to a plurality of endpoint devices; collecting test results from each of the plurality of endpoint agents, wherein the test results are based on tests executed on each of the plurality of endpoint devices for monitoring network activity; and generating a graphical visualization of an application delivery state for one or more application delivery layers based on the test results, generating an alert based on the test results, or generating a report based on the test results.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor configured to;

deploy a plurality of endpoint agents to a plurality of endpoint devices;

collect test results from each of the plurality of endpoint agents for a plurality of tests, wherein the test results are based on tests executed on each of the plurality of endpoint devices for monitoring network activity, wherein periodic network access and system data are used to collect periodic active network measurements to network infrastructure and to capture a system resource snapshot of each of the plurality of endpoint devices based on a data collection profile, and wherein the data collection profile (DCP) includes a configured plurality of domains that are monitored for triggering automatic data collection using one of the plurality of endpoint agents when a user visits one or more of configured plurality of domains using a browser executed on one of the plurality of endpoint devices, and wherein the DCP includes a frequency for performing the periodic network measurements; and

generate a graphical visualization of an application delivery state for one or more application delivery layers based on the test results;

and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

2. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the graphical visualization of the application delivery state facilitates troubleshooting of network performance problems associated with one or more of the plurality of endpoint devices.

3. The system recited in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of endpoint agents performs network monitoring tests and system monitoring tests.

4. The system recited in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of endpoint agents is controlled by an agent controller.

5. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the graphical visualization is generated by a web tier.

6. The system recited in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of tests that can be performed by the endpoint agents on the endpoint devices is configurable.

7. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

output the graphical visualization of the application delivery state based on the test results.

8. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the test results are collected in one or more of the following ways:

user triggered, periodic network access and system data; and

/or scheduled tests.

9. A method, comprising:

deploying a plurality of endpoint agents to a plurality of endpoint devices;

collecting test results from each of the plurality of endpoint agents for a plurality of tests, wherein the test results are based on tests executed on each of the plurality of endpoint devices for monitoring network activity, wherein periodic network access and system data are used to collect periodic active network measurements to network infrastructure and to capture a system resource snapshot of each of the plurality of endpoint devices based on a data collection profile, and wherein the data collection profile (DCP) includes a configured plurality of domains that are monitored for triggering automatic data collection using one of the plurality of endpoint agents when a user visits one or more of configured plurality of domains using a browser executed on one of the plurality of endpoint devices, and wherein the DCP includes a frequency for performing the periodic network measurements; and

generating a graphical visualization of an application delivery state for one or more application delivery layers based on the test results.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the graphical visualization of the application delivery state facilitates troubleshooting of network performance problems associated with one or more of the plurality of endpoint devices.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of endpoint agents perform network monitoring tests and system monitoring tests.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of endpoint agents are controlled by an agent controller.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the graphical visualization is generated by a web tier.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein a plurality of tests that can be performed by the endpoint agents on the endpoint devices are configurable.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the test results are collected in one or more of the following ways:

user triggered, periodic network access and system data; and

/or scheduled tests.

16. A computer program product, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory tangible computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

deploying a plurality of endpoint agents to a plurality of endpoint devices;

collecting test results from each of the plurality of endpoint agents for a plurality of tests, wherein the test results are based on tests executed on each of the plurality of endpoint devices for monitoring network activity, wherein periodic network access and system data are used to collect periodic active network measurements to network infrastructure and to capture a system resource snapshot of each of the plurality of endpoint devices based on a data collection profile, and wherein the data collection profile (DCP) includes a configured plurality of domains that are monitored for triggering automatic data collection using one of the plurality of endpoint agents when a user visits one or more of configured plurality of domains using a browser executed on one of the plurality of endpoint devices, and wherein the DCP includes a frequency for performing the periodic network measurements; and

generating a graphical visualization of an application delivery state for one or more application delivery layers based on the test results.

17. The computer program product recited in claim 16, wherein the graphical visualization of the application delivery state facilitates troubleshooting of network performance problems associated with one or more of the plurality of endpoint devices.

18. The computer program product recited in claim 16, wherein the plurality of endpoint agents perform network monitoring tests and system monitoring tests.

19. The computer program product recited in claim 16, wherein the graphical visualization is generated by a web tier.

20. The computer program product recited in claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of tests that can be performed by the endpoint agents on the endpoint devices is configurable.

21. The computer program product recited in claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of endpoint agents is controlled by an agent controller.

22. The computer program product recited in claim 16, wherein the test results are collected in one or more of the following ways:

user triggered, periodic network access and system data; and

/or scheduled tests.

23. A system, comprising:

a processor configured to;

deploy a plurality of endpoint agents to a plurality of endpoint devices;

collect test results from each of the plurality of endpoint agents, wherein the test results are based on tests executed on each of the plurality of endpoint devices for monitoring network activity, wherein periodic network access and system data are used to collect periodic active network measurements to network infrastructure and to capture a system resource snapshot of each of the plurality of endpoint devices based on a data collection profile, and wherein the data collection profile (DCP) includes a configured plurality of domains that are monitored for triggering automatic data collection using one of the plurality of endpoint agents when a user visits one or more of configured plurality of domains using a browser executed on one of the plurality of endpoint devices, and wherein the DCP includes a frequency for performing the periodic network measurements; and

generate an alert or a report based on the test results;

and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

24. The system recited in claim 23, wherein the test results are collected in one or more of the following ways:

user triggered, periodic network access and system data; and

/or scheduled tests.

25. A method, comprising:

deploying a plurality of endpoint agents to a plurality of endpoint devices;

collecting test results from each of the plurality of endpoint agents for a plurality of tests, wherein the test results are based on tests executed on each of the plurality of endpoint devices for monitoring network activity, wherein periodic network access and system data are used to collect periodic active network measurements to network infrastructure and to capture a system resource snapshot of each of the plurality of endpoint devices based on a data collection profile, and wherein the data collection profile (DCP) includes a configured plurality of domains that are monitored for triggering automatic data collection using one of the plurality of endpoint agents when a user visits one or more of configured plurality of domains using a browser executed on one of the plurality of endpoint devices, and wherein the DCP includes a frequency for performing the periodic network measurements; and

generating an alert or a report based on the test results.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the test results are collected in one or more of the following ways:

user triggered, periodic network access and system data; and

/or scheduled tests.

27. A computer program product, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory tangible computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

deploying a plurality of endpoint agents to a plurality of endpoint devices;

collecting test results from each of the plurality of endpoint agents for a plurality of tests, wherein the test results are based on tests executed on each of the plurality of endpoint devices for monitoring network activity, wherein periodic network access and system data are used to collect periodic active network measurements to network infrastructure and to capture a system resource snapshot of each of the plurality of endpoint devices based on a data collection profile, and wherein the data collection profile (DCP) includes a configured plurality of domains that are monitored for triggering automatic data collection using one of the plurality of endpoint agents when a user visits one or more of configured plurality of domains using a browser executed on one of the plurality of endpoint devices, and wherein the DCP includes a frequency for performing the periodic network measurements; and

generating an alert or a report based on the test results.

28. The computer program product recited in claim 27, wherein the test results are collected in one or more of the following ways:

user triggered, periodic network access and system data; and

/or scheduled tests.