Method, system and computer program product for monitoring objects in an it network

• US 20030126240A1
• Filed: 12/13/2002
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Vosseler, Frank
• Application Number:
  US10/318,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20030126240A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0784 Routing of error reports, e.g. with a specific transmission path or data flow
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1482 by means of middleware or OS functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2025 using centralised failover control functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2028 eliminating a faulty processor or activating a spare
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2035 without idle spare hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2046 where the redundant components share persistent storage G06F11/2043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• 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: G06F 11/3093 Configuration details thereof, e.g. installation, enabling, spatial arrangement of the probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring

Abstract

Monitoring is performed of objects within an IT network having monitored nodes, at least one of which is a high-availability cluster having first and second cluster nodes. When a failover condition is detected for a cluster package at the first cluster node, a failover to the second cluster node is initiated. A monitoring agent system includes first and second agents associated with the first and second cluster nodes, respectively. The monitoring agent system monitors events relating to the cluster package and generates event-related messages. The agents receive information indicating whether the cluster package is currently active on the associated cluster node. Depending on the received information, the message generation relating to the cluster package is activated in the one of the agents which is associated with the cluster node on which the cluster package is currently active and is deactivated in the other one.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring objects within an information technological (IT) network having (a) monitored nodes, at least one of which is a high-availability cluster having a first cluster node and a second cluster node, wherein at least one cluster package is running on the high-availability cluster and, when a failover condition is detected for the cluster package at the first cluster node, a failover to the second cluster node is initiated, and (b) a monitoring agent system having a first agent and a second agent associated with the first and second cluster nodes, respectively, said method comprising:

the monitoring agent system monitors the occurrence of events relating to the cluster package and generates event-related messages for a monitoring server;

the first and second agents receive information indicating whether the cluster package is currently active on the first or second cluster node respectively;

wherein, depending on said information, (a) the message generation relating to the cluster package is activated in the one of the first and second agents associated with the cluster node on which the cluster package is currently active and (b) the message generation relating to the cluster package is de-activated in the other one of the first and second agents associated with the cluster node on which the cluster package is currently inactive.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the agents receive said information from a cluster operating system of the high-availability cluster.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the agents send requests for said information to the cluster operating system and receive corresponding responses from it.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the agents receive said information in the form of notifications from the cluster operating system in at least one of the following ways:

i) periodically, and ii) upon a change of the activity status of the cluster package.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the agents generate messages according to monitoring rules, wherein there is also at least one overlaid rule pertaining to cluster package activity, according to which an agent does not evaluate the monitoring rules if said information indicates that the cluster package is inactive on the cluster node with which the agent is associated.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the agents generate messages according to monitoring rules which can be defined by a user, wherein the set of available rules for monitored clusters is the same as or at least comprises the set of rules for monitored non-cluster nodes and wherein the user can define the monitoring task for a monitored cluster in the same way as for a non-cluster node.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, upon installation, the agents that shall run on a monitored cluster are automatically configured such that they receive said information and exhibit said dependency of the message generation on said information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein there is more than one monitored cluster package on the monitored node, and wherein, when the first cluster package is active on the first cluster node and the second cluster package is active on the second cluster node, the first agent is activated for the first cluster package and de-activated for the second cluster package and the second agent is activated for the second cluster package and de-activated for the first cluster package.

9. A system for monitoring objects within an information technological (IT) network having a monitoring server and monitored nodes, comprising:

at least one monitored node is a high-availability cluster which comprises;

a first cluster node and a second cluster node;

a cluster operating system which initiates, when a failover condition is detected for a cluster package running on the first cluster node, a failover to the second cluster node;

an agent system which monitors the occurrence of events relating to the cluster package and generates event-related messages for the monitoring server, the agent system comprising a first agent and a second agent associated with the first and second cluster nodes, respectively;

the first and second agents being arranged to receive information from the cluster operating system indicating whether the cluster package is currently active on the associated cluster node;

the message generation relating to the cluster package being adapted to be, depending on said information;

(a) activated in the one of the first and second agents which is associated with the cluster node on which the cluster package is currently active and (b) de-activated in the other one.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the agents are arranged to (a) send requests for said information to the cluster operating system and (b) receive corresponding responses from it.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the agents are arranged to receive said information in the form of notifications from the cluster operating system in at least one of the following ways:

i) periodically, and ii) upon a change of the activity status of the cluster package.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the agents are arranged to (a) generate messages according to monitoring rules and (b) consider at least one overlaid rule pertaining to cluster package activity, such, that an agent does not evaluate the monitoring rules if said information indicates that the cluster package is inactive on the cluster node with which the agent is associated.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the agents are arranged to generate messages according to monitoring rules which can be defined by a user, the set of available rules for monitored clusters being the same as or at least comprises the set of rules for monitored non-cluster nodes and wherein the user can define the monitoring task for a monitored cluster in the same way as for a non-cluster node.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein, upon installation, the agents that are assigned to operate on a monitored cluster are automatically configured such that they receive said information and exhibit said dependency of the message generation on said information.

15. A computer program product including program code for execution on a network having a monitoring server and monitored nodes, at least one of which is a high-availability cluster having a first cluster node and a second cluster node, wherein a cluster operating system initiates, when a failover condition is detected for a cluster package running on the first cluster node, a failover to the second cluster node,

said program code, when executed, provides an agent system for monitoring the occurrence of events relating to the cluster package and generating event-related messages for the monitoring server, wherein the agent system includes a first agent and a second agent associated with the first and second cluster nodes, respectively;

the program code enabling the first and second agents to receive information indicating whether the cluster package is currently active on the associated cluster node;

the agents being arranged such that, depending on said information, the message generation relating to the cluster package is activated in the one of the first and second agents which is associated with the cluster node on which the cluster package is currently active, and the message generation relating to the cluster package is de-activated in the other one of the first and second agents which is associated with the cluster node on which the cluster package is currently inactive.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the program code enables the agents to receive said information from the cluster operating system.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein program code enables the agents to send requests for said information to the cluster operating system and to receive corresponding responses from it.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein program code enables enables the agents to receive said information in the form of notifications from the cluster operating system in at least one of the following ways:

i) periodically, and ii) upon a change of the activity status of the cluster package.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the agents provided by the program code generate messages according to monitoring rules, wherein there is at least one overlaid rule pertaining to cluster package activity, according to which an agent does not evaluate the monitoring rules if said information indicates that the cluster package is inactive on the cluster node with which the agent is associated.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the agents provided by the program code generate messages according to monitoring rules which can be defined by a user, wherein the set of available rules for monitored clusters is the same as or at least comprises the set of rules for monitored non-cluster nodes and wherein a user of the network is enabled to define the monitoring task for a monitored cluster in the same way as for a non-cluster node.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the program code causes the agents, upon installation, that are assigned to operate on a monitored cluster to be automatically configured such that they receive said information and exhibit said dependency of the message generation on said information.

22. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein there is more than one monitored cluster package on the monitored node, and wherein the agents are arranged such that, when the first cluster package is active on the first cluster node and the second cluster package is active on the second cluster node, the first agent is activated for the first cluster package and deactivated for the second cluster package and the second agent is activated for the second cluster package and de-activated for the first cluster package.