Dynamic coordination and control of network connected devices for large-scale network site testing and associated architectures

• US 20030149765A1
• Filed: 06/27/2002
• Published: 08/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Byteweavr, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Univa Corporation (Altair Engineering Incorporated)
• Inventors: Anderson, David P., Lawson, Jeff A., Hubbard, Edward A., Hewgill, Greg D., Adiga, Ashok K., Venkatramani, Krishnamurthy
• Granted Patent: US 7,254,607 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3672 Test management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements

Abstract

Dynamic coordination and control of network connected devices within a distributed processing platform is disclosed for large-scale network site testing, or for other distributed projects. For network site testing, the distributed processing system utilizes a plurality of client devices which are running a client agent program associated with the distributed computing platform and which are running potentially distinct project modules for the testing of network sites or other projects. The participating client devices can be selected based upon their attributes and can receive test workloads from the distributed processing server systems. In addition, the client devices can send and receive poll communications that may be used during processing of the project to control, manage and coordinate the project activities of the distributed devices. If desired, a separate poll server system can be dedicated to handling the poll communication and coordination and control operations with the participating distributed devices during test operations, thereby allowing other server tasks to be handled by other distributed processing server systems. Once the tests are complete, the results can be communicated from the client devices to the server systems and can be reported, as desired. Additionally, the distributed processing system can identify the attributes, including device capabilities, of distributed devices connected together through a wide variety of communication systems and networks and utilize those attributes to organize, manage and distribute project workloads to the distributed devices.

Claims

1. A method of providing dynamic coordination of distributed client systems in a distributed computing platform, comprising

providing at least one server system coupled to a network;

providing a plurality of network-connected distributed client systems, the client systems having under-utilized capabilities and running a client agent program to provide workload processing for at least one project of a distributed computing platform;

utilizing the server system to distribute workloads for at least one project to the client systems and to distribute initial project and poll parameters to the client systems;

receiving polling communications from the client systems during processing of project workloads by the client systems;

analyzing the poll communications to determine whether or not to make one or more modifications to the project and poll parameters;

sending poll response communications to the client systems to modify the project and poll parameters depending upon one or more decisions reached in the analyzing step; and

repeating the receiving, analyzing and sending steps to dynamically coordinate project activities of the plurality of client systems during project operations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial project and poll parameters comprise a poll period setting for each client system that determines when the client system will poll the server system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the poll period settings for a plurality of the client systems are the same.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the poll communications from the client systems comprise current project status information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether to change how many client systems are active in the project, and if a fewer number is desired, including within the polling response communications a reduction in the number of actively participating clients, and if a greater number is desired, adding client systems to active participation in the project.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the client systems participating in a project are assigned as active client systems and on-hold client systems, such that the active client systems actively process the project workload and the on-hold client systems form an on-hold pool of client systems that are capable of being added to active participation.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein client systems added to active participation in the project are selected from the on-hold pool, and wherein client systems removed from active participation in the project are added to the on-hold pool.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising providing dynamic snapshot information of current project status based at least in part upon the poll communications from the client systems and utilizing the dynamic snapshot information in the determining step.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the project comprises network site testing and the dynamic snapshot information comprises current load on a network site under test (SUT).

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one server system comprises at least one control server system and at least one poll server system, the poll server system operating to handle the poll communications with the client systems.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the project comprises network site testing.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the site testing is quality of service testing or load testing or denial of service testing related to content delivery from a network site.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the initial test and poll parameters comprise a test start time, test stop time and poll period information.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying attributes for the client systems, storing the attributes in a database, and utilizing the attributes to select the client systems for participation in the project.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the attributes comprise device capabilities for the client systems.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the network comprises the Internet, wherein the project comprises network site testing, and wherein the attributes comprise geographic location of the client systems, type of device for the client systems or operating system used by the client systems.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the network comprises the Internet, wherein the project comprises network site testing, and wherein the attributes comprise ISP information (Internet Service Provider) for the client systems or routing information to a site under test for the client systems.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the projects comprises network site testing, and further comprising transferring a core agent module and a site testing project module to the client systems, the site testing project module being capable of operating on the core agent module to process site testing workloads.

20. A distributed computing platform having dynamic coordination capabilities for distributed client systems processing project workloads, comprising:

a plurality of network-connected distributed client systems, the client systems having under-utilized capabilities;

a client agent program configured to run on the client systems and to provide workload processing for at least one project of a distributed computing platform;

at least one server system configured to communicate with the plurality of client systems through a network to provide the client agent program to the client systems, to send initial project and poll parameters to the client systems, to receive poll communications from the client systems during processing of the project workloads, to analyze the poll communications, and to send back poll response communications, the server system repeatedly utilizing the poll and polling response communications to and coordinate project activities of the client systems during project operations.

21. The distributed computing platform of claim 20, wherein the initial project and poll parameters comprise a poll period setting that determines when the client system will poll the server system.

22. The distributed computing platform of claim 21, wherein the poll period settings for a plurality of the client systems are the same.

23. The distributed computing platform of claim 20, wherein the poll communications from each client system comprise identification information, project status information and current poll period setting information.

24. The distributed computing platform of claim 20, further comprising a poll database configured to store poll related information about each client system.

25. The distributed computing platform of claim 24, wherein the at least one server system comprises at least one control server system and at least one poll server system, the poll server system being coupled to the poll database and being configured to handle the poll operations of the client systems.

26. The distributed computing platform of claim 25, wherein one of the projects comprises network site testing.

27. The distributed computing platform of claim 26, wherein the client agent program comprises a core agent module and a site testing project module, the site testing project module being capable of operating on the core agent module to process site testing workloads.

28. The distributed computing platform of claim 26, wherein the initial project and poll information comprises a test start time, a test stop time and poll period information.

29. The distributed computing platform of claim 25, further comprising a control interface configured to communicate with the server system, the control interface allowing coordination of the client systems participating in the network site testing project.

30. The distributed computing platform of claim 29, wherein the poll server is configured to provide dynamic snapshot information through the control interface and to receive modifications to project the test and poll parameters for ongoing project operations.

31. The distributed computing platform of claim 30, wherein the modifications are configured to include modifications to how many client systems are active in the test project.

32. The distributed computing platform of claim 31, wherein the client systems participating in a project are assigned as active client systems and on-hold client systems, such that the active client systems actively process the project workload and the on-hold client systems form an on-hold pool of client systems that are capable of being added to active participation.

33. The distributed computing platform of claim 20, further comprising an attributes database coupled to the server system, the database configured to store attributes of the client systems.

34. The distributed computing platform of claim 33, the server system further configured to allow selection of the client systems for project participation based upon identification of desired client system attributes.

35. The distributed computing platform of claim 34, wherein the attributes comprise device capabilities for the client systems.