System for analyzing network load and other characteristics of an executable application

• US 20030151619A1
• Filed: 01/22/2003
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions Health Services Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions Health Services Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: McBride, Edmund Joseph
• Application Number:
  US10/348,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20030151619A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/736
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/022 by sampling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/026 using flow identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/062 related to network traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0864 Round trip delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/14 using software, i.e. software packages network security related monitoring H04L63/1408
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A network load analyzer determines a network load for one or more software applications concurrently operating in a network. The network load analyzer includes a trace analyzer for analyzing at least one trace input file over a plurality of predetermined sample time intervals to produce at least one trace output file. An analyzer determines information from the at least one trace output file responsive to receiving the at least one trace output file to produce determined information. An output device displays the determined information from the at least one trace output file.

Claims

1. A network load analyzer for determining a network load for one or more software applications concurrently operating in a network, comprising:

a trace analyzer for analyzing at least one trace input file over a plurality of predetermined sample time intervals to produce at least one trace output file;

an analyzer for determining information from the at least one trace output file responsive to receiving the at least one trace output file to produce determined information; and

an output device for displaying the determined information from the at least one trace output file.

2. A system network load analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the determined information includes at least one of,

(a) a sample interval time field,

(b) a total active clients field,

(c) a concurrent clients field,

(d) an average server bytes field,

(e) an average client bytes field, and

(f) a concurrency rate field.

3. A method for providing measurement data determined from an input trace file, said measurement data being for use in determining a network load for one or more software applications concurrently operating in a network, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a trace file;

(b) selecting a first time interval;

(c) receiving processing data comprising a low end filter value;

(d) deriving from the received trace file a first total number of data bytes transferred from each workstation to a server within the first time interval and a second total number of data bytes transferred from the server to each workstation within the first time interval;

(e) determining active workstations within the first time interval in response to the derived first total number of data bytes and the second total number of data bytes and the low end filter value;

(f) calculating a first average number of data bytes transferred from each active workstation to the server, and a second average number of data bytes transferred from the server to each active workstation;

(g) calculating an average client concurrency rate based on a number of active workstations relative to a total number of workstations on the network; and

(h) providing measurement data comprising said concurrency rate for output.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the processing data further includes at least one of,

(a) a sample interval time,

(b) a server identification (ID), and

(c) a high-end byte filter and

said active workstations are determined in response to said processing data.

5. A method according to claim 3 further comprising the steps of:

selecting a new first time interval and repeating step d, e, f and g for the new first time.

6. A method according to claim 3 further comprising the steps of:

receiving a second trace file and repeating step d, e, f and g for the second trace file.

7. A method according to claim 3 further including the step of,

calculating a load factor based on,

(a) first average number of data bytes transferred from each active workstation to the server,

(b) a second average number of data bytes transferred from the server to each active workstation,

(c) the first time interval, and

(d) network speed.

8. A method according to claim 7 further including the step of,

calculating a load factor by dividing a sum of the first average number and second average number by the first interval time and by network speed expressed in bytes per second.

9. A method according to claim 3 further including the step of,

sorting the trace file by network IP address for each workstation in the network.

10. A method according to claim 3 further including the step of,

marking the trace file with a relative time stamp value within the first time interval.

11. A system for providing a composite user interface image window for displaying an output trace file provided by a network load analyzer, the user interface window comprising:

an input window; and

at least one of.

(a) a base metrics window,

(b) an output control summary window,

(c) a wide area network (WAN) load metric window, and

(d) an output window.

12. A system for providing a composite user interface image window according to claim 11, wherein the input window further comprises at least one of,

(a) an output trace file identification (ID) field,

(b) a confidence level input field, and

(c) a WAN speed input field.

13. A composite user interface image window according to claim 11, wherein the base metrics window further comprises at least one of,

(a) a concurrent clients field,

(b) an average active clients field,

(c) an average concurrency rate versus active clients field,

(d) an average bytes from a workstation to a server field, and

(e) an average bytes from the server to the workstation field.

14. A composite user interface image window according to claim 11, wherein the output control summary window further comprises at least one of,

(a) a sample interval time field,

(b) a number of sample, field,

(c) a low-end filter field, and

(d) a high-end filter field.

15. A composite user interface image window according to claim 11, wherein the WAN load metric window further comprises at least one of,

(a) a WAN speed field,

(b) a statistical mean field for each of a workstation to a server and the server to the workstation, and

(c) a statistical mean at a confidence level field for each of the workstation to the server and the server to the workstation.

16. A system for providing a composite user interface image window according to claim 11, wherein the output window further comprises at least one of,

(a) a sample interval time field,

(b) a total active clients field,

(c) a concurrent clients field,

(d) an average server bytes field,

(e) an average client bytes field, and

(f) a concurrency rate field.

17. A system for providing a composite user interface image window for displaying an output trace file summary provided by a network load analyzer, the composite user interface image window comprising:

an output trace file summary window; and

at least one of

(a) an input window and

(b) an output window.

18. A composite user interface image window according to claim 17, wherein the input window further comprises at least one of,

(a) a wide area network (WAN) speed input field,

(b) a WAN threshold field, and

(c) a confidence level field.

19. A composite user interface image window according to claim 17, wherein the output trace file summary window further comprises at least one of,

(a) an output trace identification (ID) field,

(b) a sample time field,

(c) an enable field,

(d) a concurrent clients field,

(e) a concurrency rate percentage field,

(f) a first load factor, from a workstation to a server field, and

(g) a second load factor, from the server to the workstation field.

20. A composite user interface image window according to claim 17, wherein the output window further comprises at least one of,

(a) a concurrent workstations field,

(b) a concurrency rate field,

(c) a first load factor, from a workstation to a server, field,

(d) a second load factor, from the server to the workstation, field,

(e) a first concurrency factor, from the server to the workstation, field, and

(f) a second concurrency factor, from the server to the workstation, field.