System and method for measuring web service performance using captured network packets

• US 20030221000A1
• Filed: 05/16/2002
• Published: 11/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Fu, Yun, Tang, Wenting, Cherkasova, Ludmila
• Application Number:
  US10/146,967
• Publication Number:
  US 20030221000A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for measuring performance of service provided to a client by a server in a client-server network. The method comprises capturing network-level information for a client access of data from a server in a client-server network, wherein the client-server network comprises a server side and a client side and wherein the network-level information is captured on the server side. The method further comprises determining from the captured network-level information at least one performance measurement relating to the client access of data.

Claims

1. A method for measuring performance of service provided to a client by a server in a client-server network, said method comprising:

capturing network-level information for a client access of data from a server in a client-server network, wherein said client-server network comprises a server side and a client side and wherein said network-level information is captured on said server side; and

determining from the captured network-level information at least one performance measurement relating to said client access of data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one performance measurement comprises:

measurement of end-to-end performance of said client access of data.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said end-to-end performance comprises a measurement of time from said client requesting said data to said client fully receiving said data.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said at least one performance measurement further comprises:

measurement of a portion of said end-to-end performance that is attributable to network latency.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein said at least one performance measurement further comprises:

measurement of a portion of said end-to-end performance that is attributable to server latency.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein said at least one performance measurement further comprises:

measurement of caching efficiency for said client access of data.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said caching efficiency comprises:

measurement of the number of files of said data that are retrieved from said server for said client access.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said caching efficiency comprises:

measurement of the number of bytes of said data that are retrieved from said server for said client access.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one performance measurement comprises:

measurement of server latency during said client access of data.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said client and server interact through a plurality of transactions for enabling said client access of said data.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said data comprises a web page and said server comprises a web server.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said network-level information comprises network packets.

13. A method for measuring performance of service provided to a client by a server in a client-server network, said method comprising:

capturing network-level information for a plurality of transactions between a client and a server, said plurality of transactions conducted for providing desired data to said client, wherein each of said plurality of transactions comprises a request from said client to said server and a response to said client from said server; and

determining from the captured network-level information at least one performance measurement relating to providing said desired data to said client.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said at least one performance measurement comprises:

measurement of end-to-end performance of providing said desired data to said client.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said at least one performance measurement further comprises:

measurement of a portion of said end-to-end performance that is attributable to server latency.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said measurement of end-to-end performance comprises:

a measurement of time from said client requesting said desired data to said client fully receiving said desired data.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein said at least one performance measurement further comprises:

measurement of a portion of said end-to-end performance that is attributable to network latency.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein said at least one performance measurement further comprises:

measurement of caching efficiency of providing said desired data to said client.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said caching efficiency comprises:

measurement of the number of files of said desired data that are retrieved from said server for providing said desired data to said client.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein said caching efficiency comprises:

measurement of the number of bytes of said desired data that are retrieved from said server for providing said desired data to said client.

21. The method of claim 13 wherein said desired data comprises a web page.

22. The method of claim 13 wherein said client-server network comprises a server side and a client side, and wherein said capturing network-level information comprises:

capturing said network-level information on said server side of said client-server network.

23. The method of claim 13 wherein said network-level information comprises network packets.

24. A method for measuring end-to-end performance of providing a requested web page to a client, said method comprising:

capturing, on a server side of a client-server network, network-level information for client accesses of at least one web page; and

using the captured network-level information to measure end-to-end performance in providing said at least one web page to a client.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein said end-to-end performance comprises a measurement of time from said client requesting said at least one web page to said client fully receiving said at least one web page.

26. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

using the captured network-level information to determine a portion of said end-to-end performance that is attributable to network latency.

27. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

using the captured network-level information to determine a portion of said end-to-end performance that is attributable to server latency.

28. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

using the captured network-level information to determine caching efficiency for said client accesses.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein said caching efficiency comprises:

measurement of the number of files of said at least one web page that are retrieved from said server for said client accesses.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein said caching efficiency comprises:

measurement of the number of bytes of said at least one web page that are retrieved from said server for said client accesses.

31. The method of claim 24 wherein said network-level information comprises network packets.

32. A system for measuring performance of serving a web page to a client in a client-server network, said system comprising:

server for communicating at least one web page to clients via a communication network to which said server is communicatively coupled;

means for capturing network-level information for client accesses of said at least one web page;

means for reconstructing, from said captured network-level information, said client accesses of said at least one web page; and

means for determining at least one performance measurement for at least one of the reconstructed client accesses.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein said client-server network comprises a server side and a client side, and wherein said means for capturing network-level information is arranged on said server side of said client-server network.

34. The system of claim 32 wherein a client access of said at least one web page comprises a plurality of transactions, and wherein said means for reconstructing said client accesses of said at least one web page comprises:

means for relating said plurality of transactions to their corresponding client web page access based at least in part on said captured network-level information for said plurality of transactions.

35. The system of claim 32 wherein said means for determining at least one performance measurement comprises:

means for determining measurement of end-to-end performance of said at least one of the reconstructed client accesses.

36. The system of claim 35 wherein said end-to-end performance comprises a measurement of time from a client requesting a web page to said client fully receiving said web page.

37. The system of claim 35 wherein said means for determining at least one performance measurement further comprises:

means for determining measurement of a portion of said end-to-end performance that is attributable to network latency.

38. The system of claim 35 wherein said means for determining at least one performance measurement further comprises:

means for determining measurement of a portion of said end-to-end performance that is attributable to server latency.

39. The system of claim 35 wherein said means for determining at least one performance measurement further comprises:

means for determining measurement of caching efficiency for said at least one of the reconstructed client accesses.

40. The system of claim 39 wherein said means for determining measurement of caching efficiency comprises:

means for determining measurement of the number of files of a web page that are retrieved from said server for said at least one of the reconstructed client accesses.

41. The system of claim 39 wherein said means for determining measurement of caching efficiency comprises:

means for determining measurement of the number of bytes of a web page that are retrieved from said server for said at least one of the reconstructed client accesses.