Topology information system for a managed world

• US 20040059812A1
• Filed: 09/29/2003
• Published: 03/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Mercury Interactive (Israel) Ltd. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Assa, Shmuel
• Granted Patent: US 8,255,513 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases

Abstract

A topology information system, comprising a topology collection sub-system, a topology database, a topology query sub-system and a topology correlation sub-system. The topology collection sub-system includes at least one topology discovery agent. The topology collection sub-system automatically collects topology information from at least one topology layer of at least one managed world. The topology database is adapted to store the topology information collected by the topology collection sub-system. The topology query sub-system is adapted to query the topology information stored in the topology database using a topology pattern query created by a user. The topology correlation sub-system operates in parallel to the topology query sub-system, constantly monitoring the managed world for events and updating the Information Base accordingly.

Claims

1. A topology information system, comprising:

a topology collection sub-system including at least one topology discovery agent, said topology collection sub-system automatically collecting topology information from at least one topology layer of at least one managed world;

a topology database, that is adapted to store the topology information collected by said topology collection sub-system; and

a topology query sub-system adapted to query the topology information stored in said topology database using a topology pattern query created by a user.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a topology correlation sub-system that is adapted to monitor said topology database for changes that indicate faults within the managed world.

3. The system of claim 2 where the correlation sub-system uses the topology information to correlate between the faults.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a topology viewing sub-system adapted to display a view of any subset of topology objects

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the topology collection sub-system is self-maintaining.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system provides the user with an ability to teach the system how to discover, recognize and view the managed world.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the system adapts to any change in the managed world utilizing its learned knowledge.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the topology collection sub-system interrogates proxies corresponding to at least one topology discovery agent (TDA) and automatically deploys additional TDAs and TDAs tasks according to topology query language (TQL) triggers.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein TDAs corresponding to tasks that are decommissioned are removed.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one topology pattern is defined using a topology query language (TQL).

11. The system of claim 4, wherein the topology viewing sub-system further comprises at least one display rule that enables the user to define how the topology objects are to be displayed.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one display rule enables the user to personalize views and the manner in which topology objects are displayed.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one display rule is used to automatically organize any set of topology objects in a hierarchy of viewing layers.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the viewing sub-system is self-maintaining.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the personalization enables the user to setup an icon, label, status, an event, a command of each topology object per service view or layout of any viewing layer.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the topology database is an object-oriented graph, further wherein vertices of the graph represent objects and the edges represent links between the objects.

17. The system of claim 3, wherein at least one class model is created that define an information base that represents the managed world.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the class model is extendible.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the class model definition includes objects, links and all available relationships between topology objects.

20. The system of claim 17, ( wherein the topology collection sub-system is used to populate the information base.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the query is applied to the information base to create a knowledge base.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the knowledge base is organized using at least one display rule.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the query is in a topology query language (TQL).

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the display rule is a independent link rule.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the display rule is a group by rule.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the display rule is a folder rule.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein the display rule is a general rule related to algorithms for a multi-layer hierarchy

28. The system of claim 24 wherein the independent link rule is based on a triangle formed from a object class, a link class and another object class.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein the display rule is an indirect link rule.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein an indirect link is a path comprised of multiple links.

31. The system of claim 2, wherein said correlation sub-system further comprises at least one event rule that converts an event to an object format.

32. The system of claim 2, wherein said correlation sub-system further comprises at least one time rule that controls events and objects life cycles.

33. The system of claim 2, wherein said correlation sub-system further comprises at least one event rule that controls a life cycle of an event.

34. The system of claim 2, wherein said correlation sub-system further comprises at least one topology rule that propagates a state of at least one object to its neighbor'"'"'s correlation state.

35. The system of claim 23, wherein said correlation sub-system comprises at least one event TQL rule that searches for problems using TQL definition of objects, links and events, wherein said events are also represented as objects.

36. The system of claim 2, wherein said correlation sub-system further comprises a root cause detection utility.

37. The system of claim 1, wherein said topology query sub-system is self-maintaining.

38. The system of claim 1, wherein said topology query sub-system reacts to any input from said collection sub-system.

39. The system of claim 10, wherein said topology query sub-system updates users of any changes in a TQL result set.

40. The system of claim 36, wherein the root cause detection utility provides root cause information based on an information base and correlation states.

41. The system of claim 40, where the root cause detection utility is provided as an API that is exported by said topology correlation sub-system.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein an input to the root cause detection utility is an object that has some problems and an output of the root cause detection utility is at least an object that is suspected as being a root cause of the problem.

43. The system of claim 36, wherein using the root cause detection utility, a user can query the system regarding a hypothetical faulty scenario.

71. The system of claim 12, wherein the display rule is a TQL link rule.

44. A topology query language (TQL) system for querying a topology database, said system comprising:

at least one TQL pattern.

45. The system of claim 44 wherein the system further comprises a library to store the at least one TQL pattern.

46. The system of claim 44, wherein said TQL pattern has an owner that creates and controls the TQL pattern.

47. The system of claim 44 wherein the TQL pattern includes at least one node.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein if the TQL pattern includes at least one edge, then it must contain more than one node.

49. The system of claim 44, wherein the system comprises at least one operator.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein said operator is a single attribute operator that is compatible with any SQL operator.

51. The system of claim 49, wherein said operator is an object statistics operator or a class operator.

52. The system of claim 49, wherein said operator is Any operator.

53. The system of claim 49, wherein said operator is an attribute expressions operator.

54. The system of claim 44, wherein said system provides for variables.

55. The system of claim 48, wherein said at least one edge connects two nodes.

56. The system of claim 48, wherein said system further includes at least one edge function that defines a relationship between two nodes.

57. The system of claim 56, wherein the relationship is an indirect relationship in the topology database.

58. The system of claim 56, wherein the edge function returns an output that is a path of objects and links between input nodes of the edge function.

59. The system of claim 56, wherein the system includes at least one edge constraint that define constrains on a number of instances in each direction of the edge.

60. The system of claim 44, wherein the system provides for at least one operational mode.

61. A topology viewing system adapted to display at least a view of a topology data, wherein the system comprises at least one display rule, the display rule being capable of organizing views corresponding to the topology data in multiple layers.

62. The viewing system of claim 61, wherein the display rule enables the user to personalize views corresponding to topology objects.

63. The viewing system of claim 61, wherein the display rule is used to automatically organize the managed world in a hierarchy of viewed objects.

64. The viewing system of claim 63, wherein the system is self-maintaining.

65. The viewing system of claim 61 wherein the display rule is a topology query language organization rule that defines link rules for the topology query language.

66. The system of claim 61, wherein the display rule is an independent link display rule.

67. The system of claim 61, wherein the display rule is a group by rule.

68. The system of claim 61, wherein the display rule is a folder rule.

69. The system of claim 61, wherein the display rule is a general rule related to algorithms for multi-layer hierarchy.

70. The system of claim 66 wherein the rule is based on a triangle formed from a class, a link and another class.