Method, system, and program for diagnosing a computer in a network system

• US 20040153792A1
• Filed: 12/12/2003
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Greg Elliot Merriam
• Original Assignee: Greg Elliot Merriam
• Inventors: Merriam, Greg Elliot
• Granted Patent: US 7,093,169 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/26
• 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 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet

Abstract

Disclosed is a method, system, and program for diagnosing a computer over a network, such as the Internet. A program, such as an applet, is provided that executes on the computer. The program causes the computer to download at least one object from a server over the network. Performance data is determined with respect to downloading the object from the server to the computer over the network in order to diagnose performance problems with the computer. The determined performance data is then transmitted to a diagnostic system over the network.

Claims

1. A method for diagnosing a computer over a network, comprising:

providing a program to execute on the computer, wherein the program causes the computer to perform;

(i) downloading at least one object from a server to the computer over the network;

(ii) determining performance data with respect to downloading the object from the server to the computer over the network to diagnose performance problems with the computer; and

(iii) transmitting the determined performance data to a diagnostic system over the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the performance data comprises determining a network transmission time to download the object from the server.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the diagnostic computer stores the performance data as a record in a database.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the program displays the performance data at the computer being diagnosed and average performance data determined from the database to provide information to diagnose the computer.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the diagnostic program displays the performance from the computer being diagnosed and average performance data determined from the database at the server to provide information to diagnose the computer.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising;

determining a network transmission time for a probe computer that is in a proximate location with respect to the server to download the at least one object from the server; and

using the network transmission time for the probe computer to determine a server load delay time and a network-only delay time which indicates time to download the at least one object from the server to the computer that does not include the server load delay.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the program comprises transmitting the program over the network to diagnose the computer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the program causes the computer to further perform;

detecting a presence of a condition occurring as a result of downloading the at least one object from the server;

building an electronic message addressed to the diagnostic computer including information on the detected condition;

transmitting the electronic message to the diagnostic computer over the network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the performance data includes trace route data indicating the route packets comprising the object travel through the network when transmitted from the server to the computer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic program comprises an applet that executes within an Internet web browser program executing on the computer.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein determining the performance data comprises determining a network transmission time to download the object from the server.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising means for storing the performance data as a record in a database.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the program displays the performance data at the end user computer being diagnosed and average performance data determined from the database to provide information to diagnose the end user computer.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising means for displaying the performance from the end-user computer being diagnosed and average performance data determined from the database to provide information to diagnose the end user computer.

16. The system of claim 12, further comprising;

means for determining a network transmission time for a probe computer that is in a proximate location with respect to the server to download the at least one object from the server; and

means for using the network transmission time for the probe computer to determine a server load delay time and a network-only delay time which indicates time to download the at least one object from the server to the computer that does not include the server load delay.

11. A computer system for diagnosing an end user computer over a network, comprising:

means for providing a program to execute on the end user computer, wherein the program causes the computer to perform;

(i) downloading at least one object from a server to the end user computer over the network;

(ii) determining performance data with respect to downloading the object from the server to the end user computer over the network to diagnose performance problems with the end user computer; and

(iii) transmitting the determined performance data to the computer system over the network.

means for receiving the performance data from the end-user computer; and

means for displaying the performance data.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein providing the program comprises transmitting the program over the network to diagnose the end user computer.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the program causes the end-user computer to further perform;

means for detecting a presence of a condition occurring as a result of downloading the at least one object from the server;

means for building an electronic message addressed to the diagnostic computer including information on the detected condition;

means for transmitting the electronic message to the diagnostic computer over the network.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the performance data includes trace route data indicating the route packets comprising the object travel through the network when transmitted from the server to the end user computer.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the diagnostic program comprises an applet that executes within an Internet web browser program executing on the end-user computer.