Method and system for monitoring performance of distributed applications

• US 20050021736A1
• Filed: 10/16/2003
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sciacca, Vincenzo, Carusi, Francesco
• Granted Patent: US 7,401,141 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/87 Monitoring of transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method and a corresponding system for monitoring performance of distributed applications are proposed. In the method of the invention, a sensor intercepts every request of service for a server that is generated on a client. If the request meets a filtering condition (for example, defined by the address of the server, the web page from which the request is originated and/or the selected link) the measuring of a corresponding transaction on the client is enabled; at the same time, the request is updated by inserting a correlator. The request is then transmitted to the server. If the request includes the correlator, the measuring of a sub-transaction originating from the request is also enabled on the server. The parameters measured on the client and on the server are then associated with the correlator.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring performance of distributed applications including the steps of:

a client computer originating a request of service for a server computer,

if the request meets at least one predefined condition, enabling the measuring on the client computer of at least one performance parameter for a transaction corresponding to the request and updating the request by inserting a correlation identifier,

transmitting the request to the server computer,

if the request includes the correlation identifier, enabling the measuring on the server computer of the at least one performance parameter for a sub-transaction originating from the request,

executing the sub-transaction,

associating the correlation identifier with the at least one performance parameter measured on the server computer, and

associating the correlation identifier with the at least one performance parameter measured on the client computer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of originating the request is performed under the control of a first module running on the client computer, the method further including the step of intercepting the request by a second module running on the client computer, the step of enabling the measuring of the at least one performance parameter for the transaction and updating the request by inserting the correlation identifier if the request meets the at least one predefined condition being performed under the control of the second module.

3. The method according to claim 1, further including at least one recursive execution of the steps of:

the server computer originating at least one further request of service for at least one further server computer,

if the request includes the correlation identifier, updating the at least one further request by inserting a further correlation identifier,

transmitting each further request to the corresponding further server computer,

if the further request includes the further correlation identifier, enabling the measuring on the further server computer of the at least one performance parameter for a further sub-transaction originating from the further request,

executing the further sub-transaction, and

associating the further correlation identifier with the at least one performance parameter measured on the further server computer.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of enabling the measuring of the at least one performance parameter for the transaction and updating the request by inserting the correlation identifier if the request meets the at least one predefined condition includes:

verifying whether an address of the server computer matches a predetermined pattern stored on the client computer.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of originating the request includes:

downloading a document from the server computer,

displaying the document, and

selecting a link in the document, and wherein the step of enabling the measuring of the at least one performance parameter for the transaction and updating the request by inserting the correlation identifier if the request meets the at least one predefined condition includes;

verifying whether a definition of the document includes at least one enabling identifier.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of verifying whether the definition of the document includes the at least one enabling identifier includes:

verifying whether the definition of the document includes a global enabling identifier for all the transactions originating from the document.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of verifying whether the definition of the document includes the at least one enabling identifier includes:

verifying whether a definition of the selected link includes a local enabling identifier for the transactions originating from the selected link.

8. A computer program directly loadable into a working memory of a data processing system with a distributed architecture for performing the method of claim 1 when the program is run on the data processing system.

9. A computer program, directly loadable into a working memory of a client computer in a data processing system with a distributed architecture, for performing a method of monitoring performance of distributed applications when the program is run on the client computer, the method including the steps of:

originating a request of service for a server computer,

if the request meets at least one predefined condition, enabling the measuring on the client computer of at least one performance parameter for a transaction corresponding to the request and updating the request by inserting a correlation identifier,

transmitting the request to the server computer for causing the server computer to enable the measuring on the server computer of the at least one performance parameter for a sub-transaction originating from the request if the request includes the correlation identifier, to execute the sub-transaction, and to associate the correlation identifier with the at least one performance parameter measured on the server computer, and

associating the correlation identifier with the at least one performance parameter measured on the client computer.

10. A computer program, directly loadable into a working memory of a server computer in a data processing system with a distributed architecture, for performing a method of monitoring performance of distributed applications when the program is run on the server computer, the method including the steps of:

receiving a request of service from a client computer, the client computer, if the request meets at least one predefined condition, enabling the measuring on the client computer of at least one performance parameter for a transaction corresponding to the request and updating the request by inserting a correlation identifier, the correlation identifier being associated with the at least one performance parameter measured on the client computer,

if the request includes the correlation identifier, enabling the measuring on the server computer of the at least one performance parameter for a sub-transaction originating from the request,

executing the sub-transaction, and

associating the correlation identifier with the at least one performance parameter measured on the server computer.

11. A computer program, directly loadable into a working memory of a client computer in a data processing system with a distributed architecture, for performing a method of monitoring performance of distributed applications when the program is run on the client computer, the method including the steps of:

intercepting a request of service for a server computer originated on the client computer by a further computer program,

if the request meets at least one predefined condition, enabling the measuring on the client computer of at least one performance parameter for a transaction corresponding to the request and updating the request by inserting a correlation identifier,

transmitting the request to the server computer for causing the server computer to enable the measuring on the server computer of the at least one performance parameter for a sub-transaction originating from the request if the request includes the correlation identifier, to execute the sub-transaction, and to associate the correlation identifier with the at least one performance parameter measured on the server computer, and

associating the correlation identifier with the at least one performance parameter measured on the client computer.

12. A program product comprising a computer readable medium on which the program of claim 8 is stored.

13. A data processing system with a distributed architecture for monitoring performance of distributed applications including at least one client computer and at least one server computer, wherein each client computer has means for originating a request of service for a server computer, means for enabling the measuring on the client computer of at least one performance parameter for a transaction corresponding to the request and for updating the request by inserting a correlation identifier if the request meets at least one predefined condition, means for transmitting the request to the server computer, and means for associating the correlation identifier with the at least one performance parameter measured on the client computer, and wherein each server computer has means for enabling the measuring on the server computer of the at least one performance parameter for a sub-transaction originating from the request if the request includes the correlation identifier, means for executing the sub-transaction, and means for associating the correlation identifier with the at least one performance parameter measured on the server computer.

14. A client computer for monitoring performance of distributed applications in a data processing system with a distributed architecture, the client computer including means for originating a request of service for a server computer, means for enabling the measuring on the client computer of at least one performance parameter for a transaction corresponding to the request and for updating the request by inserting a correlation identifier if the request meets at least one predefined condition, means for transmitting the request to the server computer for causing the server computer to enable the measuring on the server computer of the at least one performance parameter for a sub-transaction originating from the request if the request includes the correlation identifier, to execute the sub-transaction, and to associate the correlation identifier with the at least one performance parameter measured on the server computer, and means for associating the correlation identifier with the at least one performance parameter measured on the client computer.

15. A server computer for monitoring performance of distributed applications in a data processing system with a distributed architecture, the server computer including means for receiving a request of service from a client computer, the client computer, if the request meets at least one predefined condition, enabling the measuring on the client computer of at least one performance parameter for a transaction corresponding to the request and updating the request by inserting a correlation identifier, the correlation identifier being associated with the at least one performance parameter measured on the client computer, means for enabling the measuring on the server computer of the at least one performance parameter for a sub-transaction originating from the request if the request includes the correlation identifier, means for executing the sub-transaction, and means for associating the correlation identifier with the at least one performance parameter measured on the server computer.