Method and apparatus for supporting transactions

• US 20050154758A1
• Filed: 01/08/2004
• Published: 07/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kumhyr, David Bruce, Childress, Rhonda L., Pennell, Neil Raymond
• Granted Patent: US 8,738,804 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for monitoring transactions for a set of known nodes in a network data processing system. Cache data is received from a router in the data processing system. The cache data includes an identification of the set of known nodes sending data packets for transactions onto the network data processing system. The transactions are tracked for the set of nodes using the cache data from the router. In this manner, the loading of work for different nodes in a set of nodes can be identified.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system for monitoring transactions for a set of known nodes in a network data processing system, the method comprising:

receiving cache data from a router in the data processing system, wherein the cache data includes an identification of the set of known nodes sending data packets for transactions onto the network data processing system; and

tracking the transactions for the set of nodes using the cache data from the router.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cache data is from an address resolution protocol cache located on the router.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving cache data from other routers on the network data processing system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step occurs on a periodic basis and further comprising:

identifying transactions handled by a node in the set of known nodes using the cache data received on the periodic basis from the router.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

analyzing usage of each node in the set of known nodes using the cache data.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

selectively initiating a load balancing process in response to analyzing the usage of each node in the set of known nodes.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

generating a display of the set of known nodes in a graphical view, wherein the graphical view includes the communications paths with a graphical indication of the network traffic.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the cache data is received through an agent located on the router.

9. The method of claim 8, where the agent clears the address resolution protocol cache each time data is sent to the data processing system.

10. A data processing system for monitoring transactions for a set of known nodes in a network data processing system, the data processing system comprising:

a bus system;

a communications unit connected to the bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes a set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, in which the processing unit executes the set of instructions to receive cache data from a router in the data processing system, in which the cache data includes an identification of the set of known nodes sending data packets for transactions onto the network data processing system, and tracks the transactions for the set of nodes using the cache data from the router.

11. A data processing system for monitoring transactions for a set of known nodes in a network data processing system, the data processing system comprising:

receiving means for receiving cache data from a router in the data processing system, wherein the cache data includes an identification of the set of known nodes sending data packets for transactions onto the network data processing system; and

tracking means for tracking the transactions for the set of nodes using the cache data from the router.

12. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein the cache data is from an address resolution protocol cache located on the router.

13. The data processing system of claim 11 wherein the receiving means is a first receiving means and further comprising:

second receiving means for receiving cache data from other routers on the network data processing system.

14. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein the receiving means is initiated on a periodic basis and further comprising:

identifying means for identifying transactions handled by a node in the set of known nodes using the cache data received on the periodic basis from the router.

15. The data processing system of claim 11 further comprising:

analyzing means for analyzing usage of each node in the set of known nodes using the cache data.

16. The data processing system of claim 15 further comprising:

initiating means for selectively initiating a load balancing process in response to analyzing the usage of each node in the set of known nodes.

17. The data processing system of claim 14 further comprising:

generating means for generating a display of the set of known nodes in a graphical view, wherein the graphical view includes the communications paths with a graphical indication of the network traffic.

18. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for monitoring transactions for a set of known nodes in a network data processing system, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions for receiving cache data from a router in the data processing system, wherein the cache data includes an identification of the set of known nodes sending data packets for transactions onto the network data processing system; and

second instructions for tracking the transactions for the set of nodes using the cache data from the router.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the cache data is from an address resolution protocol cache located on the router.

20. The computer program product of claim 18 further comprising:

third instructions for receiving cache data from other routers on the network data processing system.