Method and system for monitoring off-schedule software agents

• US 20050198263A1
• Filed: 01/20/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kadashevich, Julie A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,899,179 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system

Abstract

A method and system for identifying an off-schedule software agent operating in a computer system is disclosed. When a software agent enters a queue a start time is associated with the agent. A queue threshold is established for the agent, wherein the queue threshold indicates the maximum length of time that an agent should be in the queue. A clock time is compared to the start time and if the result exceeds the threshold, the agent is flagged as being a late agent. The computer system may then address the late agent by, for example, changing an operating priority associated with the agent, increasing the threshold, removing the agent from the queue, or by notifying other agents relying on the flagged agent.

Claims

1. A method for identifying an off-schedule software agent operating in a computer system, said method comprising:

associating an entry time with said agent entering a queue;

obtaining a clock signal associated with a clock time;

comparing said entry time to said clock time to obtain a queue time for said agent;

comparing said queue time to a threshold time limit; and

identifying said agent as said off-schedule agent if said queue time exceeds said threshold time limit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said clock signal is obtained from a system clock.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said clock time indicates the current time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said threshold time limit is associated with a graded scale for denoting the status of said agent.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said threshold time limit is specified by said computer system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said agent is released from said queue if said queue time exceeds said threshold time limit.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said agent has a priority associated therewith.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said priority is changed if said agent is identified.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said agent has information associated therewith, said information allowing statistics of said agent to be generated.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said statistics of said agent are compared to statistics associated with other agents operating in said queue.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein at least a portion of said information is displayed to a user.

12. A method for managing a plurality of off-schedule software agents concurrently operating in a queue on a computer system, each of said plurality of agents having data associated therewith, said method comprising:

receiving said data;

processing said data to determine if any of said plurality have excessive queue times, those of said plurality having excessive queue times identified as late agents; and

operating on at least said late agents.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said operating further comprises:

determining if said late agents reside in the same database.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising parsing said late agents across a plurality of databases.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said queue has a threshold time limit associated therewith, said threshold time limit for determining the number of concurrently running agents allowed to operate in said queue.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the number of said agents making up said plurality is compared to said threshold time limit.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

providing a plurality of executive processes if said plurality exceeds said threshold time limit when said comparison is made.

18. A method for processing data associated with a plurality of off-schedule software agents operating in a computer system, said method comprising:

receiving said data from a queue associated with said agents to produce received data;

defining criteria to be used with said received data;

sorting said received data according to said criteria;

generating a list containing said received data;

filtering said received data; and

providing said received data to a document.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said list is a sorted linked list.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said filtering removes unwanted agent data.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said document is made available to a user.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said document comprises:

instructions for said user to improve operation of at least one of said plurality of agents.

23. A computer program product containing machine-executable instructions for instructing a processor to perform a method for identifying an off-schedule software agent operating in a computer system, said computer program product comprising:

instructions for associating an entry time with said agent, said entry time indicating when said agent entered a queue;

instructions for obtaining a clock signal associated with a clock time;

instructions for comparing said entry time to said clock time to obtain a queue time for said agent;

instructions for comparing said queue time to a threshold; and

instructions for identifying said agent if said queue time exceeds said threshold.