Web service visualizer and display service

• US 20060015824A1
• Filed: 07/15/2004
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chrysanthakopoulos, Georgios
• Granted Patent: US 7,412,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues

Abstract

Described is a service visualizer that presents a high-level view of services currently running in a distributed operating system. The service visualizer, which itself may be a service, is visual-based and uses objects (e.g., spheres) suspended in space to represent the ports of services that are currently running. Messages sent between services are represented by particles. The visualizer creates a visual collection for each service port, which in turn creates a port monitor to watch for messages on the port. The resulting visualization may be interacted with, such as for purposes of debugging.

Claims

1. In a computing environment, a method comprising:

obtaining information about services registered with a directory service; and

generating a visualization containing at least one visible item representative of each service and a representation of at least one message communicated between two of the services.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein obtaining information about services registered with the directory service comprises subscribing for notifications from the directory service.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the visualization comprises rendering an item for at least some of a plurality of the ports of each service.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein generating the visualization comprises rendering a container surrounding the items representing the ports of each service.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the visualization comprises rendering a sphere for each of a plurality of active ports to render a set of spheres in general proximity to one another for each service, and rendering a translucent cube to surround each set of spheres.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the visualization comprises creating a visual collection service to handle calculations and spatial placements for each visible item representative of each service.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the visualization comprises creating a visual instance to assist in rendering each representation of a message.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending update messages to provide a dynamic real-time visualization of message movement between items representing services.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising, discovering a new service by examining data in a packet exchanged between services being monitored.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the visualization comprises rendering a background surface that creates an impression of a three-dimensional view.

11. At least one computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions, which when executed perform the method of claim 1.

12. In a computing environment having a directory service that provides information about services, a system comprising:

a visualizer service coupled to the directory service to obtain information about services known to the computing environment;

a visual collection service caused to be created by the visualizer service for each service for which the information was obtained, the visual collection service coupled to the directory service by subscribing for insert and delete notifications for services of a contract type; and

a port visual service for each instance in the directory of a service contract of each type; and

wherein the visualizer service, each visual collection service, and each port visual service pass update-related messages to generate a visualization containing at least one visible item representative of each service and a representation of at least one message communicated between two of the services.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising a constructor, wherein the visual collection service is caused to be created by the visualizer service via the constructor

14. The system of claim 12 further comprising a new port monitor instance created via a port visual and bound to a service being monitored.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the visualizer service obtains the information about the services by subscribing for notifications from the directory service.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the visualizer service further discovers new services by examining data in packets exchanged between services being monitored.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the visualization includes an item for at least some of a plurality of the ports of each service.

18. The system of claim 17 the visualization includes a container surrounding the items representing the ports of each service.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein the visualization includes a set of spheres in general proximity to one another to represent the active ports for each service, and includes a translucent cube surrounding each set of spheres to represent the service.

20. The system of claim 12 wherein generating the visual collection service performs calculations and spatial placements for each visible item representative of each service.

21. The system of claim 12 wherein the visual instance assists in rendering each representation of a message.

22. The system of claim 12 wherein the update-related messages are processed to provide a dynamic real-time visualization of message movement between the items representing the services.

23. The system of claim 12 wherein the visualization includes a background surface that creates an impression of a three-dimensional view.

24. At least one computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions, which when executed perform a method, comprising:

rendering a three-dimensional representation of services that are loaded; and

dynamically updating the three-dimensional representation to represent services that are interacting with each other.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 further comprising, enumerating the services that are loaded by communicating with a directory service.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25 wherein enumerating the services comprises subscribing for notifications from the directory service.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 further comprising, discovering new services by examining data in packets exchanged between services that are interacting with each other.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein rendering the three-dimensional representation comprises generating a visualization containing at least one visible item representative of each service.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein generating the visualization comprises rendering an item for each of a plurality of the ports of each service.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29 wherein generating the visualization comprises rendering a container surrounding the items representing the ports of each service.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein rendering the three-dimensional representation comprises generating a representation of messages communicated between the services.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein rendering the three-dimensional representation comprises generating a visualization containing at least one visible item representative of each service and generating a representation of messages communicated between the services.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein rendering the three-dimensional representation comprises rendering a sphere for each of a plurality of active service ports to render a set of spheres in general proximity to one another for each service, and rendering a translucent cube to surround each set of spheres.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein rendering the three-dimensional representation comprises creating a visual collection service to handle calculations and spatial placements for each visible item representative of each service.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein rendering the three-dimensional representation comprises creating a visual instance to assist in rendering each representation of a message.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein dynamically updating the three-dimensional representation to represent services that are interacting with each other comprises sending update messages to provide a dynamic real-time visualization of message movement between items representing interacting services.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein rendering the three-dimensional representation comprises rendering a background surface that creates an impression of a three-dimensional view.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 further comprising, receiving commands from a user directed towards user-interaction with the three-dimensional representation.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the commands correspond to navigational commands.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein at least one of the commands corresponds to a request to select an entity represented in the three-dimensional representation.