Monitoring availability of applications

• US 20060149729A1
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Pfeiffer, Stephen W., Droescher, Julian, Kettschau, Christiane
• Granted Patent: US 7,788,226 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring availability of applications. According to an embodiment of the invention, a method includes providing a set of monitoring instructions to an agent, with the set of monitoring instructions including a time stamp and the set of monitoring instructions regarding monitoring of the availability of applications. The method includes receiving a status inquiry from the agent, the inquiry including the time stamp, comparing the time stamp received from the agent to a time stamp for up-to-date monitoring instructions, and sending the up-to-date monitoring instructions to the agent if the time stamp of the up-to-date monitoring instructions is later than the time stamp received from the agent.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a status inquiry from an agent regarding the status of a set of monitoring instructions, the monitoring instructions regarding monitoring the availability of applications, the inquiry including a time stamp for the set of instructions;

comparing the time stamp received from the agent to a time stamp for an up-to-date set of monitoring instructions for the agent; and

sending the up-to-date set of monitoring instructions to the agent if the time stamp of the up-to-date monitoring instructions is later than the time stamp received from the agent.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a message to the agent indicating that the set of monitoring instructions are up-to-date if the data stamp of the up-to-date set of monitoring instructions is not later than the time stamp received from the agent.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions instructs the agent to monitor the availability of one or more systems.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the time stamp comprises the time that the set of monitoring instructions became effective.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving monitoring data from the agent.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a second set of monitoring instructions to a second agent.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the set of the monitoring instructions and the second set of monitoring instructions overlap in whole or in part.

8. An system comprising:

a monitoring agent, the monitoring agent to receive a work list of systems to monitor for the availability of applications, the work list including an effective time value; and

a central monitoring system, the central monitoring system including a current work list for the monitoring agent, the current work list including a effective time value, the control system to send the current work list to the monitoring agent if the effective time value for the current work list is later than the effective time value of the monitoring agent'"'"'s work list.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a second agent, the second agent to receive a second work list of systems to monitoring for the availability of applications, the second work list including an effective time value.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein central monitoring system includes a second current work list for the second agent, the second current work list including an effective time value, the central monitoring system to send the second current work list to the second agent if the effective time value for the current list is later than the effective time value of the second agent'"'"'s work list.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the work list of the first agent and the work list of the second agent provide at least in part for monitoring of the availability of applications on the same system.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more systems includes a first system, the first system being an J2EE (Java 2, Enterprise Edition) system.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more systems includes a second system, the second system being an ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming) system.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the agent is autonomous in execution of the work list.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the agent obtains data from the monitoring of the availability of applications and transfers the data to the central monitoring system.

16. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a status inquiry from an agent regarding the status of a set of monitoring instructions, the monitoring instructions regarding monitoring the availability of applications, the inquiry including a time stamp for the set of instructions;

comparing the time stamp received from the agent to a time stamp for an up-to-date set of monitoring instructions for the agent;

sending the up-to-date set of monitoring instructions to the agent if the time stamp of the up-to-date monitoring instructions is later than the time stamp received from the agent; and

sending message to the agent indicating that there is no change in instructions if the data stamp of the up-to-date set of monitoring instructions is not later than the time stamp received from the agent.

17. The medium of claim 16, wherein the set of instructions instructs the agent to monitor the availability of one or more systems.

18. The medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

sending a second set of monitoring instructions to a second agent, the second set of monitoring instructions including a second time stamp.

19. The medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a status inquiry from the second agent, the inquiry including the second time stamp; and

comparing the second time stamp to a time stamp for an up-to-date set of monitoring instructions for the second agent.

20. The medium of claim 19, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

sending the up-to-date set of monitoring instructions for the second agent to the second agent if the time stamp of the up-to-date monitoring instructions is later than the time stamp received from the second agent; and

sending a message to the second agent indicating that there is no change in instructions if the data stamp of the up-to-date set of monitoring instructions is not later than the time stamp received from the second agent.