ANALYSIS OF PIPELINED NETWORKS

• US 20080148099A1
• Filed: 12/10/2007
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bhat, Thirumalesh, Wodrich, Mark, Cacka, Evan C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,487,384 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/22 using redundant apparatus to increase reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0659 by isolating or reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0823 Errors, e.g. transmission errors

Abstract

This invention relates to a diagnostic tool for networks that process messages in stages such as pipelined networks. In a pipelined network comprising tiers of servers, each tier of servers communicates only with adjacent tiers in a communications flow that processes messages in a sequence of tiers. The tool requires a controller located locally with respect to the pipelined network for generating messages to be processed by the pipelined network. Communication paths connect the controller to each tier of the pipelined network. A program executing at the controller detects a failure of the processing of the message by the pipelined network and receives diagnostic information from the tiers after the failure is detected. The diagnoses based on the retrieved information can proceed either manually or automatically, depending on how the information is collected. In order to automate the diagnosis, the program executing on the controller includes commands for sequentially analyzing each tier in the pipelined network in order to isolate the tier in which the failure occurred. For manual diagnosis, the program includes commands for simultaneously (or almost simultaneously) requesting information from each tier upon network failure. In the manual approach, distributed agents at all of the tiers gather information about the operating of the tier at the time of network failure.

Claims

1. A diagnostic tool in a pipelined network comprising tiers of servers wherein each tier of servers communicates only with adjacent tiers in a communications flow that processes messages in a sequence of the tiers, the tool comprising:

a controller located locally with respect to the pipelined network for generating a message to be processed by the pipelined network;

communication paths connecting the controller to each tier of the pipelined network; and

a program executing at the controller for detecting a failure of the processing of the diagnostic message by the pipelined network and receiving diagnostic information from the tiers in the pipelined network after the failure is detected.

2. The diagnostic tool of claim 1 wherein the program includes commands responsive to the detection of the network failure for sequentially analyzing each tier in the pipelined network in order to isolate the tier in which the failure occurred.

3. The diagnostic tool of claim 1 wherein the program includes commands for substantially simultaneously requesting information from each tier upon network failure.

4. The diagnostic tool of claim 3 including distributed agents at all of the tiers that gather information about the operating of the tier at the time of network failure.

5-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A method for diagnosing failures in a pipelined network comprising processing tiers wherein each tier communicates only with adjacent tiers in a communications flow that proceeds sequentially from one tier to another, said method comprising:

detecting a failure communicating a diagnostic message through the tiers of the pipelined network;

automatically capturing data at each tier describing processing at the tier at the time of failure tailored to, provide diagnostic information; and

analyzing the data to isolate the failure to one of the tiers.

15. The method of claim 14 including the step of orchestrating distributed agents resident at each of the tiers to capture the data at complementary time periods.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the pipelined server network is a remote access network.

17-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A computer-readable medium, having computer-executable instructions for diagnosing network errors in a pipelined network comprising tiers of servers wherein each tier of servers communicates only with adjacent tiers in a communications flow that processes messages in a sequence of the tiers, the computer-executable instructions performing steps comprising:

generating a diagnostic message to be processed by the pipelined network;

detecting a failure of the processing of a diagnostic message by the pipelined network;

communicating directly with each tier of the pipelined network through a local communication path; and

retrieving diagnostic information from each of the tiers in the pipelined network after the failure is detected.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the computer-executable instructions for retrieving diagnostic information further comprise computer-executable instructions for sequentially analyzing each tier in the pipelined network in order to isolate the tier in which the failure occurred.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the computer-executable instructions for retrieving diagnostic information further comprise computer-executable instructions for substantially simultaneously retrieving diagnostic information from each tier upon failure.

25. (canceled)

26. A computer-readable medium, having computer-executable instructions for diagnosing failures in a pipelined network comprising processing tiers wherein each tier communicates only with adjacent tiers in a communication flow that proceeds sequentially from one tier to another, the computer-executable instructions performing steps comprising:

detecting a failure communicating a diagnostic message through the tiers of the pipelined network; and

retrieving data automatically captured at each tier describing processing at the tier at the time of failure, said data tailored to provide diagnostic information.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the computer-executable instructions for retrieving data automatically captured at each tier further comprise computer-executable instructions for interacting with distributed agents resident at each of the tiers to capture the data at complementary time periods.