Methods and Apparatus for Monitoring Software Systems

• US 20080288215A1
• Filed: 01/24/2007
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hawkgrove Limited
• Original Assignee: Hawkgrove Technologies Limited
• Inventors: Duberry, Michael Charles
• Granted Patent: US 8,103,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/186
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

In a monitoring system for a message-based, multi-component software system, such as a distributed system, interface descriptions are stored electronically for the various interfaces. Messages transmitted or received at the interfaces can be monitored and their content decoded by reference to the stored interface descriptions. Raw message data can be logged. Either monitored or logged data can be viewed by the user, either in its raw form or decoded and presented for instance in a tabular or graphical form. Different monitoring behaviours of the system can be triggered by message content. Rules can be applied so that monitoring is focussed on selected message events and correlation can be done between message events at different interfaces. The monitoring system can be used with any software system for which interface descriptions are available. Messages can also be fed back into the monitored software system, optionally containing data based on detected messages, thus potentially creating monitored situations for further or better analysis.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for monitoring the performance of a software system in use, the software system comprising at least two subsystems having interfaces for sending and/or receiving messages, each subsystem having at least one associated interface description, the monitoring system comprising:

i) at least one message detector for detecting messages output by a subsystem interface;

ii) an interface description store for storing one or more interface descriptions; and

iii) a message data decoder for decoding data from a detected message;

the monitoring system being adapted to;

iv) detect a message output by a subsystem interface; and

v) decode data from the detected message by reference to a stored interface description for the subsystem interface.

2. A monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising

vi) a user interface for receiving user commands and for displaying decoded message data, the monitoring system being further adapted to output decoded message data to the user interface.

3. A monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising a message content store for storing content of messages detected by the at least one message detector.

4. A monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising a system description store for storing at least one system description associated with the software system, said at least one system description comprising a reference to at least one stored interface description for a subsystem interface of the software system.

5. A monitoring system according to claim 4, wherein said at least one system description identifies at least one message detector adapted for connection to the software system so as to detect messages output by an interface described by a stored interface description referenced by that system description.

6. A monitoring system according to claim 1, comprising at least two message detectors adapted for connection to the software system so as to detect messages output by at least two interfaces of the software system, each interface being described by a stored interface description.

7. A monitoring system according to claim 6, having a configuration tool comprising a 5 data reader for reading configuration data from an interface description and a configuration data writer for populating a system description with configuration data read from one or more interface descriptions.

8. A monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein each stored interface description for use in decoding messages comprises vocabulary to support said decoding.

9. A monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein each stored interface description describes the data carried in messages output, in use of the system, by an interface.

10. A monitoring system according to claim 4, wherein each system description is adapted to store parameters describing each interface for which it comprises a reference to an interface description.

11. A monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising a trigger store for storing sets of trigger data, for use by the monitoring system in monitoring detected messages, each set of trigger data identifying a condition to be applied to at least one data value in a detected message and an action to be taken by the monitoring system in response to detection of data meeting the condition.

12. A monitoring system according to claim 11 wherein at least one stored set of trigger data comprises an interface state to be found in a detected message and the action is taken in response to both detection of data meeting the condition and the presence or absence of the interface state.

13. A monitoring system according to claim 12 wherein an interface state comprises a data value to be found in a detected message output from an interface and a time interval within which the data value is to be found.

14. A monitoring system according to claim 13 wherein the time interval of an interface state is set to start on detection of the condition identified by the same set of trigger data as comprises the interface state.

15. A monitoring system according to claim 12, adapted such that detected messages monitored for detection of the condition and for presence or absence of the interface state in respect of one set of trigger data may comprise messages output by different interfaces.

16. A monitoring system according to claim 15 adapted such that said detected messages may comprise messages output by interfaces of different subsystems.

17. A monitoring system according to claim 11, wherein a condition identified by a set of trigger data comprises a data value for a specified field of a specified message type.

18. A monitoring system according to claim 11, wherein the condition and/or the action and/or the interface state is indicated by a trigger type associated with the set of trigger data.

19. A monitoring system according to claim 11, wherein the data value to which a condition is applied and/or the data value comprised by an interface state comprises a data value decoded by the message data decoder.

20. A monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein at least one message detector further comprises a message output for outputting one or more messages to a subsystem interface.

21. A monitoring system according to claim 20, further comprising a message assembler for use in assembling messages for output by the at least one message detector to the subsystem interface.

22. A monitoring system according to claim 21 wherein the assembler, in use, refers to a stored interface description to code a message, prior to the message being output to the subsystem interface.

23. A monitoring system according to claim 21, wherein the message assembler is adapted to assemble at least one message comprising data determined at least in part by data from a detected message.

24. A monitoring system according to claim 23 wherein the message assembler is adapted to assemble at least one message comprising the data from a detected message.

25. A monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising a message data logger for logging monitored message data against time.

26. A monitoring system according to claim 24, wherein an action identified by a set of trigger data comprises starting to log monitored message data.

27. A monitoring system according to claim 2, the system being adapted to output decoded message data for transmission over a communications network to at least one further user interface.

28. A monitoring system according to claim 2, further comprising a data processor for processing message data prior to display on the or each user interface.

29. A monitoring system according to claim 28 wherein the data processor is adapted to select message data for display in accordance with at least one subsystem interface in relation to which the data was detected.

30. A monitoring system according to claim 29 wherein the data processor is adapted to select message data for display in accordance with at least two different subsystem interfaces in relation to which the data was detected.

31. A message detector for use in a monitoring system according to claim 1, the message detector comprising:

i) at least one input for receiving message data from a data capture device, the message data having been output by an interface of a software system;

ii) an interface parameter store for storing parameters of one or more interfaces for which message data will be received;

iii) a connection for sending received message data for decoding by the message data decoder of the monitoring system and for receiving control messages of the monitoring system; and

iv) a controller for controlling receipt of message data from the data capture device in response to said control messages.

32. A message detector according to claim 31, further comprising at least one output for transmitting one or more simulated messages of the monitoring system to a data capture device for delivery to a software system being monitored.

33. A monitoring system according to claim 1, comprising a message detector according to claim 31, wherein the simulated message output is adapted to output one or more simulated messages based on, or comprising, detected message data.