Systems and methods for monitoring health of computing systems

• US 20090112809A1
• Filed: 10/24/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Altalib, Zaid Amer, Wolff, Matthew Louis
• Application Number:
  US11/976,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20090112809A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/008 Reliability or availability analysis

Abstract

A method for determining health of computing systems is disclosed. The method comprises receiving a plurality of health determining metrics from at least one computing system. The method also includes calculating the health determinant value based on the plurality of health determining metrics. A first portion of the health determinant value is determined by dividing a number of executable threads available in the at least one computing system by a total number of executable threads in the at least computing system. A second portion of the health determinant value is determined by dividing a number of database connections available in the at least one computing system by a total number of database connections in the at least one computing system. Furthermore, the health determinant value may be compared with at least one threshold health value. The method may also include providing status indication of the health determinant value.

Claims

1. A method for determining a health determinant value, comprising:

querying at least one computing system for a plurality of health determining metrics, and receiving the plurality of health determining metrics from the at least one computing system;

calculating the health determinant value based on the plurality of health determining metrics, wherein a first portion of the health determinant value is determined by dividing a number of executable threads available in the at least one computing system by a total number of executable threads in the at least computing system, and a second portion of the health determinant value is determined by dividing a number of database connections available in the at least one computing system by a total number of database connections in the at least one computing system;

comparing the health determinant value to at least one threshold health value; and

providing a status indication of the health determinant value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the status indication of the health determinant value includes displaying the health determinant value on at least one display entity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the status indication of the health determinant value includes storing the health determinant value, and providing at least one alarm signal to at least one system administrator.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one alarm signal comprises at least one electronic message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the health determinant value further comprises establishing a demerit system that uses a plurality of preset conditions to determine a demerit value that is used to reduce the health determinant value.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a portion of the demerit value corresponds to a number of undelivered computer instructions in a queue associated with the at least one computing system.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein a portion of the demerit value corresponds to an amount of time elapsed for the at least one computing system to respond to the query.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein a portion of the demerit value corresponds to a number of authentication instances functioning improperly in at least one authentication server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion is weighted to comprise about 75 percent of the health determinant value, and the second portion is weighted to comprise about 25 percent of the health determinant value.

10. A computer-readable medium for use on a computing system, the computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions for performing a method for monitoring health of computing systems, the method comprising:

querying at least one computing system for a plurality of health determining metrics, and receiving the plurality of health determining metrics from the at least one computing system;

calculating a health determinant value based on the plurality of health determining metrics, wherein a first portion of the health determinant value is determined by dividing a number of executable threads available in the at least one computing system by a total number of executable threads in the at least computing system, and a second portion of the health determinant value is determined by dividing a number of database connections available in the at least one computing system by a total number of database connections in the at least one computing system;

comparing the health determinant value to at least one threshold health value; and

providing a status indication of the health determinant value.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein providing the status indication of the health determinant value includes displaying the health determinant value on at least one display entity.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein providing the status indication of the health determinant value includes storing the health determinant value, and providing at least one alarm signal to at least one system administrator.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the at least one alarm signal comprises at least one electronic message.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein calculating the health determinant value further comprises establishing a demerit system that uses a plurality of preset conditions to determine a demerit value that is used to reduce the health determinant value.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein a portion of the demerit value corresponds to a number of undelivered computer instructions in a queue associated with the at least one computing system.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein a portion of the demerit value corresponds to an amount of time elapsed for the at least one computing system to respond to the query.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein a portion of the demerit value corresponds to a number of authentication instances functioning improperly in at least one authentication server.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first portion is weighted to comprise about 75 percent of the health determinant value, and the second portion is weighted to comprise about 25 percent of the health determinant value.

19. A system for monitoring health of computing systems, comprising:

an interface communicatively coupled to a display entity and at least one of a business entity and a supporting entity;

a processor communicatively coupled to the interface and configured to;

transmit, via the interface, a query to the at least one of a business entity and a supporting entity, the query requesting a plurality of health determining metrics;

receive, via the interface, the plurality of health determining metrics from the at least one of a business entity and a supporting entity in response to the query;

calculate a health determinant value based on the plurality of health determining metrics, wherein a first portion of the health determinant value is determined by dividing a number of available executable threads associated with the at least one of a business entity and a supporting entity by a total number of executable threads associated with the at least one of a business entity and a supporting entity, and a second portion of the health determinant value is determined by dividing a number of available database connections associated with the at least one of a business entity and a supporting entity by a total number of database connections associated with the at least one of a business entity and a supporting entity;

store the health determinant value;

compare the health determinant value to at least one threshold health value; and

provide a status indication of the health determinant value.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to:

display the health determinant value on at least one display entity;

generate at least one alarm signal corresponding to the status indication; and

provide the at least one alarm signal to the at least one system administrator in a form of an electronic message.