CORRELATING PERFORMANCE DATA OF MULTIPLE COMPUTING DEVICES

• US 20090222549A1
• Filed: 02/28/2008
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: GILBERT, ASHLEY, Loboz, Charles Z.
• Granted Patent: US 7,925,742 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3452 Performance evaluation by statistical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems

Abstract

Systems, products, and methods are disclosed for facilitating the correlation of performance data associated with multiple computing devices. An illustrative method includes referencing a time as indicated by a computer and referencing a start time indication that identifies a time to begin monitoring computer performance. Thereafter, the time indicated by the computer and the start time indication are utilized to determine an initial monitoring delay. Upon determining an initial monitoring delay, an initial monitoring of the computer performance is delayed until the initial monitoring delay has lapsed. In one embodiment, computer performance data collected upon the lapse of the initial monitoring delay can be correlated with performance data associated with other computing devices.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of obtaining computer performance data associated with a first computer that can be correlated with performance data of another computer, the method comprising:

referencing a time indicated by said first computer, which time is the same as a time indicated by an independent timing source, and a start time indication that identifies a time to begin monitoring computer performance of said first computer;

utilizing the start time indication and the time of said first computer to determine an initial monitoring delay; and

delaying an initial monitoring of said computer performance until the initial monitoring delay has lapsed.

2. The media of claim 1 further comprising determining a start time indication based on the time of said computer and a requested interval, wherein the start time indicator comprises an even requested interval after the time of said computer.

3. The media of claim 2, wherein the requested interval comprises an initial requested interval.

4. The media of claim 1 further comprising monitoring said computer performance to obtain first performance data associated with said first computer.

5. The media of claim 4 further comprising:

referencing a secondary monitoring delay;

delaying a secondary monitoring of said computer performance until the secondary monitoring delay has lapsed; and

monitoring said computer performance to obtain second performance data associated with said first computer.

6. The media of claim 5, wherein the secondary monitoring delay is based on a secondary requested interval.

7. The media of claim 5, wherein the secondary requested interval is the same as the initial requested interval.

8. The media of claim 6 further comprising storing the first performance data and the second performance data.

9. The media of claim 6 further comprising communicating the first performance data and the second performance data to a performance data aggregator.

10. The media of claim 6 further comprising performing interpolation based on the first performance data and the second performance data to determine a desired item of computer performance data corresponding to a desired data-collection time.

11. The media of claim 6, wherein the first performance data and the second performance data comprise a load data, a utilization data, an operational data, or a combination thereof.

12. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of obtaining computer performance data associated with a first computer that can be correlated with performance data of another computer, the method comprising:

referencing a first measurement of performance data associated with said first computer, the first measurement of performance data collected at a first data-collection time;

referencing a second measurement of performance data associated with said first computer, the second measurement of performance data collected at a second data-collection time; and

utilizing interpolation in connection with said first and second measurements to determine a desired item of computer performance data corresponding to a desired data-collection time.

13. The media of claim 12, wherein the first measurement of performance data and the second measurement of performance data comprise a load data, a utilization data, an operational data, or a combination thereof.

14. The media of claim 12 further comprising correlating a clock of said first computer to an independent timing source, the clock being utilized to identify the first data-collection time and the second data-collection time.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein a network time protocol is utilized to correlate the clock to the independent timing source.

16. The media of claim 12 further comprising comparing the desired item of computer performance data with another item of computer performance data associated with a second computer.

17. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of obtaining computer performance data associated with a first computer that can be correlated with performance data of a second computer, the method comprising:

delaying an initial monitoring of computer performance of said first computer until an occurrence of a predetermined reference point, which is made based on one or more attributes of said first computer.

18. The media of claim 17, wherein the one or more attributes comprise one or more requested interval attributes, one or more start time attributes, or a combination thereof.

19. The media of claim 17 further comprising collecting performance data after the occurrence of the predetermined reference point.

20. The media of claim 19 further comprising utilizing the performance data to compare, analyze, aggregate, or summarize, in accordance with correlated performance data of the second computer.