METHOD OF MONITORING DEVICE FORMING INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, INFORMATION APPARATUS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM

• US 20100125683A1
• Filed: 02/04/2009
• Published: 05/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: KURODA, Takaki, SOEDA, Takayoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,024,494 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information

Abstract

A monitoring apparatus communicatively coupled to one or more devices forming an information processing system manages each of the devices by setting the device to be in any one of monitoring states including a monitoring target to be always monitored, a semi-monitoring target to be determined if there is a change in resources and a non-monitoring target being neither the monitoring target nor the semi-monitoring target. The monitoring apparatus newly acquires resource information on a device whose monitoring state is currently set to be the monitoring target or the semi-monitoring target, and determines if any of the resources of the device is changed on the basis of the newly acquired resource information, the resource information acquired last time, and a determination condition. When determining that any of the resources has been changed, the monitoring apparatus outputs a screen prompting a change of the monitoring state of the device.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring one or more devices forming an information processing system, the method comprising the steps, executed by an information apparatus communicatively coupled to the one or more devices, of:

acquiring, from each of the devices, resource information that is information related to resources of the device, and monitoring, on the basis of the acquired resource information, an operation state of the device set as a target to be always monitored;

managing each of the devices by setting the device to be in any one of monitoring states including a monitoring target being the target to be always monitored, a semi-monitoring target not being the target to be always monitored but being a target to be determined whether or not there is a change in the resources of the device, and a non-monitoring target being neither the monitoring target nor the semi-monitoring target;

storing information indicating a current monitoring state of each of the devices among the monitoring states;

storing the resource information acquired from each of the devices last time;

newly acquiring the resource information on the device from the device whose monitoring state is currently set to be the semi-monitoring state, and determining whether or not there is a change in the resources of the device on the basis of the newly acquired resource information, the resource information acquired and stored last time, and a previously stored determination condition; and

outputting information prompting a change of the monitoring state of the device if it is determined in the determination step that there is a change in the resources of the device.

2. The method of monitoring one or more devices, according to claim 1, the method further comprising the steps, executed by the information apparatus, of:

newly acquiring the resource information on the device from the device whose monitoring state is currently set to be the monitoring target, and determining whether or not there is a change in the resources of the device on the basis of the newly acquired resource information, the resource information acquired and stored last time, and a previously stored determination condition; and

outputting information prompting a change of the monitoring state if it is determined in the determination step that there is a change in the resources of the device.

3. The method of monitoring the device according to claim 1, wherein

the determination condition is a condition for determining that there is a change in the resources of the device if there is a predetermined change in a configuration or setting of the device.

4. The method of monitoring one or more devices, according to claim 2, wherein

the information processing system includes, as the devices, a server, a storage apparatus to and from which the server inputs and outputs data, and a switch that communicatively couples the server and the storage apparatus, and

the resource information is information related to at least any one of hardware of the server, an operation system operating on the server, an application software operating on the server, a communication interface of the server, a communication port of the communication interface, hardware of the switch, a communication port of the switch, a communication port of the storage apparatus and hardware of the storage apparatus.

5. A method of monitoring one or more devices forming an information processing system, the method comprising the steps, executed by an information apparatus communicatively coupled to the one or more devices, of:

acquiring, from each of the devices, port information that is information indicating a state of one of communication ports of the device, and monitoring, on the basis of the acquired port information, the state of the one communication port of the device set as a target to be always monitored;

managing each of the communication ports by setting the device to be in anyone of monitoring states including a monitoring target being the target to be always monitored, a semi-monitoring target not being the target to be always monitored but being a target to be determined whether or not there is a change in the state of the communication port, and a non-monitoring target being neither the monitoring target nor the semi-monitoring target;

storing information indicating a current monitoring state of each of the communication ports among the monitoring states;

storing the resource information acquired from each of the communication ports last time;

newly acquiring the port information on the communication port whose monitoring state is currently set to be the semi-monitoring state, and determining whether or not there is a change in the state of the communication port on the basis of the newly acquired port information, the port information acquired and stored last time, and a previously stored determination condition; and

outputting information prompting a change of the monitoring state of the communication port if it is determined in the determination step that there is a change in the state of the communication port.

6. The method of monitoring one or more devices, according to claim 5, the method further comprising the steps, executed by the information apparatus, of:

newly acquiring the port information on the communication port whose monitoring state is currently set to be the monitoring target, and determining whether or not there is a change in the state of the communication port, on the basis of the newly acquired port information, the port information acquired and stored last time, and a previously stored determination condition; and

outputting information prompting a change of the monitoring state if it is determined in the determination step that there is a change in the state of the communication port.

7. An information apparatus communicatively coupled to one or more devices forming an information processing system, the 10 information apparatus comprising:

a monitoring processor for acquiring, from each of the devices, resource information that is information related to resources of the device, and monitoring, on the basis of the acquired resource information, an operation state of the device set as a target to be always monitored;

a monitoring state storage unit for managing each of the devices by setting the device to be in anyone of monitoring states including a monitoring target being the target to be always monitored, a semi-monitoring target not being the target to be always monitored but being a target to be determined whether or not there is a change in the resources of the device, and a non-monitoring target being neither the monitoring target nor the semi-monitoring target, and storing information indicating a current monitoring state of each of the devices among the monitoring states;

a resource information acquisition unit for storing the resource information acquired from each of the devices last time;

a resource change determination unit for newly acquiring the resource information on the device from the device whose monitoring state is currently set to be the semi-monitoring state, and determining whether or not there is a change in the resource of the device on the basis of the newly acquired resource information, the resource information acquired and stored last time, and a previously stored determination condition; and

a monitoring state setting unit for outputting information prompting a change of the monitoring state of the device if the resource change determination unit determines that there is a change in the resources of the device.

8. The information apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the resource change determination unit newly acquires the resource information on the device from the device whose monitoring state is currently set to be the monitoring target, and determines whether or not there is a change in the resources of the device on the basis of the newly acquired resource information, the resource information acquired and stored last time, and a previously stored determination condition;

and

the monitoring state setting unit outputs information prompting a change of the monitoring state if the resource change determination unit determines that there is a change in the resources of the device.

9. The information apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the determination condition is a condition for determining that there is a change in the resources of the device if there is a predetermined change in a configuration or setting of the device.

10. The information apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the information processing system includes, as the devices, a server, a storage apparatus to and from which the server inputs and outputs data, and a switch that communicatively couples the server and the storage apparatus, and

the resource information is information related to at least any one of hardware of the server, an operation system operating on the server, an application software operating on the server, a communication interface of the server, a communication port of the communication interface, hardware of the switch, a communication port of the switch, a communication port of the storage apparatus and hardware of the storage apparatus.

11. An information apparatus communicatively coupled to one or more devices forming an information processing system, the information apparatus comprising:

a monitoring processor for acquiring, from each of the devices, port information that is information indicating a state of one of communication ports of the device, and monitoring, on the basis of the acquired port information, the state of the one communication port of the device set as a target to be always monitored;

a monitoring state storage unit for managing each of the communication ports by setting the device to be in any one of monitoring states including a monitoring target being the target to be always monitored, a semi-monitoring target not being the target to be always monitored but being a target to be determined whether or not there is a change in the state of the communication port, and a non-monitoring target being neither the monitoring target nor the semi-monitoring target, and storing information indicating a current monitoring state of each of the communication ports among the monitoring states;

a resource information acquisition unit for storing the port information acquired from each of the communication ports last time;

a resource change determination unit for newly acquiring the port information on the communication port whose monitoring state is currently set to be the semi-monitoring state, and determining whether or not there is a change in the state of the communication port on the basis of the newly acquired port information, the port information acquired and stored last time, and a previously stored determination condition; and

a monitoring state setting unit for outputting information prompting a change of the monitoring state of the communication port if the resource change determination unit determines that there is a change in the state of the communication port.

12. The information apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the resource change determination unit newly acquires the port information on the communication port whose monitoring state is currently set to be the monitoring target, and determines whether or not there is a change in the state of the communication port on the basis of the newly acquired port information, the port information acquired and stored last time, and a previously stored determination condition;

and

the monitoring state setting unit outputs information prompting a change of the monitoring state if the resource change determination unit determines that there is a change in the state of the communication port.

13. An information processing system configured of a storage system having a server, a storage apparatus to and from which the server inputs and outputs data, and a switch communicatively coupling the server to the storage apparatus, and an information apparatus communicatively coupled to the server, the storage apparatus and the switch, the information processing system comprising:

a monitoring processor for acquiring resource information that is information related to resources of each of the server, the storage apparatus and the switch respectively from the server, the storage apparatus and the switch, and monitoring, on the basis of the acquired resource information, operation states of the server, the storage apparatus and the switch set as a target to be always monitored;

a monitoring state storage unit for managing each of the server, the storage apparatus and the switch by setting a corresponding one of the devices to be in any one of monitoring states including a monitoring target being the target to be always monitored, a semi-monitoring target not being the target to be always monitored but being a target to be determined whether or not there is a change in the resource of the device, and a non-monitoring target being neither the monitoring target nor the semi-monitoring target, and storing information indicating a current monitoring state of each of the devices among the monitoring states;

a resource information acquisition unit for storing the resource information acquired from each of the server, the storage apparatus and the switch last time;

a resource change determination unit for newly acquiring, from at least one of the server, the storage apparatus and the switch, the resource information on a corresponding one of the server, the storage apparatus and the switch whose monitoring state is currently set to be the semi-monitoring state, and determining whether or not there is a change in the resources of the one of the server, the storage apparatus and the switch on the basis of the newly acquired resource information, the resource information acquired and stored last time, and a previously stored determination condition; and

a monitoring state setting unit for outputting information prompting a change of the monitoring state of the one of the server, the storage apparatus and the switch if the resource change determination unit determines that there is a change in the resources of the one of the server, the storage apparatus and the switch.

14. The information processing system according to claim 13, wherein

the resource change determination unit newly acquires, from at least one of the server, the storage apparatus and the switch, the resource information on the one of the server, the storage apparatus and the switch whose monitoring state is currently set to be the monitoring target, and determines whether or not there is a change in the resources of the one of the server, the storage apparatus and the switch on the basis of the newly acquired resource information, the resource information acquired and stored last time, and a previously stored determination condition;

and

the monitoring state setting unit outputs information prompting a change of the monitoring state if the resource change determination unit determines that there is a change in the resources of the one of the server, the storage apparatus and the switch.