Assistance In Performing Action Responsive To Detected Event

• US 20100131952A1
• Filed: 11/20/2009
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Generac Power Systems Incorporated (Generac Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Tsumura, Tadashi, Akiyama, Kazuhito, Nishimura, Yasutaka
• Granted Patent: US 8,516,499 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0715 in a system implementing multitasking multitasking per se G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications

Abstract

Assistance in performing an action for a detected event for a monitoring target resource whose connection is not an always-on connection to perform an appropriate action as soon as possible in response to occurrence of a failure. The assistance device stores, in association with an occurrence pattern of an event, information related to plural tasks for determining whether a predetermined condition is fulfilled, and an action to be performed by a corresponding device. Then, the assistance device calculates an index value for determining the level of probability of the occurrence pattern of the event, determines whether the calculated index value is larger than a predetermined value, and sends, to a device to perform the action, the occurrence pattern of the event the index value of which is determined to be larger than the predetermined value, and information related to the plural tasks and the action corresponding to the occurrence pattern.

Claims

1. A system with an assistance device connected with a plurality of devices in such a manner to enable data communication with the plurality of devices, the assistance device comprising:

a storage unit for storing, in association with an occurrence pattern of an event, information related to a plurality of tasks for determining whether a predetermined condition is fulfilled, and an action to be performed by a corresponding device;

an index value calculating section for calculating an index value for determining a level of probability of the occurrence pattern of the event;

a determination section for determining whether the calculated index value is larger than a predetermined value; and

a sending section for sending, to the device to perform the action, the occurrence pattern of the event the index value of which is determined by the determination section to be larger than the predetermined value, and information related to the plurality of tasks and the action corresponding to the occurrence pattern.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the sending section sends, to the device to perform the action, information about time to erase the occurrence pattern of the event and the information related to the plurality of tasks and the action corresponding to the occurrence pattern.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the index value calculating section includes

condition determination section for determining whether each task fulfills a predetermined condition, and

counting section for counting the number of tasks determined by the condition determination section not to fulfill the predetermined condition, and

the determination section includes

task count determining section for determining whether the number of tasks counted by the counting section is smaller than a predetermined value.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the index value calculating section includes

event sequence extracting section for extracting a plurality of event sequences that occur within a given time period starting at a predetermined time,

pattern acquiring section for acquiring, for each appearance pattern of an event, a frequency of appearance of the appearance pattern and a number of occurrences of each action containing the appearance pattern, and

multiplication section for multiplying the acquired frequency of appearance of the appearance pattern by the acquired number of occurrences of the action to calculate an index value.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein each of the devices includes

receiving section for receiving, from the assistance device, the occurrence pattern of the event and information related to the plurality of tasks and the action corresponding to the occurrence pattern,

storage section for storing, in a storage unit, the received occurrence pattern of the event and information related to the plurality of tasks and the action corresponding to the occurrence pattern,

occurrence pattern specifying section for specifying the occurrence pattern based on information related to the event that has occurred, and

action performing section for performing an action based on information related to the action corresponding to the specified occurrence pattern.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein

the receiving section receives information about time to erase the occurrence pattern of the event and the information related to the plurality of tasks and the action corresponding to the occurrence pattern, and

the device further includes erasing section for erasing, from the storage unit, the occurrence pattern of the event and the information related to the plurality of tasks and the action corresponding to the occurrence pattern based on the received information about the time to erase.

7. A method executed in a system with an assistance device connected with a plurality of devices in such a manner to enable data communication with the plurality of devices, the assistance device executing the method comprising:

storing, in association with an occurrence pattern of an event, information related to a plurality of tasks for determining whether a predetermined condition is fulfilled, and an action to be performed by a corresponding device;

calculating an index value for determining a level of probability of the occurrence pattern of the event;

determining whether the calculated index value is larger than a predetermined value; and

sending, to the device to perform the action, the occurrence pattern of the event the index value of which is determined to be larger than the predetermined value, and information related to the plural tasks and the action corresponding to the occurrence pattern.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprises sending information about time to erase the occurrence pattern of the event and the information related to the plurality of tasks and the action corresponding to the occurrence pattern.

10. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

determining whether each task fulfills a predetermined condition, and

counting a number of tasks determined by the condition determination section not to fulfill the predetermined condition, and

determining whether the number of tasks counted by the counting section is smaller than a predetermined value.

11. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

extracting a plurality of event sequences that occur within a given time period starting at a predetermined time,

acquiring, for each appearance pattern of an event, a frequency of appearance of the appearance pattern and a number of occurrences of each action containing the appearance pattern, and

multiplying the acquired frequency of appearance of the appearance pattern by the acquired number of occurrences of the action to calculate an index value.

12. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, from the assistance device, the occurrence pattern of the event and information related to the plurality of tasks and the action corresponding to the occurrence pattern,

storing, in a storage unit, the received occurrence pattern of the event and information related to the plurality of tasks and the action corresponding to the occurrence pattern,

specifying the occurrence pattern based on information related to the event that has occurred, and

performing an action based on information related to the action corresponding to the specified occurrence pattern.

8. A computer program product in a computer usable medium for performing a method when executed by a system connected with a plurality of devices in such a manner to enable data communication therewith the system executing the method comprising:

storing, in association with an occurrence pattern of an event, information related to a plurality of tasks for determining whether a predetermined condition is fulfilled, and an action to be performed by a corresponding device;

calculating an index value for determining a level of probability of the occurrence pattern of the event;

determining whether the calculated index value is larger than a predetermined value; and

sending, to the device to perform the action, the occurrence pattern of the event the index value of which is determined to be larger than the predetermined value, and information related to the plural tasks and the action corresponding to the occurrence pattern.

13. The product according to claim 8, wherein the method further comprises sending information about time to erase the occurrence pattern of the event and the information related to the plurality of tasks and the action corresponding to the occurrence pattern.

14. The product according to claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

determining whether each task fulfills a predetermined condition, and

counting a number of tasks determined by the condition determination section not to fulfill the predetermined condition, and

determining whether the number of tasks counted by the counting section is smaller than a predetermined value.

15. The product according to claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

extracting a plurality of event sequences that occur within a given time period starting at a predetermined time,

acquiring, for each appearance pattern of an event, a frequency of appearance of the appearance pattern and a number of occurrences of each action containing the appearance pattern, and

multiplying the acquired frequency of appearance of the appearance pattern by the acquired number of occurrences of the action to calculate an index value.

16. The product according to claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, from the assistance device, the occurrence pattern of the event and information related to the plurality of tasks and the action corresponding to the occurrence pattern,

storing, in a storage unit, the received occurrence pattern of the event and information related to the plurality of tasks and the action corresponding to the occurrence pattern,

specifying the occurrence pattern based on information related to the event that has occurred, and

performing an action based on information related to the action corresponding to the specified occurrence pattern.