METHOD OF MONITORING THE PERFORMANCE OF A SOFTWARE APPLICATION

• US 20120166636A1
• Filed: 07/21/2010
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Actual Experience Limited
• Original Assignee: Queen Mary and Westfiled College University of London (University of London)
• Inventors: Page, John David, Ogilvie, Rupert Lawrence Grantham, Pitts, Jonathan Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,477,573 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3457 Performance evaluation by simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/865 Monitoring of software
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters

Abstract

A method of monitoring the level of performance of a software application running on a network-attached computing device, comprises monitoring information exchange at least one station on the network; measuring at least two performance indicator metrics, such as delay, jitter, loss, response time, throughput, goodput, and object size; and deriving an indicator parameter from a non-linear combination of the indicator metrics. A transformation may be applied to each indicator metric to obtaining a corresponding derived value, and the derived values then additively combined, to obtain the said indicator parameter. The transformation has a first region in which the derived value depends relatively weakly on the corresponding metric, and a second region, in which the derived value depends relatively strongly on the corresponding metric. A score value may be entered by a user, indicative of the user'"'"'s perception of the performance of the software application, and compared with the derived indicator parameter. The calculation used to derive the indicator parameter may be varied, in dependence on the user-entered score. Diagnostic traces may be triggered in dependence on the derived indicator parameter. Values of the indicator parameter and associated trace data may be collected in a database and collated to diagnose and/or predict problems in the said computer system.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring the level of performance of a software application running on a computing device attached to a computer network and communicating with one or more network-attached devices, which method comprises:

monitoring information exchange at least one station on the network;

measuring at least two performance indicator metrics associated with the information exchange; and

deriving an indicator parameter, from a non-linear combination of the said indicator metrics.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the said at least two performance indicator metrics include at least two of delay, jitter, loss, response time, throughput, goodput, and object size.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the information exchange is an exchange of information packets.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the software application is a web application, a collaboration application, a gaming application, a voice application, a video application, or a machine-to-machine application.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

applying a transformation to each said indicator metric to obtaining a corresponding derived value, wherein the said transformation is such as to generate a first region within which the said derived value depends relatively weakly on the corresponding metric, and a second region, within which the said derived value depends relatively strongly on the corresponding metric, and

additively combining at least two said derived values, to obtain the said indicator parameter.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein a first said metric relates to information exchange between the said computing device and a network-attached device, and the second said metric relates to information exchange between the said computing device and a second network-attached device, wherein both said metrics relate to the same software application.

7. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein a first said derived value is indicative of static web content and a second said derived value is indicative of dynamic web content, wherein the said static and dynamic web content are delivered from separate network caches or web servers.

8. A method according to claim 1, including wherein the said computing device includes means for facilitating the entry by a user of a user-entered score value, wherein the user-entered score value is indicative of the said user'"'"'s perception of the performance of the said software application, and wherein the system includes means for comparing the said user-entered score with the said derived indicator parameter, and optionally modifying the calculation used to derive the said derived indicator parameter in dependence upon the said user-entered score.

9. A method according to claim 1, including the step of generating a graphic visualisation of the calculated indicator parameter.

10. A method according to claim 1, including the step of triggering a diagnostic trace into the network, for stimulating a response from the network or the computing infrastructure, in dependence upon the value of the said indicator parameter.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the said response from the network or the computing infrastructure stimulated by the diagnostic trace is route data, route performance data, system performance data, CPU data, or other management data or performance data relating to the computer network nodes or network-attached devices.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein a separate said indicator parameter is derived for each of a plurality of software applications running on the computing device.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the said monitoring is carried out passively, by obtaining metrics of application-generated information exchanges, or wherein the said monitoring is carried out actively, by creating an information exchange adapted specifically for testing the response of the computing infrastructure or the network infrastructure to a specific stimulus.

14. A method of diagnosing and/or predicting problems in a computer system including a computer network, comprising monitoring information exchange at each of a plurality of computing devices connected to the computer network;

measuring for each said computing device at least two performance indicator metrics associated with the information exchange;

deriving an indicator parameter for each said computing device, from a non-linear combination of the said indicator metrics measured for the respective said device;

collecting said indicator parameters in a database, and

collating data from the said collected parameters in order to diagnose and/or predict problems in the said computer system.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the system includes means for triggering a diagnostic trace into the network, for stimulating a response from the network or the computing infrastructure, in dependence upon the value of the said indicator parameter, and wherein the step of collecting in a database includes the step of collecting data resulting from said diagnostic traces triggered in dependence of the value of the said indicator parameter.