VISUALIZATION OF COMBINED PERFORMANCE METRICS

• US 20130124714A1
• Filed: 11/11/2011
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: BEDNAR, Martin
• Application Number:
  US13/294,756
• Publication Number:
  US 20130124714A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45591 Monitoring or debugging support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual middleware or OS functionality using virtual machines to implement generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking G06F11/1484
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

Embodiments provide a visualization of combined performance metrics representing the operation of a plurality of computing devices. Sets of host performance metrics corresponding to a plurality of host computing devices are combined to create combined performance metrics, each of which is associated with a performance metric type. The combined performance metrics are plotted in a chart that includes a plurality of axes, each associated with a performance metric type. In addition, a baseline value may be plotted on one or more of the axes. A portion, or the entirety, of the chart may be graphically distinguished when a combined performance metric violates a threshold value.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring operation of a plurality of hosts executing a plurality of virtual machines (VMs), the system comprising:

a network communication interface configured to receive a plurality of sets of host performance metrics, wherein each set of host performance metrics corresponds to a host executing one or more VMs, and each host performance metric is associated with a performance metric type of a plurality of performance metric types; and

a processor coupled to the network communication interface and programmed to;

combine the sets of host performance metrics to create combined performance metrics;

create a chart including a plurality of axes, wherein each axis of the plurality of axes is associated a performance metric type of the plurality of performance metric types; and

plot each combined performance metric of the combined performance metrics on the axis that is associated with the performance metric type associated with the combined performance metric.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to combine the sets of host performance metrics by combining, from the plurality of sets of host performance metrics, the host performance metrics associated with each performance metric type to create a set of aggregate performance metrics, wherein each aggregate performance metric is associated with a performance metric type.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor is programmed to combine the host performance metrics associated with a first performance metric type of the performance metric types by summing the host performance metrics associated with the first performance metric type.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor is programmed to combine the host performance metrics associated with a first performance metric type of the performance metric types by averaging the host performance metrics associated with the first performance metric type.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

in response to a request for detailed performance charts, create a plurality of VM performance charts, wherein each VM performance chart represents a set of VM performance metrics corresponding to VM executed by a first host of the plurality of hosts; and

provide the VM performance charts for presentation to a user.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to combine the sets of performance metrics by including the performance metrics from each set of performance metrics in the combined performance metrics.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to plot a baseline value on a first axis of the plurality of axes, wherein the first axis is associated with a first performance metric type, and the baseline value represents one or more of the following:

a target performance metric associated with the first performance metric type, a previously received performance metric associated with the first performance metric type, and a moving average of performance metrics associated with the first performance metric type.

8. A method comprising:

combining, by a computing device, a plurality of sets of host performance metrics to create a set of aggregate performance metrics, wherein each set of host performance metrics corresponds to a host computing device of a plurality of host computing devices, and each host performance metric and aggregate performance metric is associated with a performance metric type of a plurality of performance metric types;

creating, by the computing device, an aggregate performance chart including a plurality of axes, wherein each axis of the plurality of axes is associated a performance metric type of the plurality of performance metric types;

plotting, by the computing device, each aggregate performance metric of the set of aggregate performance metrics on the axis that is associated with the performance metric type associated with the aggregate performance metric; and

providing, by the computing device, the aggregate performance chart for presentation to a user.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, a request for host performance charts from the user;

in response to the received request, creating, by the computing device, a plurality of host performance charts, wherein each host performance chart represents the set of host performance metrics corresponding to a host computing device of the plurality of host computing devices; and

providing, by the computing device, the host performance charts for presentation to a user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein each host performance chart includes a plurality of axes, each axis of the plurality of axes associated with a performance metric type of the plurality of performance metric types, the method further comprising, for each host performance chart, plotting, by the computing device, each host performance metric of the associated set of host performance metrics on the axis that is associated with the performance metric type associated with the host performance metric.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a first host performance chart and a second host performance chart of the plurality of host performance charts; and

combining the first host performance chart and the second host performance chart to create a combined host performance chart.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein plotting each aggregate performance metric of the set of aggregate performance metrics comprises plotting one or more of the following:

an aggregate processor utilization, an aggregate memory utilization, an aggregate network utilization, and an aggregate volume of storage access.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising graphically distinguishing at least a portion of the aggregate performance chart when an aggregate performance metric that is not associated with an axis in the aggregate performance chart violates a predetermined threshold value.

14. One or more computer-readable storage media embodying computer-executable components, said components comprising:

a combination component that when executed causes at least one processor to combine a plurality of sets of host performance metrics to create combined performance metrics, wherein each set of host performance metrics corresponds to a host computing device, and each host performance metric is associated with a performance metric type of a plurality of performance metric types; and

a charting component that when executed causes at least one processor to;

create a chart including a plurality of axes, wherein each axis of the plurality of axes is associated a performance metric type of the plurality of performance metric types;

plot each combined performance metric of the combined performance metrics on the axis that is associated with the performance metric type associated with the combined performance metric; and

plot a baseline value on a first axis of the plurality of axes, wherein the first axis is associated with a first performance metric type of the plurality of performance metric types, and the baseline value represents one or more of the following;

a target performance metric associated with the first performance metric type, a previously received host performance metric associated with the first performance metric type, a previously created combined performance metric associated with the first performance metric type, and a moving average of host performance metrics associated with the first performance metric type.

15. The computer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein the charting component further causes the at least one processor to graphically distinguish at least a portion of the chart when a difference between the baseline value and a combined performance metric associated with the first performance metric type exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

16. The computer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein the charting component further causes the at least one processor to graphically distinguish at least a portion of the chart when a combined performance metric that is not associated with an axis in the chart violates a predetermined threshold value.

17. The computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein each combined performance metric that is associated with an axis in the chart represents a utilization of a computing resource, and the charting component further causes the at least one processor to graphically distinguish at least a portion of the chart when a combined performance metric representing a latency associated with a computing resource violates a predetermined threshold value.

18. The computer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein the charting component causes the at least one processor to plot a baseline value on each axis of the plurality of axes.

19. The computer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein the combination component causes the at least one processor to combine the sets of host performance metrics by combining, from the plurality of sets of host performance metrics, the host performance metrics associated with each performance metric type to create a set of aggregate performance metrics, wherein each aggregate performance metric is associated with a performance metric type.

20. The computer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein the combination component causes the at least one processor to combine the sets of host performance metrics by including the host performance metrics from each set of host performance metrics in the combined performance metrics.