Population State-Based Performance Assessment of a Hypervisor

• US 20130247042A1
• Filed: 04/30/2013
• Published: 09/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Splunk Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Splunk Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bingham, Brian, Fletcher, Tristan
• Granted Patent: US 8,683,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45591 Monitoring or debugging support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

Techniques promote monitoring of hypervisor systems by presenting dynamic representations of hypervisor architectures that include performance indicators. A reviewer can interact with the representation to progressively view select lower-level performance indicators. Higher level performance indicators can be determined based on lower level state assessments. A reviewer can also view historical performance metrics and indicators, which can aid in understanding which configuration changes or system usages may have led to sub-optimal performance.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

accessing, on a computing device, a hierarchical architecture identifying relationships between a plurality of components in a system providing virtual-machine processing, the hierarchical architecture representing a multi-level arrangement of the plurality of components;

the plurality of components including a set of first components and a second component, each first component of the set of first components being of a first component type and the second component being of a second component type, each first component of the set of first components being at u first level in the hierarchical architecture that is below a second level in the hierarchical architecture, the second component being at the second level;

monitoring, for each first component of the set of first components, a performance metric of the first component;

determining, on the computing device for each first component of the set of first components, a performance statistic of the first component based on the monitored performance metric;

accessing a first state criterion, the first state criterion being applicable to evaluate performance of components of the first component type;

evaluating, on the computing device for each first component of the set of first components, the performance statistic of the first component based on the first state criterion;

assigning, on the computing device for each first component of the set of first components, a first state to the first component based on the respective evaluation of the performance metric;

accessing a second state criterion, the second state criterion being applicable to evaluate performance of components of the second component type;

evaluating, on the computing device, the first states assigned to the first components of the set of first components based on the second state criterion; and

assigning, on the computing device, a second state to the second component based on the evaluation of the states.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first state criterion identifies a first set of potential states that can be assigned based on an evaluation made based on the first state criterion, the second state criterion identifies a second set of potential states that can be assigned based on an evaluation made based on the second state criterion, the first set of potential states and the second set of potential states being the same.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first state criterion identifies a threshold.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a second performance statistic of the second component based on the first states assigned to the first components of the set of first components, wherein evaluation of the first states comprises evaluation of the second performance statistic.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the performance statistic comprises a percentage of the first components of the set of first components that are assigned to one or more specific states.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising simultaneously presenting the first states assigned to the first components of the set of first components and the second.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first state criterion identifies a first set of potential states that can be assigned based on an evaluation made based on the first state criterion, the second state criterion identifies a second set of potential states that can be assigned based on an evaluation made based on the second state criterion, the first set of potential states and the second set of potential states being the same.

8. A system, comprising:

one or more data processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions which when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the processor to perform operations including;

accessing a hierarchical architecture identifying relationships between a plurality of components in a system providing virtual-machine processing, the hierarchical architecture representing a multi-level arrangement of the plurality of components;

the plurality of components including a set of first components and a second component, each first component of the set of first components being of a first component type and the second component being of a second component type, each first component of the set of first components being at a first level in the hierarchical architecture that is below a second level in the hierarchical architecture, the second component being at the second level;

monitoring, for each first component of the set of first components, a performance metric of the first component;

determining, for each first component of the set of first components, a performance statistic of the first component based on the monitored performance metric;

accessing a first state criterion, the first state criterion being applicable to evaluate performance of components of the first component type;

evaluating, for each first component of the set of first components, the performance statistic of the first component based on the first state criterion;

assigning, for each first component of the set of first components, a first state to the first component based on the respective evaluation of the performance metric;

accessing a second state criterion, the second state criterion being applicable to evaluate performance of components of the second component type;

evaluating the first states assigned to the first components of the set of first components based on the second state criterion; and

assigning a second state to the second component based on the evaluation of the states.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first state criterion identifies a first set of potential states that can be assigned based on an evaluation made based on the first state criterion, the second state criterion identifies a second set of potential states that can be assigned based on an evaluation made based on the second state criterion, the first set of potential states and the second set of potential states being the same.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the first state criterion identifies a threshold.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed on the one or more data processors, further cause the process to determine a second performance statistic of the second component based on the first states assigned to the first components of the set of first components, wherein evaluation of the first states comprises evaluation of the second performance statistic.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the performance statistic comprises a percentage of the first components of the set of first components that are assigned to one or more specific states.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed on the one or more data processors, further cause the process to simultaneously present the first states assigned to the first components of the set of first components and the second.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the first state criterion identifies a first set of potential states that can be assigned based on an evaluation made based on the first state criterion, the second state criterion identifies a second set of potential states that can be assigned based on an evaluation made based on the second state criterion, the first set of potential states and the second set of potential states being the same.

15. A computer-program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, including instructions configured to cause one or more data processors to:

access a hierarchical architecture identifying relationships between a plurality of components in a system providing virtual-machine processing, the hierarchical architecture representing a multi-level arrangement of the plurality of components;

the plurality of components including a set of first components and a second component, each first component of the set of first components being of a first component type and the second component being of a second component type, each first component of the set of first components being at a first level in the hierarchical architecture that is below a second level in the hierarchical architecture, the second component being at the second level;

monitor, for each first component of the set of first components, a performance metric of the first component;

determine, for each first component of the set of first components, a performance statistic of the first component based on the monitored performance metric;

access a first state criterion, the first state criterion being applicable to evaluate performance of components of the first component type;

evaluate, for each first component of the set of first components, the performance statistic of the first component based on the first state criterion;

assign, for each first component of the set of first components, a first state to the first component based on the respective evaluation of the performance metric;

access a second state criterion, the second state criterion being applicable to evaluate performance of components of the second component type;

evaluate the first states assigned to the first components of the set of first components based on the second state criterion; and

assign a second state to the second component based on the evaluation of the states.

16. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the first state criterion identifies a first set of potential states that can be assigned based on an evaluation made based on the first state criterion, the second state criterion identifies a second set of potential states that can be assigned based on an evaluation made based on the second state criterion, the first set of potential states and the second set of potential states being the same.

17. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the first state criterion identifies a threshold.

18. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the one or more data processors to determine a second performance statistic of the second component based on the first states assigned to the first components of the set of first components, wherein evaluation of the first states comprises evaluation of the second performance statistic.

19. The computer-program product of claim 18, wherein the performance statistic comprises a percentage of the first components of the set of first components that are assigned to one or more specific states.

20. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the one or more data processors to simultaneously present the first states assigned to the first components of the set of first components and the second.

21. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the first state criterion identifies a first set of potential states that can be assigned based on an evaluation made based on the first state criterion, the second state criterion identifies a second set of potential states that can be assigned based on an evaluation made based on the second state criterion, the first set of potential states and the second set of potential states being the same.