MONITORING NETWORK ENTITIES VIA A CENTRAL MONITORING SYSTEM

• US 20140215055A1
• Filed: 01/31/2013
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Go Daddy Operating Company LLC (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Go Daddy Operating Company LLC (GoDaddy, Inc.)
• Inventors: Reynolds, Daymion, Condit, Craig, Mink, Jeff, Boltz, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 9,438,493 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/022 by sampling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/14 using software, i.e. software packages network security related monitoring H04L63/1408

Abstract

Systems and method of the present invention provide for one or more server computers configured to receive a plurality of data published by a network entity and identify, within the data: the network entity that published the data, a sample of one or more metrics for the network entity and a sample type of each of the one or more samples. The one or more server computers may further be configured to calculate a network resource usage score, using the one or more metrics according to one or more rules for each of the sample types identified, for the sample.

Claims

1. A method, comprising the steps of:

A) receiving, by a server computer communicatively coupled to a network, a data published by a network entity;

B) identifying, by the server computer, within the data;

i) the network entity that published the data;

ii) at least one sample of at least one metric for the network entity; and

iii) a sample type of the at least one sample; and

C) calculating, by the server computer, at least one network resource usage score for the at least one sample, the at least one network resource usage score being calculated;

i) using the at least one metric; and

ii) according to at least one rule for the sample type identified.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data comprises:

i) an identity of the network entity; and

ii) a data feed of the at least one sample of the at least one metric, wherein the network entity has run no calculations on the at least one sample or the at least one metric.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the network entity comprises:

i) a network node comprising a computer or an other server computer;

ii) a server cluster comprising a plurality of network nodes;

iii) a plurality of unrelated network nodes across one or more server clusters acting with a common purpose;

iv) a plurality of unrelated network nodes across one or more server clusters generating a plurality of data that can be grouped together;

v) a plurality of unrelated network nodes across one or more server clusters with a common operating system;

or

vi) at least one metric reflecting usage of the network entity by a user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is published via a message broker software utilizing a publish/subscribe model, wherein:

i) the network entity publishes the at least one sample of the at least one metric as a message topic;

ii) the server computer is configured to subscribe to the message topic and receive;

a) an identity of the network entity that published the data;

b) the at least one sample of the at least one metric; and

c) the sample type for the at least one sample;

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one rule controls:

i) extraction of a plurality of identifying information from the data, to determine;

a) the network entity the at least one sample applies to;

b) the at least one sample; and

c) the at least one sample type;

ii) calculation of the at least one network resource usage score;

iii) generation of at least one alert based on the at least one network resource usage score;

or

iv) extraction of the at least one sample from the data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one rule:

i) is written using a general-purpose language;

ii) is applicable to any entity which is represented in a sample; and

iii) has access to at least one previous sample for the network entity.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sample comprises a collection of data containing at least one measurement of data for the network entity over a specific period of time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sample type:

i) comprises a format for the at least one sample, the format defining a plurality of data that the at least one sample contains; and

ii) determines a scoring rule applied to the at least one sample.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the sample type:

i) comprises information about a purpose of at least one network nodes;

ii) determines, based on the purpose of the at least one network nodes, a scoring rule applied when calculating the at least one network resource usage score; and

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one network resource usage score:

i) measures a metric performance or a usage of the network entity; and

ii) comprises;

a) a numeric value;

b) a category defining how the numeric value should be interpreted; and

c) the network entity associated with the category and the at least one network resource usage score.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one rule controls:

i) generation of a plurality of scores;

ii) generation of the plurality of scores using a plurality of samples comprising a plurality of different sample types;

or

iii) generation of one or more different categories of scores based on information included in the plurality of samples.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one network resource usage score:

i) is calculated for a plurality of network nodes;

ii) is calculated for at least one cluster of network nodes;

or

iii) is calculated for at least one user of the plurality of network nodes.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one network resource usage score:

i) is calculated using at least one scoring script running on the server computer; and

ii) is calculated using;

a) the data published by the network entity; and

b) an other data published by an other network entity.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

D) monitoring, by the server computer, the at least one network resource usage score;

E) determining, by the server computer, whether the at least one network resource usage score is outside a minimum or maximum boundary for a specified period of time; and

F) responsive to a determination that the at least one network resource usage score is outside the minimum or maximum boundary for the specified period of time, generating and triggering, by the server computer, an alert indicating a detected issue with the network entity;

G) transmitting, by the server computer, the alert to a client computer communicatively coupled to the network.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one network resource usage score triggers an alert indicating a detected issue with the network entity, the alert being triggered based on:

i) the entity type the alert applies to; and

ii) the score category the alert applies to.

16. A system, comprising a server computer communicatively coupled to a network and configured to:

A) receive a plurality of data published by a network entity;

B) identify within the data;

i) the network entity that published the data;

ii) at least one sample of at least one metric for the network entity; and

iii) a sample type of the at least one sample; and

C) calculate a network resource usage score for the at least one sample, the network resource usage score being calculated;

i) using the at least one metric; and

ii) according to at least one rule for the sample type identified.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising at least one central monitoring software module running on the server computer and configured to:

i) normalize and compare the data between a plurality of nodes in the network;

ii) execute steps A)-C)

iii) determine if the at least one network resource usage score is outside a minimum or maximum boundary for a specified period of time;

iv) responsive to a determination that the at least one network resource usage score is outside the minimum or maximum boundary for the specified period of time, generate and trigger an alert indicating a detected issue with the network entity.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one central monitoring software module comprises:

i) an application programming interface running on the server computer;

ii) at least one web service;

or

iii) a configuration file that defines the behavior of the server computer or the at least one central monitoring software module, the configuration file comprising configurations to;

a) subscribe to at least one message topic;

b) receive the at least one sample of the at least one metric;

c) calculate at least one score

d) determine if the at least one network resource usage score is outside a minimum or maximum boundary for a specified period of time; and

e) responsive to a determination that the at least one network resource usage score is outside the minimum or maximum boundary for the specified period of time, generate and trigger an alert indicating a detected issue with the network entity.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising a response engine configured to:

i) receive the alert indicating the detected issue with the network entity; and

ii) generate at least one available action to be taken to correct the alert.