CONFIGURABLE PROBE BLOCKS FOR SYSTEM MONITORING

• US 20160252576A1
• Filed: 02/27/2015
• Published: 09/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tofighbakhsh, Mostafa, Anschutz, Thomas A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,964,590 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31712 Input or output aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3003 Monitoring arrangements specially adapted to the computing system or computing system component being monitored
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3093 Configuration details thereof, e.g. installation, enabling, spatial arrangement of the probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes

Abstract

Configurable probe blocks for system monitoring are disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein to monitor a system include configuring a probe block based on a first value of a control word specifying that a first probe input from a set of available probe inputs associated with the probe block is to be enabled and that a first trigger condition from a set of available trigger conditions associated with the probe block is to be assigned to the first probe input. Some such disclosed example methods also include processing, in accordance with the configuring of the probe block based on the first value of the control word, monitored data accessible via the probe block to determine probe data to output from the probe block.

Claims

1. A method to monitor a system, the method comprising:

configuring, with a processor, a probe block based on a first value of a control word specifying that a first probe input from a set of available probe inputs associated with the probe block is to be enabled and that a first trigger condition from a set of available trigger conditions associated with the probe block is to be assigned to the first probe input; and

processing, with the processor and in accordance with the configuring of the probe block based on the first value of the control word, monitored data accessible via the probe block to determine probe data to output from the probe block.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the monitored data includes performing a first action specified by the first value of the control word from a set of available actions associated with the probe block when the first trigger condition assigned to the first probe input is satisfied.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first value of the control word further specifies that a first timer from a set of available timers associated with the probe block is to be assigned to the first action.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first value of the control word further specifies that a second probe input from the set of available probe inputs associated with the probe block is to be enabled, and that a second trigger condition from the set of available trigger conditions associated with the probe block is to be assigned to the second probe input, and processing the monitored data includes:

performing a second action specified by the first value of the control word from the set of available actions associated with the probe block when the second trigger condition assigned to the second probe input is satisfied; and

applying a first ordering specified by the first value of the control word from a set of possible orderings associated with the probe block to the first action and the second action.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first value of the control word further specifies that a second probe input from the set of available probe inputs associated with the probe block is to be enabled, and that a second trigger condition from the set of available trigger conditions associated with the probe block is to be assigned to the second probe input, and processing the monitored data includes performing a first correlation operation on a first result determined by processing the first probe input based on the first trigger condition and a second result determined by processing the second probe input based on the second trigger condition, the first correlation operation being specified by the first value of the control word.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first value of the control word further specifies that a first probe output from a set of available probe outputs associated with the probe block is to output the probe data from the probe block.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the probe block is a first probe block, the probe data is first probe data, the monitored data corresponds to second probe data output by a second probe block, and further including operating the first probe block to process the second probe data in accordance with the configuring of the first probe block based on the first value of the control word.

8. A tangible machine readable storage medium comprising machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

configuring a probe block, which is included in a system, based on a first value of a control word specifying that a first probe input from a set of available probe inputs associated with the probe block is to be enabled and that a first trigger condition from a set of available trigger conditions associated with the probe block is to be assigned to the first probe input; and

processing, in accordance with the configuring of the probe block based on the first value of the control word, monitored data accessible via the probe block to determine probe data to output from the probe block.

9. The tangible machine readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein processing the monitored data includes performing a first action specified by the first value of the control word from a set of available actions associated with the probe block when the first trigger condition assigned to the first probe input is satisfied.

10. The tangible machine readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the first value of the control word further specifies that a first timer from a set of available timers associated with the probe block is to be assigned to the first action.

11. The tangible machine readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the first value of the control word further specifies that a second probe input from the set of available probe inputs associated with the probe block is to be enabled, and that a second trigger condition from the set of available trigger conditions associated with the probe block is to be assigned to the second probe input, and processing the monitored data includes:

performing a second action specified by the first value of the control word from the set of available actions associated with the probe block when the second trigger condition assigned to the second probe input is satisfied; and

applying a first ordering specified by the first value of the control word from a set of possible orderings associated with the probe block to the first action and the second action.

12. The tangible machine readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the first value of the control word further specifies that a second probe input from the set of available probe inputs associated with the probe block is to be enabled, and that a second trigger condition from the set of available trigger conditions associated with the probe block is to be assigned to the second probe input, and processing the monitored data includes performing a first correlation operation on a first result determined by processing the first probe input based on the first trigger condition and a second result determined by processing the second probe input based on the second trigger condition, the first correlation operation being specified by the first value of the control word.

13. The tangible machine readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first value of the control word further specifies that a first probe output from a set of available probe outputs associated with the probe block is to output the probe data from the probe block.

14. The tangible machine readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the probe block is a first probe block, the probe data is first probe data, the monitored data corresponds to second probe data output by a second probe block, and the operations further include operating the first probe block to process the second probe data in accordance with the configuring of the first probe block based on the first value of the control word.

15. An apparatus to monitor a system, the apparatus comprising:

a memory comprising machine readable instructions; and

a processor to execute the machine readable instructions to perform operations comprising;

configuring a probe block based on a first value of a control word specifying that a first probe input from a set of available probe inputs associated with the probe block is to be enabled, that a first trigger condition from a set of available trigger conditions associated with the probe block is to be assigned to the first probe input, and that a first probe output from a set of available probe outputs associated with the probe block is to output probe data from the probe block; and

processing, in accordance with the configuring of the probe block based on the first value of the control word, monitored data accessible via the probe block to determine the probe data to output from the probe block.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein processing the monitored data includes performing a first action specified by the first value of the control word from a set of available actions associated with the probe block when the first trigger condition assigned to the first probe input is satisfied.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first value of the control word further specifies that a first timer from a set of available timers associated with the probe block is to be assigned to the first action.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first value of the control word further specifies that a second probe input from the set of available probe inputs associated with the probe block is to be enabled, and that a second trigger condition from the set of available trigger conditions associated with the probe block is to be assigned to the second probe input, and processing the monitored data includes:

performing a second action specified by the first value of the control word from the set of available actions associated with the probe block when the second trigger condition assigned to the second probe input is satisfied; and

applying a first ordering specified by the first value of the control word from a set of possible orderings associated with the probe block to the first action and the second action.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first value of the control word further specifies that a second probe input from the set of available probe inputs associated with the probe block is to be enabled, and that a second trigger condition from the set of available trigger conditions associated with the probe block is to be assigned to the second probe input, and processing the monitored data includes performing a first correlation operation on a first result determined by processing the first probe input based on the first trigger condition and a second result determined by processing the second probe input based on the second trigger condition, the first correlation operation being specified by the first value of the control word.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the probe block is a first probe block, the probe data is first probe data, the monitored data corresponds to second probe data output by a second probe block, and the operations further include operating the first probe block to process the second probe data in accordance with the configuring of the first probe block based on the first value of the control word.