System for monitoring and managing computer resources and applications across a distributed computing environment using an intelligent autonomous agent architecture
First Claim
1. A method for monitoring and managing computer system resources and applications in a computer network utilizing at least one console system and at least one agent system, said at least one console and at least one agent systems each comprising a random access memory and a non-volatile data storage device, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) storing, in the non-volatile data storage device, a plurality of data sets corresponding to information for monitoring and managing a plurality of resources and applications;
(b) transmitting a first request from the at least one console system to the at least one agent system, said first request specifying a first resource or application for the at least one agent system to monitor or manage;
(c) determining whether a first data set corresponding to information for monitoring or managing said first resource or application already exists in the random access memory of the at least one agent system;
(d) if the outcome of step (c) indicates that said first data set does not exist in the random access memory of the at least one agent system, loading said first data set from the non-volatile data storage device into the random access memory of the at least one agent system;
(e) gathering information about said first resource or application responsive to the information contained in said first data set;
(f) determining, responsive to a stored threshold and to information gathered in step (e), whether an event has occurred and, if so, what type of event;
(g) transmitting a plurality of messages, from the at least one agent system to the at least one console system, said plurality of messages containing information about said first resource or application;
(h) transmitting a second request from the at least one console system to the at least one agent system, said second request specifying that the at least one console system should not receive information about said first resource or application;
(i) determining whether other of the at least one console systems should receive information about said first resource or application;
(j) if the outcome of step (i) indicates that no other of the at least one console systems should receive information about said first resource or application, unloading said first data set from the random access memory of the at least one agent system.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus are disclosed for monitoring and managing the applications and resources on a distributed computer network. Preferably, at least one manager software system runs on at least one of the networked computer systems designated as a network management computer system or "console" system. An agent software system runs on each of the server computer systems in the network to be monitored. Each respective agent software system carries out tasks on the computer system in which it is installed such as discovering which resources and applications are present on the computer system, monitoring particular aspects of the resources and applications present on the computer system, and executing recovery actions automatically when such actions are warranted. The agents are capable of intelligent, autonomous operation. Knowledge modules are stored in a non-volatile storage device at the site of each agent software system and are loaded and unloaded into server memory dynamically as consoles register and de-register with the agents. Consoles may register to receive all information from the agents or only selected information. An event management procedure is disclosed for coordinating event management between the various consoles throughout the network.
1013 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A method for monitoring and managing computer system resources and applications in a computer network utilizing at least one console system and at least one agent system, said at least one console and at least one agent systems each comprising a random access memory and a non-volatile data storage device, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) storing, in the non-volatile data storage device, a plurality of data sets corresponding to information for monitoring and managing a plurality of resources and applications; (b) transmitting a first request from the at least one console system to the at least one agent system, said first request specifying a first resource or application for the at least one agent system to monitor or manage; (c) determining whether a first data set corresponding to information for monitoring or managing said first resource or application already exists in the random access memory of the at least one agent system; (d) if the outcome of step (c) indicates that said first data set does not exist in the random access memory of the at least one agent system, loading said first data set from the non-volatile data storage device into the random access memory of the at least one agent system; (e) gathering information about said first resource or application responsive to the information contained in said first data set; (f) determining, responsive to a stored threshold and to information gathered in step (e), whether an event has occurred and, if so, what type of event; (g) transmitting a plurality of messages, from the at least one agent system to the at least one console system, said plurality of messages containing information about said first resource or application; (h) transmitting a second request from the at least one console system to the at least one agent system, said second request specifying that the at least one console system should not receive information about said first resource or application; (i) determining whether other of the at least one console systems should receive information about said first resource or application; (j) if the outcome of step (i) indicates that no other of the at least one console systems should receive information about said first resource or application, unloading said first data set from the random access memory of the at least one agent system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for monitoring and managing computer system resources and applications utilizing at least one agent system, said agent system comprising a random access memory and a non-volatile data storage device, the method comprising the steps of:
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a) storing, in the non-volatile data storage device, a plurality of data sets corresponding to information for monitoring and managing a plurality of computer resources and applications; b) storing, in the non-volatile data storage device, information indicating which computer resources or applications are to be monitored or managed by the at least one agent system; c) reading said information indicating which of said computer resources or applications are to be monitored or managed by the at least one agent system; d) responsive to information read in step (c), loading, into the random access memory, a first data set corresponding to a first computer resource or application to be monitored or managed by the at least one agent system; e) gathering information about said first computer resource or application responsive to information contained in said first data set; f) determining, responsive to a stored threshold and to information gathered in step (e), whether an event has occurred and, if so, what type of event; and g) storing, in the random access memory, information gathered in step (e) or information corresponding to events detected in step (f). - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for monitoring and managing computer system resources and applications utilizing at least one agent system, at least one intermediate agent system, and at least one console system, where the at least one agent system, intermediate agent system and console system each comprise a random access memory and a non-volatile data storage device, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) registering the at least one intermediate agent system with the at least one agent system, said registration specifying resources and applications for the at least one agent system to monitor or manage; (b) registering the at least one console system with the at least one intermediate agent system, said registration specifying resources and applications for the at least one intermediate agent system to monitor or manage; (c) gathering, by the at least one agent system, information about said resources and applications monitored or managed by the at least one agent system; (d) determining by the at least one agent system, responsive to registration information received from the at least one intermediate agent system, whether the at least one intermediate agent system should receive information about said resources and applications monitored or managed by the at least one agent system; (e) responsive to the outcome of step (d), transmitting a plurality of messages from the at least one agent system to the at least one intermediate agent system, said plurality of messages containing information about said resources and applications monitored or managed by the at least one agent system; (f) determining by the at least one intermediate agent system, responsive to registration information received from the at least one console system, whether the at least one console system should receive information about said resources and applications monitored or managed by the at least one intermediate agent system; (g) responsive to the outcome of step (f), transmitting a plurality of messages from the at least one intermediate agent system to the at least one console system, said plurality of messages containing information about said resources and applications monitored or managed by the at least one intermediate agent system. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification