Intelligent remote agent for computer performance monitoring

• US 5,781,703 A
• Filed: 09/06/1996
• Issued: 07/14/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Candle Distributed Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Desai, Arun K., Modster, Gregory William, Bendar, Scott Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Application Number:
  US08/708,234
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 364/DIG. 1, 364/DIG. 2, 340/825.07, 345/148, 345/502, 348/571, 370/396, 395/200.32, 395/200.33, 395/200.53, 395/200.54, 395/200.49, 395/200.55, 395/200.56, 395/200.67, 395/200.52, 395/677, 395/671, 395/684 , 395/680, 395/681, 707/1, 707/102, 707/103, 704/200
• US Class Current: 706/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/022 by sampling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring

Abstract

A network monitoring system for a network interconnecting a plurality of computer systems, wherein the network monitoring system is comprised of one or more Intelligent Remote Agents, a Data Server, and a Proxy Controller. The Intelligent Remote Agents receive commands instructing them to collect performance data on the Agent'"'"'s associated computer system, wherein the commands comprise predicates for filtering the performance data and a sampling interval or event occurrence. The Data Server generates requests for performance data and stores the collected performance data returned in response to the requests. The Proxy Controller translates the requests generated by the Data Server into the commands for the Intelligent Remote Agents. The Proxy Controller also transmits the commands to the Intelligent Remote Agents, accumulates the collected performance data returned from the Intelligent Remote Agents, and forwards the collected performance data to the Data Server for storage therein.

Claims

1. A network monitoring system, comprising:

(a) a network interconnecting a plurality of computer systems;

(b) one or more intelligent remote agents, each executed by one of the computer systems in the network, for receiving commands for collecting performance data on the agent'"'"'s associated computer system, for collecting the performance data in accordance with the received commands, and for responding to the commands with the collected performance data, wherein the commands comprise predicates for filtering the performance data;

(c) a data server, executed by one of the computer systems in the network, for generating requests for performance data and for storing the collected performance data returned in response to the requests; and

(d) a proxy controller, executed by one of the computer systems in the network, for translating the requests generated by the data server into the commands for the intelligent remote agents, for transmitting the commands to the intelligent remote agents, for accumulating the collected performance data returned from the intelligent remote agents in response to the transmitted commands, and for forwarding the collected performance data to the data server for storage therein.

2. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the intelligent remote agents monitor a specific one of the computer systems.

3. The network monitoring system of claim 2, wherein each of the intelligent remote agents collects different performance data for the specific one of the computer systems.

4. The network monitoring system of claim 2, wherein each of the intelligent remote agents has its own specified sampling interval.

5. The network monitoring system of claim 2, wherein each of the intelligent remote agents collect the performance data upon occurrence of an event specified by a requester.

6. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the data server includes a relational database for storing the collected performance data.

7. The network monitoring system of claim 6, wherein the data server is equipped with one or more data retrieval engines for querying the relational database.

8. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the data servers, proxy controllers, and intelligent remote agents are organized by cell.

9. The network monitoring system of claim 8, wherein the cell is identified by a symbolic name.

10. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the intelligent remote agents further comprise means for filtering the collected performance data using the predicates specified by the requester.

11. The network monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the intelligent remote agents further comprise means for executing one or more specified instructions in response to the filtered data.

12. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the intelligent remote agent further comprises means for returning the collected data to the proxy controller when the data satisfies any of the situation predicates.

13. The network monitoring system of claim 12, wherein the data server further comprises means for verifying that all of the situation predicates are satisfied in the collected data.

14. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein data is stored in the data server and retrieved therefrom by an operator monitoring workstation.

15. The network monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising a hub data server that accumulates data from other data servers.

16. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the intelligent remote agents communicate with the same proxy controller, thereby providing scalability.

17. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the intelligent remote agents further comprise means for using remote procedure calls (RPC) to communicate with the proxy controller.

18. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the intelligent remote agents further comprise means for returning data of any size to the proxy controller for storage into the data server.

19. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the performance data comprises trending data for the associated computer system.

20. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the performance data comprises historical data for the associated computer system.

21. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the intelligent remote agents further comprise means for collecting the performance data at a sampling interval specified by a requester.

22. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the intelligent remote agents further comprise means for collecting the performance data upon occurrence of an event specified by a requester.

23. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the intelligent remote agents further comprise means for executing one or more commands specified by a requester.

24. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the intelligent remote agents execute asynchronously from the proxy controller and the data server.

25. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the intelligent remote agents execute asynchronously from each other.

26. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the proxy controller stores returned data from the intelligent remote agent until the data server asks for it.

27. A method of monitoring a network interconnecting a plurality of computer systems, comprising the steps of:

(a) generating one or more requests for performance data at a data server executed by one of the computer systems in the network and transmitting the request to a proxy controller executed by one of the computer systems in the network;

(b) translating the requests generated by the data server into commands for the intelligent remote agents at the proxy controller, wherein the commands comprise predicates for filtering performance data, and transmitting the commands to one or more intelligent remote agents executed by one or more of the computer systems in the network;

(c) collecting the performance data at the intelligent remote agents in accordance with the received commands, filter the collected performance data at the intelligent remote agents using the predicates within the received commands, and responding to the commands by returning the collected performance data to the proxy controller;

(d) accumulating the collected performance data returned from the intelligent remote agents at the proxy controller, and forwarding the collected performance data from the proxy controller to the data server for storage therein.

28. The method of monitoring a network of claim 27, further comprising the step of monitoring a specific one of the computer systems using a plurality of the intelligent remote agents.

29. The method of monitoring a network of claim 28, further comprising the step of collecting different performance data for the specific one of the computer systems at each of the intelligent remote agents.

30. The method of monitoring a network of claim 28, further comprising the step of using a specified sampling interval at each of the intelligent remote agents.

31. The method of monitoring a network of claim 28, further comprising the step of collecting the performance data upon occurrence of an event specified by a requester at each of the intelligent remote agents.

32. The method of monitoring a network of claim 27, wherein the data server includes a relational database and the method further comprises the step of storing the collected performance data in the relational database.

33. The method of monitoring a network of claim 32, wherein the data server is equipped with one or more data retrieval engines and the method further comprises the step of querying the relational database.

34. The method of monitoring a network of claim 27, further comprising the step of organizing the data servers, proxy controllers, and intelligent remote agents by cell.

35. The method of monitoring a network of claim 34, further comprising the step of identifying the cell by a symbolic name.

36. The method of monitoring a network of claim 27, further comprising the step of filtering the collected performance data at the intelligent remote agents using the predicates specified by the requestor.

37. The method of monitoring a network of claim 36, further comprising the step of executing one or more specified instructions at the intelligent remote agents in response to the filtered data.

38. The method of monitoring a network of claim 27, further comprising the steps of storing data in the data server and retrieving data therefrom using an operator monitoring workstation.

39. The method of monitoring a network of claim 27, further comprising the step of accumulating data from other data servers in a hub data server.

40. The method of monitoring a network of claim 27, further comprising the step of communicating between a plurality of the intelligent remote agents and the same proxy controller, thereby providing scalability.

41. The method of monitoring a network of claim 27, further comprising the step of using remote procedure calls (RPC) to communicate between the intelligent remote agents and the proxy controller.

42. The method of monitoring a network of claim 27, further comprising the step of returning data of any size from the intelligent remote agents to the proxy controller for storage into the data server.

43. The method of monitoring a network of claim 27, wherein the performance data comprises trending data for the associated computer system.

44. The method of monitoring a network of claim 27, wherein the performance data comprises historical data for the associated computer system.

45. The method of monitoring a network of claim 27, further comprising the step of collecting the performance data at the intelligent remote agents at a sampling interval specified by a requestor.

46. The method of monitoring a network of claim 27, further comprising the step of collecting the performance data at the intelligent remote agents upon occurrence of an event specified by a requestor.

47. The method of monitoring a network of claim 27, further comprising the step of executing one or more commands, specified by a requestor at the intelligent remote agents.

48. The method of monitoring a network of claim 27, further comprising the step of executing the intelligent remote agents asynchronously from the proxy controller and the data server.

49. The method of monitoring a network of claim 27, further comprising the step of executing the intelligent remote agents asynchronously from each other.

50. The method of monitoring a network of claim 27, further comprising the step of storing returned data from the intelligent remote agent at the proxy controller until the data server asks for it.

51. The method of monitoring a network of claim 27, further comprising the step of returning the collected data from the intelligent remote agent to the proxy controller when the data satisfies any of the situation predicates.

52. The method of monitoring a network of claim 27, further comprising the step of verifying at the data server that all of the situation predicates are satisfied in the collected data.

53. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer readable medium having one or more computer program means embodied therein for monitoring a network interconnecting a plurality of computer systems, the computer program means in said article of manufacture comprising;

intelligent remote agent computer program means, executed by one or more of the computer systems in the network, for receiving commands for collecting performance data on the agent'"'"'s associated computer system, for collecting the performance data in accordance with the received commands, and for responding to the commands with the collected performance data, wherein the commands comprise predicates for filtering the performance data;

data server computer program means, executed by one or more of the computer systems in the network, for generating requests for performance data and for storing the collected performance data returned in response to the requests; and

proxy controller computer program means, executed by one of the computer systems in the network, for translating the requests generated by the data server into the commands for the intelligent remote agents, for transmitting the commands to the intelligent remote agents, for accumulating the collected performance data returned from the intelligent remote agents in response to the transmitted commands, and for forwarding the collected performance data to the data server for storage therein.

54. The article of manufacture of claim 53, wherein a plurality of the intelligent remote agent computer program means monitor a specific one of the computer systems.

55. The article of manufacture of claim 54, wherein each of the intelligent remote agent computer program means collects different performance data for the specific one of the computer systems.

56. The article of manufacture of claim 54, wherein each of the intelligent remote agent computer program means has its own specified sampling interval.

57. The article of manufacture of claim 54, wherein each of the intelligent remote agent computer program means collect the performance data upon occurrence of an event specified by a requestor.

58. The article of manufacture of claim 53, wherein the data server computer program means includes relational database computer program means for storing the collected performance data.

59. The article of manufacture of claim 58, wherein the data server computer program means is equipped with one or more data retrieval engines for querying the relational database.

60. The article of manufacture of claim 53, wherein the data server computer program means, proxy controller computer program means, and intelligent remote agent computer program means are organized by cell.

61. The article of manufacture of claim 53, wherein the cell is identified by a symbolic name.

62. The article of manufacture of claim 53, wherein the intelligent remote agent computer program means further comprises means for returning the collected data to the proxy controller computer program means when the data satisfies any of the situation predicates.

63. The article of manufacture of claim 62, wherein the data server computer program means further comprises means for verifying that all of the situation predicates are satisfied in the collected data.

64. The article of manufacture of claim 53, wherein data is stored in the data server computer program means and retrieved therefrom by an operator monitoring workstation.

65. The article of manufacture of claim 53, further comprising a hub data server computer program means that accumulates data from other data server computer program means.

66. The article of manufacture of claim 53, wherein a plurality of the intelligent remote agent computer program means communicate with the same proxy controller computer program means, thereby providing scalability.

67. The article of manufacture of claim 63, wherein the intelligent remote agent computer program means further comprise means for using remote procedure calls (RPC) to communicate with the proxy controller computer program means.

68. The article of manufacture of claim 53, wherein the intelligent remote agent computer program means further comprise means for returning data of any size to the proxy controller computer program means for storage into the data server computer program means.

69. The article of manufacture of claim 53, wherein the performance data comprises trending data for the associated computer system.

70. The article of manufacture of claim 53, wherein the performance data comprises historical data for the associated computer system.

71. The article of manufacture of claim 53, wherein the intelligent remote agent computer program means further comprise means for collecting the performance data at a sampling interval specified by a requester.

72. The article of manufacture of claim 53, wherein the intelligent remote agent computer program means further comprise means for collecting the performance data upon occurrence of an event specified by a requestor.

73. The article of manufacture of claim 53, wherein the intelligent remote agent computer program means further comprise means for filtering the collected performance data using the predicates specified by the requestor.

74. The article of manufacture of claim 73, wherein the intelligent remote agent computer program means further comprise means for executing one or more specified instructions in response to the filtered data.

75. The article of manufacture of claim 53, wherein the intelligent remote agent computer program means further comprise means for executing one or more commands specified by a requestor.

76. The article of manufacture of claim 53, wherein the intelligent remote agent computer program means execute asynchronously from the proxy controller computer program means and the data server computer program means.

77. The article of manufacture of claim 53, wherein the intelligent remote agent computer program means execute asynchronously from each other.

78. The article of manufacture of claim 53, wherein the proxy controller computer program means stores returned data from the intelligent remote agent computer program means until the data server computer program means asks for it.