Method and apparatus for monitoring and controlling in a network

• US 6,125,390 A
• Filed: 08/25/1997
• Issued: 09/26/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Touboul, Shlomo
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John A.
• Application Number:
  US08/918,783
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 395/712, 395/183.15, 395/200.5-200.56, 395/651, 395/670, 709/220-226, 714/39
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0715 in a system implementing multitasking multitasking per se G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0757 by exceeding a time limit, i.e. time-out, e.g. watchdogs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2736 using a dedicated service processor for test
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/302 where the computing system component is a software system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3093 Configuration details thereof, e.g. installation, enabling, spatial arrangement of the probes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/327 Alarm or error message display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/865 Monitoring of software
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0654 using network fault recovery ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/20 Network management software packages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 : by checking functioning

Abstract

A system for monitoring and controlling at least one program capable of being executed on any one of at least two workstations in a network. The network includes at least one agent module resident on each of the at least two workstations and a management console connected to each of the at least two workstations. The system includes modules for identifying an event occurring with respect to a program executing on one of the at least two workstations, modules for sending an alert to the management console which identifies the event, memory for storing a plurality of triggers, each of the triggers adapted to cause an action to be taken within the network, memory for storing at least one procedure, the at least one procedure comprising at least one of the plurality of triggers, and modules for sending at least one of the procedures from the management console to the agent module resident on the one of the at least two workstations in response to receipt of the alert. A method is also provided for monitoring and controlling programs capable of being executed on any of at least two workstations in a network.

Claims

1. A system for controlling a plurality of workstations in a network comprising:

means for identifying an event occurring with respect to a program executing on one of said workstations;

means in one of said workstations for sending an alert to a management console which identifies said event;

means in said management console for storing at least one procedure, said at least one procedure including a plurality of stored triggers, each of said plurality of stored triggers adapted to cause a specific action to be taken within said network;

means for sending said at least one procedure from said management console to an agent module resident on said workstation in response to receipt of said alert;

means in said one of said workstations for automatically launching said plurality of stored triggers in said at least one procedure; and

means in said one of said workstations for providing automatic discovery of a newly activated agent module on said workstations and for identifying said newly activated agent module to said management console.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said means in said one of said at least two workstations for providing automatic discovery is provided in said at least one agent module and sends to said management console an identification packet of the newly activated agent module at the time the newly activated agent module starts operation and at predetermined intervals thereafter until it receives confirmation from said management console that the newly activated agent module is discovered.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said predetermined intervals are about 60 seconds.

4. A system for monitoring and controlling a network, said network comprising at least two workstations and a management console connected to each of said at least two workstations, said system comprising:

at least one generic agent resident on said workstations for transmitting alerts indicating occurrence of an event with a program executing on the workstation;

a monitor resident on said management console for logging alerts transmitted by any of said at least one generic agent;

at least one procedure resident on said management console, said procedure including a plurality of stored triggers, each of said plurality of stored triggers adapted to cause a specific corrective action to be taken within said network;

a manager coupled to said at least one generic agent for monitoring and controlling operations of said at least one generic agent, said manager further configured to send said at least one procedure to said at least one generic agent in response to an alert;

said one of said at least two workstations configured to automatically launch said plurality of stored triggers in said at least one procedure; and

means in said one of said at least two workstations for providing automatic discovery of a newly activated agent means on said at least two workstations and for identifying said newly activated agent means to said management console.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said means in said one of said at least two workstations for providing automatic discovery is provided in said at least one generic agent means and sends to said management console an identification packet of the newly activated agent means at the time the newly activated agent means starts operation and at predetermined intervals thereafter until it receives confirmation from said management console that the newly activated agent means is discovered.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein said predetermined intervals are about 60 seconds.

7. A system for monitoring and controlling a network, said network comprising at least two workstations and a management console connected to each of said at least two workstations, said system comprising:

at least one generic agent resident on each of said at least two workstations configured to transmit alerts indicating occurrence of an event with a program executing on the workstation;

monitor resident on said management console configured to log alerts transmitted by any of said at least one generic agent;

said management console defining at least one procedure, said procedure including a plurality of stored triggers, each of said plurality of stored triggers adapted to cause a specific corrective action to be taken within said network;

a manager coupled to said at least one generic agent and configured to monitor and to control operations of said at least one generic agent, said manager further configured to send said at least one procedure to said at least one generic agent in response to said alert;

at least one specific agent resident in said manager handling problems during execution of a specific user program; and

said one of said at least two workstations configured to automatically launch said plurality of stored triggers in said at least one procedure.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein said one specific user program is LOTUS™

cc;

MAIL.™

9. A method for monitoring and controlling a network, said network comprising at least two workstations and a management console connected to each of said at least two workstations, said method comprising the steps of:

storing in said management console at least one procedure, said at least one procedure comprising a plurality of stored triggers, each of said plurality of stored triggers adapted to cause a specific corrective action to be taken within said network;

identifying an event occurring on one of said at least two workstations;

sending an alert to said management console which identifies said event;

sending at least one of said procedures from said management console to at least one agent module resident on said one of said at least two workstations in response to receipt of said alert;

providing automatic discovery of a newly activated agent module on said at least two workstations for identifying said newly activated agent module to said management console; and

automatically launching, in said one of said at least two workstations;

said plurality of stored triggers in said at least one procedure, each of said plurality of stored triggers causing said specific corrective action to be taken within said network.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said step of providing automatic discovery comprises sending to said management console an identification packet of the newly activated agent module at the time the newly activated agent module starts operation and at predetermined intervals thereafter until it receives confirmation from said management console that the newly activated agent module is discovered.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said predetermined intervals are about 60 seconds.