Post-deployment monitoring of server performance

• US 6,449,739 B1
• Filed: 01/17/2000
• Issued: 09/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus LLC (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mercury Interactive Corp. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Landan, Amnon
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ziemer, Rita A
• Application Number:
  US09/484,686
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 714/47, 714/25, 714/27, 713/201, 709/203, 709/223, 707/10, 711/114, 711/101, 705/35, 345/733, 370/252
• US Class Current: 714/47.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/323 Visualisation of programs or trace data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/327 Alarm or error message display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3414 Workload generation, e.g. scripts, playback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet

Abstract

A monitoring system allows users to monitor the post-deployment performance of a web-based or other transactional server. The system includes an agent component (“agent”) which can be installed on computers (“agent computers”) that have access to the transactional server, including computers of actual users of the transactional server. The agent simulates the actions of actual users of the transactional server while monitoring the server'"'"'s performance. The specific transactions to be performed by the agent computers are specified by testcases that are dispatched to the agent computers using a controller component (“controller”). As each agent computer executes a testcase, it reports the execution results (performance data) in real-time to a web-based reports server which stores the results in a centralized database. The performance data may include, for example, server response times, screen display sequences for failed transactions, measured segment delays along network paths, and identifiers of “broken” web site links. Authorized personnel can access the reports server using a standard web browser to view the collected performance data via a series of customizable reports. Using the controller, the user can also assign testcase execution schedules to the agent computers, including periodic schedules that provide for continuous or near-continuous monitoring of the transactional server. In addition, the user can specify alert conditions which cause personnel to be immediately notified (e.g., by pager) of problems. The controller and the reports server also provide functions for allowing the user to monitor the operation of the transactional server according to the attributes of the agent computers, such as the locations, organizations, and ISPs of such computers.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring the performance of a deployed transactional server, comprising the steps of:

(a) programming a plurality of computers to execute transactions on the deployed transactional server as simulated users while monitoring performance of the transactional server;

(b) assigning attributes to the plurality of computers such that at least some of the computers have different attributes than others;

(c) receiving and storing performance data generated by the plurality of computers as a result of step (a), the performance data indicating at least one parameter of the performance of the transactional server; and

(d) displaying the performance data separately for each of multiple attributes assigned in step (b).

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein step (d) comprises generating a report which separately indicates the performance of the transactional server as monitored from each of multiple geographic locations.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein step (d) comprises generating a report which separately indicates the performance as monitored from each multiple organizations.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein step (d) comprises generating a report which separately indicates the performance as monitored through each of multiple Internet service providers.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises assigning automated execution schedules to the plurality of computers, wherein the execution schedules specify timing for executing the transactions.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises programming at least some of the plurality of computers to verify user-selected content of responses from the transactional server.

7. The method as in claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises programming at least some of the plurality of computers remotely using a controller program that dispatches testcases to the computers.

8. The method as in claim 7, wherein the controller program is hosted on a server as a web-based service.

9. The method as in claim 1, further comprising generating and transmitting an alert message when the performance data satisfies an alert condition.

10. The method as in claim 9, wherein the alert condition is specific to an attribute-specific subset of the plurality of computers.

11. The method as in claim 1, wherein step (c) comprises receiving and storing the performance data substantially in real time as transactions are executed.

12. The method as in claim 1, further comprising programming the transactional server to process a destructive transaction executed by the one or more of the plurality of computers non-destructively.

13. The method as in claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of computers are computers used by end users of the transactional server.

14. The method as in claim 1, wherein the performance data comprises a sequence of screen displays returned by the transactional server during a failed transaction.

15. The method as in claim 1, wherein the performance data comprises network segment delays measured by one or more of the plurality of computers.

16. The method as in claim 1, wherein the performance data comprises identifiers of broken web site links detected by one or more of the plurality of computers.

17. A computer-readable medium having a controller program stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, provides functions for at least:

selecting a plurality of computers to include within a monitoring session for monitoring the post-deployment operation of a transactional server;

assigning transactions to the plurality of computers for exercising and monitoring the transactional server; and

assigning attributes to specific computers of the plurality of computers to permit monitoring of the transactional server separately for each of a plurality of attributes.

18. The computer-readable medium as in claim 17, wherein the attributes include names of organizations in which the computers are located.

19. The computer-readable medium as in claim 17, wherein the attributes include names of geographic regions in which the computers are located.

20. The computer-readable medium as in claim 17, wherein the attributes include at least one of (a) Internet Service Providers used by the computers, and (b) routers to which the computers are coupled.

21. The computer-readable medium as in claim 17, wherein the attributes include configurations of the computers.

22. The computer-readable medium as in claim 17, wherein the controller program provides an option to assign different transactions to different computers of the plurality.

23. The computer-readable medium as in claim 17, wherein the controller program provides a function for assigning execution schedules to the plurality of computers for executing the transactions.

24. The computer-readable medium as in claim 23, wherein the controller program provides an option for the user to define the execution schedules.

25. The computer-readable medium as in claim 17, wherein the controller program graphically represents the monitoring session to the user as a tree in which the transactions are represented as children of corresponding computers.

26. The computer-readable medium as in claim 25, wherein the controller program further represents execution schedules that are assigned to the computers as respective children in the tree.

27. The computer-readable medium as in claim 17, in combination with a report server component that uses the assigned attributes to separate transactional server performance data for display.

28. The computer-readable medium as in claim 17, in combination with an agent component which is adapted to be installed on the plurality of computers to permit the computers to be remotely programmed by the controller program.

29. The computer-readable medium as in claim 17, wherein the controller program provides a user option to specify an alert condition.

30. The computer-readable medium as in claim 29, wherein the controller program provides an option to define an alert condition that is specific to a subset of the plurality of attributes.

31. The computer-readable medium as in claim 17, wherein the controller program implements functions for dispatching the transactions to the plurality of computers.

32. The computer-readable medium as in claim 17, wherein the controller program includes functions for recording the transactions.

33. The computer-readable medium as in claim 17, wherein the controller program includes functions for the user to specify expected responses from the transactional server.

34. A method for monitoring a deployed transactional server, comprising:

remotely programming a group of computers to access the deployed transactional server as simulated users while monitoring performance of the transactional server such that the transactional server is monitored substantially continuously by the group;

monitoring performance data generated by the group substantially in real-time to check for an alert condition; and

generating an alert notification message in response to detection of the alert condition.

35. The method as in claim 34, wherein the alert condition is specific to an attribute-based subset of computers of the group.

36. The method as in claim 34, further comprising storing the performance data in a database substantially in real-time, and providing remote, online access to the database.

37. The method as in claim 36, wherein providing online access comprises providing a user option to specify a timeframe over which to view the performance data.

38. The method as in claim 34, wherein the group includes computers of end-users of the transactional server.

39. A method of monitoring the operation of a transactional server, comprising:

installing an agent component on a plurality of computers, including computers of end users of the transactional server, wherein the agent component is adapted to execute transactions as simulated users of the transactional server while monitoring performance of the transactional server; and

remotely assigning to the plurality of computers the transactions to be executed by the agent components installed thereon.

40. The method as in claim 39, wherein assigning the transactions comprises selecting, on a computer-by-computer basis, the transactions to be assigned to each of the plurality of computers.

41. The method as in claim 40, further comprising remotely assigning execution schedules to the plurality of computers for executing the transactions.

42. The method as in claim 41, wherein assigning the execution schedules comprises specifying, on a computer-by-computer basis, the execution schedule to be used by each of the plurality of computers.

43. The method as in claim 39, further comprising aggregating and providing remote access to performance data collected by the plurality of computers, the performance data indicating performance of the transactional server.

44. The method as in claim 43, wherein the performance data includes a sequence of screen displays captured by at least one of the plurality of computers during execution of a transaction.

45. The method as in claim 43, wherein the performance data includes network path segment delays measured by at least one of the plurality of computers.

46. The method as in claim 43, wherein the performance data includes identifiers of broken web site links detected by at least one of the plurality of computers.

47. A method of monitoring operation of a transactional server, comprising, on each of a plurality of computers that are programmed to monitor the transactional server as simulated users:

executing a transaction as a simulated user of the transactional server;

during transaction execution, storing a sequence of screens displays returned by the transactional server;

determining whether the transaction completed successfully; and

if the transaction did not complete successfully, forwarding the sequence of screen displays to a server for subsequent viewing.