User interface for system management applications

• US 6,505,246 B1
• Filed: 12/30/1998
• Issued: 01/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Candle Distributed Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Land, Timothy Lloyd, Laffoon, Barry William
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thompson, Marc D.
• Application Number:
  US09/223,090
• Time in Patent Office: 1,469 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/203, 345/333, 345/334, 345/335, 345/339, 345/356, 345/329
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/32 with visual or acoustical indication of the functioning of the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/323 Visualisation of programs or trace data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold

Abstract

A system for presenting performance and system management data on a computer monitor. The system comprises a network, one or more presentation views, a data server, and a controller. The network interconnects a plurality of computer systems. The presentation views are defined in a memory of one of the computer systems in the network, receive commands for collecting selected performance data on the presentation view'"'"'s associated computer system, and collect and present the selected performance data. The data server is executed by one of the computer systems in the network, generates requests for the selected performance data, and stores the collected selected performance data returned in response to the requests. The controller is executed by one of the computer systems in the network, translates the requests generated by the data server into the commands for the presentation views, transmits the commands to the presentation views, and forwards the collected performance data to the data server for storage.

Claims

1. A network monitoring system, comprising:

(a) one or more computer systems interconnected on a network; and

(b) a client, executed by one of the computer systems, wherein the client comprises one or more user-customized presentation views and wherein the client is configured to;

(i) receive user-defined requests for retrieving selected performance data on the user-customized presentation view'"'"'s associated computer system;

(ii) retrieve the selected performance data from a data server, wherein the performance data is stored on and collected by the data server in accordance with the received requests;

(iii) retrieve one or more definitions for the one or more user-customized presentation views from the data server, wherein;

(1) the one or more definitions define one or more user-customized graphical user interfaces;

(2) the one or more definitions are stored on the data server; and

(3) the one or more definitions are associated with a specific identifier that corresponds to one or more users such that access control of the definitions is based on the specific identifier; and

(iv) present the retrieved selected performance data in one or more of the user-customized graphical user interfaces in accordance with one or more of the definitions.

2. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the user-defined requests for collecting the selected performance data comprise commands for filtering the performance data.

3. The network monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the commands for filtering the performance data are logical expressions definable by a user of the computer system.

4. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein multiple presentation views are defined for presentation of the performance data, wherein each presentation view presents a different set of data.

6. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the specific identifier is a logon identifier.

7. The network monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the performance data is selected from multiple data sources.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the client further comprises a controller configured to receive the user-defined requests through the graphical user interface from one or more input devices.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein a presentation view is managed by a workplace object.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the client further comprises a model that is configured to communicate with the data server to request and receive the performance data.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the data server is executed by one of the computer systems and provides object-based services to access, report, and manipulate the performance data requested by the client.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the selected collected performance data is presented in the user-customized graphical user interface in a specific manner specified in a user-customizable context.

5. The network monitoring system of claim 5, wherein the multiple presentation views are presented simultaneously.

13. A program storage device, readable by a computer, tangibly embodying one or more programs of instructions executable by the computer to perform a method of presenting data on a computer monitor, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a user-defined request for performance data;

(b) translating the request for user-defined performance data into a collect performance data command;

(c) transmitting the collect performance data command to a data server wherein the performance data is stored on and collected by the data server;

(d) receiving the requested performance data from the data server;

(e) receiving one or more definitions for one or more user-customized presentation views from the data server, wherein;

(i) the one or more definitions define one or more user-customized graphical user interfaces;

(ii) the one or more definitions are stored on the data server; and

(iii) the one or more definitions are associated with a specific identifier that corresponds to one or more users such that access control of the definitions is based on the specific identifier; and

(f) presenting the received requested performance data in one or more of the customized graphical user interfaces in accordance with one or more of the definitions.

14. The program storage device of claim 13, wherein the user-defined request for performance data comprises a command for filtering the performance data.

15. The program storage device of claim 14, wherein the command for filtering the performance data is a logical expression definable by a user of the computer.

16. The program storage device of claim 13, wherein multiple presentation views are defined for presentation of the performance data, wherein each presentation view presents a different set of data.

17. The program storage device of claim 16, wherein the multiple presentation views are presented simultaneously.

18. The program storage device of claim 13, wherein the specific identifier is a logon identifier.

19. The program storage device of claim 13, wherein the performance data is selected from multiple data sources.

20. The program storage device of claim 13 wherein the user-defined requests are received through the graphical user interface from one or more input devices.

21. The program storage device of claim 13 wherein a presentation view is managed by a workplace object.

22. The program storage device of claim 13 wherein the data server provides object-based services to access, report, and manipulate the performance data.

23. The program storage device of claim 13 wherein the selected collected performance data is presented in the user-customizable graphical user interface in a specific manner specified in a user-customizable context.

24. A method for presenting performance data comprising:

(a) receiving user-defined requests for collecting selected performance data, wherein the performance data comprises performance information for one or more computer systems interconnected on a network;

(b) retrieving the selected performance data stored on a data server in accordance with the received requests, wherein the performance data is stored on and collected by the data server;

(c) receiving one or more definitions for one or more user-customized presentation views from the data server, wherein;

(i) the one or more definitions define one or more user-customized graphical user interfaces;

(ii) the one or more definitions are stored on the data server; and

(iii) the one or more definitions are associated with a specific identifier that corresponds to one or more users such that access control of the definitions is based on the specific identifier; and

(d) presenting the received selected performance data in one or more of the user-customized graphical user interfaces in accordance with one or more of the definitions.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the user-defined request for performance data comprises a command for filtering the performance data.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the command for filtering the performance data is a logical expression definable by a user of the computer system.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the specific identifier is a logon identifier.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein multiple presentation views are defined for presentation of the performance data, wherein each presentation view presents a different set of data.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the multiple presentation views are presented simultaneously.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein the performance data is selected from multiple data sources.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein the user-defined requests are received through the graphical user interface from one or more input devices.

32. The method of claim 24, wherein the data server provides object-based services to access, report, and manipulate the performance data.

33. The method of claim 24, wherein the selected collected performance data is presented in the user-customizable graphical user interface in a specific manner specified in a user-customizable context.

34. The method of claim 24 wherein further comprising a controller receiving the user-defined requests through the graphical user interface from one or more input devices.