Evaluating computer resources

• US 6,519,714 B1
• Filed: 09/30/1999
• Issued: 02/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NetScout Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: NetScout Service Level Corporation (NetScout Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Sweet, Bruce, Fulreader, John, Pegram, Gregory, Daruwalla, Gev, Kelley, Bruce A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Iqbal, Nadeem
• Application Number:
  US09/409,558
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 714/28, 714/37, 714/38, 714/43, 714/33, 714/40, 714/41, 714/32, 709/203, 709/207, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 714/28
• 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 11/3471 Address tracing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/865 Monitoring of software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/87 Monitoring of transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• 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 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements

Abstract

To closely simulate the experience of an end user, a software agent executes where the end user would be situated and attempts to exercise a computer resource such as a networked application or a network resource in a simulated transaction in exactly or nearly exactly the same way that the computer resource would be exercised by the end user in non-simulated transaction. The results of the simulated transaction and of other simulated transactions by other software agents are communicated to a central software system for recordation and analysis.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

causing, from a central location, multiple emulation transactions to be executed that each emulates an end-user'"'"'s interaction with a software application, wherein each transaction includes communication with the software application across a network, and wherein at least two of the multiple emulation transactions originate from two different respective locations on the network; and

storing information derived from a result of at least one of the transactions at the respective originating location for later transmission to the central location.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing a message to be transmitted, to a point where the software application is executing, from an end-user point on the network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing a message to be transmitted, from a point where the software application is executing, to an end-user point on the network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the software application includes a Web server application.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

causing the transaction to be executed includes emulating a function of a Web browser.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network includes client/server technology and the transaction includes a client/server transaction.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

emulating the client side of the client/server transaction.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

attempting to retrieve specified information from the software application.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

attempting to retrieve information from a Web page supplied by the software application.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

supplying login information to the software application.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the software application includes a database application.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

attempting to retrieve information from the database application.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a response time in at least one of the multiple emulation transaction.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining an application processing time component of the response time.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining a network processing time component of the response time.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

attempting to establish a TCP/IP connection; and

based on a result of the attempt, determining a network processing time.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a ping message; and

based on a result of the transmission, determining a network processing time.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the emulating includes emulating a TCP/IP client.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

based on at least one of the multiple emulation transactions, determining the availability of the software application.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

if a response is not received timely from the software application, determining that the software application is unavailable.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing multiple instances of at least one of the multiple emulation transactions to be executed according to a schedule.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

deriving a performance baseline from results of the multiple instances.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a data packet to the software application, the data packet including information that identifies at least one of the multiple emulation transactions.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the point in the computer network includes an end-user point.

25. A method comprising:

issuing, from a central source, a directive to generate a simulated computer communication;

generating the simulated computer communication at a point in a computer network;

using a non-simulated network resource to deliver the simulated computer communication to a computer resource;

evaluating the computer resource based on a result of the delivery of the simulated computer communication to the computer resource; and

receiving, at the central source, a report on the result of the delivery of the simulated computer communication to the computer resource.

40. The method of claim 25, wherein the network includes client/server technology and the simulated computer communication includes a client/server transaction.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising:

emulating the client side of the client/server transaction.

42. The method of claim 25, wherein the central source comprises a central server or a central software system.

43. The method of claim 25, wherein the computer resource comprises an application.

26. Computer software, residing on a computer-readable storage medium, comprising a set of instructions for use in a computer system to cause the computer system to:

cause, from a central location, multiple emulation transactions to be executed that each emulates an end-user'"'"'s interaction with a software application, wherein each transaction includes communication with the software application across a net-work, and wherein at least two of the multiple emulation transactions originate from two different respective locations on the network; and

store information derived from a result of at least one of the transactions at the respective originating location for later transmission to the central location.

30. The computer software of claim 26, wherein the software application includes a Web server application.

31. The computer software of claim 26, wherein the network includes client/server technology and the transaction includes a client/server transaction.

32. The computer software of claim 26, wherein the software application includes a database application.

33. The computer software of claim 26, wherein the emulating includes emulating a TCP/IP client.

34. The computer software of claim 26, further comprising:

based on at least one of the multiple emulation transactions, determining the availability of the software application.

27. Computer software, residing on a computer-readable storage medium, comprising a set of instructions for use in a computer system to cause the computer system to:

issue, from a central source, a directive to generate a simulated computer communication;

generate the simulated computer communication at a point in a computer network;

use a non-simulated network resource to deliver the simulated computer communication to a computer resource;

evaluate the computer resource based on a result of the delivery of the simulated computer communication to the computer resource; and

receive, at the central source, a report on the result of the delivery of the simulated computer communication to the computer resource.

44. The computer software of claim 27, wherein the network includes client/server technology and the simulated computer communication includes a client/server transaction.

45. The computer software of claim 44, further comprising:

emulating the client side of the client/server transaction.

46. The computer software of claim 27, wherein the central source comprises a central server or a central software system.

47. The computer software of claim 27, wherein the computer resource comprises an application.

28. A system comprising:

a system that causes, from a central location, multiple emulation transactions to be executed that each emulates an end-user'"'"'s interaction with a software application wherein each transaction includes communication with the software application across a network, and wherein at least two of the multiple emulation transactions originate from two different respective locations on the network; and

stores information derived from a result of at least one of the transactions at the respective originating location for later transmission to the central location.

35. The system of claim 28, wherein the software application includes a Web server application.

36. The system of claim 28, wherein the network includes client/server technology and the transaction includes a client/server transaction.

37. The system of claim 28, wherein the software application includes a database application.

38. The system of claim 28, wherein the emulating includes emulating a TCP/IP client.

39. The system of claim 28, further comprising:

based on at least one of the multiple emulation transactions, determining the availability of the software application.

29. A system comprising:

a generator that generates a simulated computer communication at a point in a computer network;

a utilizer that uses a non-simulated network resource to deliver the simulated computer communication to a computer resource;

an evaluator that evaluates the computer resource based on a result of the delivery of the simulated computer communication to the computer resource

a transmitter that issues, from a central source, a directive to generate the simulated computer communication; and

a receiver that receives, at the central source, a report on the result of the delivery of the simulated computer communication to the computer resource.