System and method for handling orphaned cause and effect objects

• US 6,735,772 B1
• Filed: 04/13/2000
• Issued: 05/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: MacPhail, Margaret Gardner
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): BULLOCK JR, LEWIS ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US09/548,594
• Time in Patent Office: 1,489 Days
• Field of Search: 709/318, 709/315, 709/316, 707/206, 716/1, 716/18, 706/21-34, 706/45-62, 719/318, 719/315, 719/316
• US Class Current: 719/315
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0253 Garbage collection, i.e. reclamation of unreferenced memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99957 Garbage collection

Abstract

Cause and effect event objects are created in response to conditions occurring in a system. The object space may be contained on a single system or may span across several systems connected with a computer network. As system events change, a correlation circuit may be changed or removed as a result. Individual objects may not be properly removed from the object space and may be orphaned from their correlation circuits. A orphan handler identifies objects that may be potential orphan objects based on factors. Factors may include the amount of time the object exists in the object space and whether the object is not currently correlated with other objects in the object space. When an orphaned object is identified, it can be automatically removed from the object space. Orphaned objects can be viewed by system administrators to determine whether the object exists in response to a particular system event.

Claims

1. A method for handling orphaned causes and effects, said method comprising:

determining a total number of objects from an object space, wherein the objects are adapted to monitor network devices included in an enterprise computing system;

creating one or more correlation circuits, the correlation circuits including a plurality of cause and effect event objects, wherein the cause evens objects indicate a cause of a problem and are associated with at least one effect event objects, the effect event objects indicating a predicted effect of the associated cause event object; and

identifying one or more orphaned objects, wherein the orphaned objects are selected from the group consisting of cause event objects and effect event objects but are not included in the one or more correlation circuits; and

removing the identified orphaned objects.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the creating one or more correlation circuits further comprises:

sending a message from a first object to the plurality of objects;

receiving replies from the plurality of objects in response to the sending; and

correlating the first object to at least one of the plurality of objects based on the receiving of replies.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the receiving is in response co the first object previously subscribing to one or more of the plurality of objects.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying the plurality of objects by a subscription broker; and

searching subscription information accessible by the subscription broker to determine one or more non-correlated objects from the plurality of objects.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the object space is stored across a plurality of computer systems, the plurality of computer systems being interconnected through a computer network.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

correlating the one or more of the total number of objects not included in the one or more correlation circuits with at least one object from the total number of objects.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying the one or more identified objects.

8. An information handling system for associating causal events with predicted effects, said method comprising:

a computer, the commuter including;

one or more processing units;

a network interface connecting the information handling system to one or more computer systems, wherein the information handling system and the computer systems form an enterprise computing system;

a memory operatively coupled to the one or more processing units; and

an object space stored in the memory;

one or more objects, the objects stored in the object space, wherein the objects are adapted to monitor network devices included in an enterprise computing system;

a total number of objects;

one or more correlation circuits, the correlation circuit including a plurality of cause and effect objects, wherein the cause event objects indicate a cause of a problem and are associated with at least one effect event objects, the effect event objects indicating a predicted effect of the associated cause event object; and

one or more orphaned objects, wherein the orphaned objects are selected from the group consisting of cause event objects and effect event objects but are not included in the one or more correlation circuits; and

means for removing the identified orphaned objects.

11. The information handling system of claim 8 further comprising:

a subscription broker, the subscription broker identifies at the plurality of objects; and

subscription information accessible by the subscription broker identifying one or more non-correlated objects from the plurality of objects.

12. The information handling system of claim 8 further comprising:

a plurality of computer systems, each including one or more processors and a memory, wherein the plurality of computer systems include the computer system;

a computer network interconnecting the plurality of computer systems; and

wherein the object space is stored within the memories of the plurality of computer systems.

13. The information handling system of claim 8, further comprising:

a correlation between the one or more of the total number of objects not included in the one or more correlation circuits and at least one object from the total number of objects.

14. The information handling system of claim 8, further comprising:

a display device, the display device displaying the one or more identified objects.

9. The information handling system of clam 8, further comprising:

a message, the message sent from a first object to the plurality of objects;

one or more replies, the replies received by the first object in response to the message; and

a correlation between the first object and at least one of the plurality of objects based on the replies received by the first object.

10. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein the replies are sent in response to a subscription between the first object and at least one of the plurality of objects.

15. A computer operable medium handling orphaned causes and effects, said medium comprising:

means for determining a total number of objects from an object space, wherein the objects are adapted to monitor network devices included in an enterprise computing system;

means for creating one or more correlation circuits, the correlation circuits including a plurality of cause and effect event objects, wherein the cause event objects indicate a cause of a problem and are associated with at least one effect event objects, the effect event objects indicating a predicted effect of the associated cause event object; and

means for identifying one or more orphaned objects, wherein the orphaned objects are selected from the group consisting of cause event objects and effect event objects but are not included in the one or more correlation circuits; and

means for removing the identified orphaned objects.

16. The computer operable medium of claim 15 wherein the means for creating one or more correlation circuits further comprises:

means for sending a message from a first object to the plurality of objects;

means for receiving replies from the plurality of objects in response to the message; and

means for correlating the first object to at least one of the plurality of objects based on The replies.

17. The computer operable medium of claim 16 wherein the replies are in response to the first object previously subscribing to one or more of the plurality of objects.

18. The computer operable medium of claim 15 further comprising:

means for identifying the plurality of objects by a subscription broker; and

means for searching subscription information accessible by the subscription broker to determine one or more non-correlated objects from the plurality of objects.

19. The computer operable medium of claim 15 wherein the object space is stored across a plurality of computer systems, the plurality of computer systems being interconnected through a computer network.

20. The computer operable medium of claim 15 further comprising:

means for correlating the one or more of the total number of objects not included in the one or more correlation circuits with at least one object from the total number of objects.