System and method for implementing polling agents in a client management tool

• US 6,792,455 B1
• Filed: 04/28/2000
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: DeLuca, Steve A., Bishop, David A., Darcy, Paul B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Halim, Sahera
• Application Number:
  US09/561,277
• Time in Patent Office: 1,600 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/202, 709/223, 709/229, 709/226, 709/221
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3442 for planning or managing the needed capacity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/88 Monitoring involving counting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/885 Monitoring specific for caches
• 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 41/5009 Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5032 Generating service level reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV

Abstract

A method and system is provided for implementing a variety of polling agent functions in a client management tool. Users at a central manager are prompted to select either a central polling function or a resident polling function for the collection of client management data from a number of computer objects. Additionally, the polling agent functions of the present invention are capable of distinguishing between critical data and non-critical data and determining an appropriate transmission interval for the data.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for implementing one or more polling agents for collecting data from a plurality of computer system objects, the method comprising:

prompting a human operator via a graphical user interface to manually select one of a plurality of polling functions, wherein the plurality of polling functions includes at least a centralized polling function and a non-centralized polling function, the non-centralized polling comprising a resident polling function comprising at least one resident polling agent and the centralized polling function comprising a central polling agent not requiring resident polling agents; and

if the human operator selection is received, implementing at least one polling agent corresponding to the selected polling function.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising designating one of the plurality of polling functions as a default and implementing at least one polling agent corresponding to the default if no user selection is received.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected polling function implements a central polling agent.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected polling function implements a first resident polling agent on a first computer system object.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the selected polling function implements a second resident polling agent on a second computer system object.

6. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the selected polling function implements a central polling agent.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein two or more of the computer system objects are servers.

8. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 1.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of polling functions further includes a combined central and resident polling function which implements a central polling agent and one or more resident polling agents.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one polling agent distinguishes between critical and non-critical data to determine an appropriate transmission interval for collecting the data.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising initiating a client management session in a first polling configuration corresponding to the selected polling function.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising changing the polling configuration for the client management session from the first polling configuration to a second polling configuration corresponding to a second of the plurality of polling functions.

13. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 12.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein changing the polling configuration includes reinitializing the client management session, prompting the user to select a second of the plurality of polling functions and implementing at least one polling agent corresponding to the second selected polling function.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising initiating a second client management session in a second polling configuration corresponding to a second of the plurality of polling functions, wherein the first and second client management sessions are concurrent sessions involving one or more common computer system objects.

16. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 15.

17. A computer system having a processor, a memory, and an operating environment, the computer system operable to execute the method recited in claim 1.

18. A computer system for collecting management data, the system comprising:

a central manager in communication with a plurality of computer system objects;

a graphical user interface for prompting a human operator to manually select one of a plurality of polling modes, wherein the plurality of polling modes includes at least a centralized polling mode and a non-centralized polling mode;

central polling means for implementing a centralized polling mode for collecting data from the plurality of objects, the centralized polling mode comprising a central polling agent operable to reside on the central polling means when implemented and not requiring resident polling agents, and

resident polling means for implementing a non-centralized polling mode for collecting data from the plurality of objects, the non-centralized polling mode comprising at least one resident polling agents operable to reside on at least one of the plurality of computer system objects when the non-centralized polling mode is implemented.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the central polling agent distinguishes between critical and non-critical data to determine an appropriate transmission interval for collecting the data.

20. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the one or more resident polling agents distinguish between critical and non-critical data to determine an appropriate transmission interval for collecting the data.

21. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the central manager includes a management machine, a console and a database.

22. The computer system of claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of computer system objects includes a polling interface which is the communications interface between the central manager and the respective object.