Verification of service level agreement contracts in a client server environment

• US 6,792,459 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2000
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rajamony, Ramakrishnan, Elnozahy, Elmootazbellah Nabil
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain
• Assistant Examiner(s): WON, MICHAEL YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US09/736,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20020077836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A method, apparatus and computer program product are disclosed to enable independent verification of service level agreement between two parties. In one embodiment, a first party contracts the hosting service of a second party to provide said first party with Web page and services on second party'"'"'s equipment. Said contract contains a Service Level Agreement specifying performance parameters and guarantees for the response time experienced by users of said Web page and services. Independent verification by a third party of said agreement is done for a fee through several steps. In a first step, said third party inserts measuring and reporting instructions into blocks of information maintained on the server of said second party. The measuring instructions are for delivery to the client with the blocks of information. The delivery of the instructions occurs responsive to a request for the information by the client. Once they are delivered, the instructions are executed by the client. This client-side execution produces a measure of service that is provided to the client by the network and the server. In another step, reporting instructions are inserted into the blocks of information. Like the measuring instructions, the reporting instructions are also for delivery to the client. The reporting instructions may be in just one of the blocks of information, and their delivery also occurs responsive to a request for the information by the client. As a result of being executed by the client, the reporting instructions cause the client to send a report of the measure to a verifying agent.

Claims

1. A method for verifying a level of service received by a client from a server and network, comprising the steps of:

attaching measuring instructions to blocks of information maintained on a server, wherein the measuring instructions are for executing by the client to measure service provided to the client by the network and the server; and

attaching reporting instructions to the blocks of information, wherein the reporting instructions are for executing by the client to send a report of the measure of service from the client to a verifying agent, wherein the server is capable of being coupled to a client via a network for delivering ones of the blocks of information, the measuring instructions and the reporting instructions to the client via the network responsive to a request by the client, wherein the blocks of information have links for activating, and wherein the attaching of the measuring instructions includes;

attaching first instructions to selected ones of the links of a first one of the blocks so that the selected ones of the links are instrumented for measurement, wherein responsive to the activating of such an instrumented ones of the links normal browser action on the client dereferences the activated, instrumented link to load a second one of the blocks, and wherein the first instructions are for executing responsive to the activation of the instrumented ones of the links; and

attaching second instructions to an onload handler of the second block, wherein the second instructions are for executing in response to the client loading the second block.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring comprises measuring a response time for delivering one of the blocks of information to the client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring comprises measuring n response times for n instances of delivering ones of the blocks of information to the client.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring comprises measuring statistics about the n response times.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the verifying agent includes the host.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the verifying agent includes a third party.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending of the report is responsive to accumulating m response times.

8. The method claim 1, wherein the sending of the report is responsive to a certain type of request by the client.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the certain type of request comprises a request for a block of information that does not have any of the attached instructions.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the certain type of request comprises a request for a block of information that is not on the server.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the attaching of the reporting instructions to the blocks includes:

attaching third instructions to an onunload handler of the second block, wherein the third instructions are for executing in response to unloading the second block.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending of the report is responsive to a date or time of day.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending comprises sending the report in a Hypertext Transfer Protocol format to a server of the verifying agent.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending of the report is responsive to the service violating specified level.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending of the report is responsive to an identity of the client.

16. An apparatus for verifying a level of service received by a client from a server and network, comprising:

a processor connected to a network;

a storage device connected to the processor and the network, wherein the storage device is for storing;

a program for controlling the processor;

blocks of information;

measuring instructions attached to the blocks of information for executing by the client to measure service provided to the client by the network and the server; and

reporting instructions attached to the blocks of information for executing by the client to send a report of the measure from the client to a verifying agent;

wherein the processor is operative with the program to deliver ones of the blocks of information, the measuring instructions, and the reporting instructions to the client via the network, responsive to a request by the client, wherein the blocks of information have links for activating, and wherein the attaching of the measuring instructions includes;

first instructions attached to selected ones of the links of the first block so that the selected ones of the links are instrumented for measurement, wherein responsive to the activating of such an instrumented one of the links normal browser action on the client dereferences the activated, instrumented link to load a second one of the blocks, and wherein the first instructions are for executing responsive to the activation of the instrumented one of the links; and

second instructions attached to an onload handler of the second block, wherein the second instructions are for executing in response to the client loading the second block.

17. A computer program product in a computer readable media for use in a data processing system for verifying a level of service received by a client from a server and network, the computer program product comprising:

measuring instruction attached to blocks of information for maintaining on a server, wherein the measuring instructions are for executing by the client to measure service provided to the client by the network and the server; and

reporting instructions attached to the blocks of information, wherein the reporting instructions are for executing by the client to send a report of the measure of service from the client to a verifying agent, wherein the server is capable of being coupled to a client via a network for delivering ones of the blocks of information, the measuring instructions and the reporting instructions to the client via the network responsive to a request by the client, wherein the blocks of information have links for activating, and wherein the attaching of the measuring instructions includes;

first instruction attached to selected ones of the links of a first one of the blocks so that the selected ones of the links are instrumented for measurement, wherein responsive to the activating of such an instrumented ones of the links normal browser action on the client dereferences the activated, instrumented link to load a second one of the blocks, and wherein the first instructions are for executing responsive to the activation of the instrumented ones of the links; and

second instructions attached to an onload handler of the second block, wherein the second instructions are for executing in response to the client loading the second block.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the measuring instructions comprise instructions for measuring a response time for delivering one of the blocks of information to the client.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the measuring instructions comprise instructions for measuring n response times for n instances of delivering ones of the blocks of information to the client.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the measuring instructions comprise instructions for measuring statistics about the n response times.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the reporting instructions include instructions for the report to be sent responsive to accumulating m response times.

22. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the reporting instructions include instructions for the report to be sent responsive to a certain type of request by the client.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the certain type of request comprises a request for a block of information that does not have any of the inserted instructions.

24. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the certain type of request comprises a request for a block of information that is not on the server.

25. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the reporting instructions include:

third instructions attached to an onunload handler of the second block, wherein the third instructions are for executing in response to unloading the second block.

26. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the reporting instructions include instructions for the report to be sent responsive to the service violating a specified level.

27. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the reporting instructions include instructions for the report to be sent responsive to an identity of the client.

28. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the reporting instructions include instructions for the report to be sent responsive to a date or time of day.

29. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the reporting instructions include instructions for the report to be sent in a HyperText Transfer Protocol format to a server of the verifying agent.

30. A method for verifying a level of service received by a client from a server and network, comprising the steps of:

engaging, by a business having an interest in a web site, a verifying agent to verify a level of service provided by a service provider to the business, wherein the level of service relates to hosting the web site;

processing content of the web site by the verifying agent, including attaching measuring and reporting instructions to blocks of information included in the web site, wherein the instructions are for executing by the client to measure and send a report of service provided to the client by the network and the server, wherein the server is capable of being coupled to a client via a network for delivering ones of the blocks of information, the measuring instructions and the reporting instructions to the client via the network responsive to a request by the client, wherein the blocks of information have links for activating, and wherein measuring instructions include;

first instructions attached to selected ones of the links of a first one of the blocks so that the selected ones of the links are instrumented for measurement, where n responsive to the activating of such an instrumented ones of the links normal browser action on the client dereferences the activated, instrumented link to load a second one of the blocks, and wherein the first instructions are for executing responsive to the activation of the instrumented ones of the links; and

second instructions attached to an onload handler of the second block, wherein the second instructions are for executing in response to the client loading the second block.