Method and apparatus for efficiently and dynamically updating monitored metrics in a heterogeneous system

• US 6,871,324 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2001
• Issued: 03/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hand, Leonard S., Washburn, Jeffery R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, TING ZHOU
• Application Number:
  US09/865,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20020175934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• Field of Search: 345/734, 345/736, 345/738, 345/771, 345/772, 345/853, 345/854, 709/200
• US Class Current: 715/734
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/06 Generation of reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes

Abstract

A dynamic content delivery network node metrics reporting include a graphical display map, a multitude of components distributed across a heterogeneous network, and a plurality of agents. The graphical display map can display a plurality of nodes and visual representations of reported metric values for characterizing the components, where the nodes can represent the components. Individual ones of the nodes can include a multitude of the visual representations. The agents can probe the components for component metric values. The agents can determine the reported metric values based upon the component metric values and can convey the reported metric values to the appropriate locations within the graphical display map.

Claims

1. A dynamic network node metrics reporting method, comprising:

probing a content delivery network (CDN) component for determined and undetermined ones of selected metric values characterizing the performance of said CDN component;

reporting said determined metric values to a recipient graphical display interface by updating a first update message with said determined metric values resulting from said probing step and by adding to the first update message, a predefined code, where the predefined code relates to the undetermined values; and

repeating said probing and said reporting steps for said undetermined metric values, wherein said probing and said reporting steps occur in a first agent, and wherein said repeating step occurs in a second agent.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said repeating step comprises:

updating a second update message with determined metric values resulting tiara said probing initiated by a second agent, said determined metrics corresponding to said undetermined metrics resulting from said probing initiated by said first agent; and

adding a predefined code to said second update message, said predefined code relating to said determined metric values in said first update message.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein values within said fields of said first and said second update message are used to update values within said recipient graphical display, where said graphical display is updated using said determined metric values.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein said selected predefined code defines an action selected from the group consisting of disregarding a result from said probing step, indicating a problem with said probing step, and keeping an existing value of said metric without setting it.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said metrics is at least one selected from the group consisting of a CPU load, network capacity, run queue size, connections, memory usage, page ins, and disk I/O.

6. A method for dynamically reporting a plurality of metrics for components of a dynamic data space, comprising:

probing a component of the dynamic data space for determined and undetermined ones of selected metric values characterizing the data space;

reporting said determined metric values to a recipient graphical display interface by updating a first update message with the determined metric values resulting from said probing step and by adding to the first update message a predefined code, where the predefined code relates to the undetermined values; and

repeating said probing and reporting steps for said undetermined metric values, wherein said probing and reporting step occurs in a first agent, and wherein said repeating step occurs in a second agent.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said repeating step comprises:

updating a second update message with determined metric values resulting from said probing initiated by a second agent, said determined metrics corresponding to said undetermined metrics resulting from said probing initiated by said first agent; and

adding a predefined code to said second update message, said predefined code relating to said undetermined metric values in said first update message.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein values within said fields of said first and said second update message are used to update values within said recipient graphical display, wherein said graphical display is updated using said determined metric values.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein said selected predefined code defines an action selected from the group consisting of disregarding a result from said probing step, indicating a problem with said probing step, and keeping an existing value of said metric without setting it.

10. A machine readable storage having stored thereon, a computer program having a plurality of code sections, said code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps at:

probing a CDN component for determined and undetermined ones of selected metric values characterizing the performance of said CDN component, the code sections for reporting metrics for said CDN components;

reporting said determined metric values to a recipient graphical display interface by updating a first update message with the determined metric values resulting from said probing step and by adding to the first update message a predefined code, where the predefined code relates to the undetermined values; and

repeating said probing and said reporting steps for said undetermined metric values, wherein said probing and said reporting steps occur in a first agent, and wherein said repeating step occurs in a second agent.

11. The machine readable storage according to claim 10, wherein said repeating step comprises:

updating a second update message with determined metric values resulting from said probing initiated by a second agent, said determined metrics corresponding to said undetermined metrics resulting from said probing initiated by said first agent; and

adding a predefined code to said second update message, said predefined code relating to said determined metric values in said first update message.

12. The machine readable storage according to claim 11, wherein values within said fields of said first and said second update message are used to update values within said recipient graphical display, where said graphical display is updated using said determined metric values.

13. The machine readable storage according to claim 11, wherein said selected predefined code defines an action selected from the group consisting of disregarding a result from said probing step, indicating a problem with said probing step, and keeping an existing value of said metric without setting it.

14. The machine readable storage according to claim 10, wherein said metrics is at least one selected from the group consisting of a CPU load, network capacity, run queue size, connection, memory usage, page ins capacity, and a disk I/O.

15. A machine readable storage having stored thereon, a computer program having a plurality of code sections, the code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

probing a component of the dynamic data space for determined and undetermined ones of selected metric values characterizing said component, the code sections for reporting a plurality of metrics for components of a dynamic data space;

reporting said determined metric values to a recipient graphical display interface by updating a first update message with the determined metric values resulting from said probing step and by adding to the first update message a predefined code, where the predefined code relates to the undetermined values; and

repeating said probing and reporting steps for said undetermined metric values, wherein said probing and said reporting steps occur in a first agent, wherein said repeating step occurs in a second agent.

16. The machine readable storage according to claim 15, wherein said repeating step comprises:

updating a second update message with determined metric values resulting from said probing initiated by a second agent, said determined metrics corresponding to said undetermined metrics resulting from said probing initiated by said first agent; and

adding a predefined code to said second update message, said predefined code relating to said determined metric values in said first update message.

17. The machine readable storage according to claim 16, wherein values within said fields of said first and said second update message arc used to update values within said recipient graphical display, wherein said graphical display is updated using said determined metric values.

18. The machine readable storage according to claim 16, wherein said selected predefined code defines an action selected from the group consisting of disregarding a result from said probing step, indicating a problem with said probing step, and keeping an existing value of said metric without setting it.

19. The machine readable storage according to claim 16, wherein said component is a CDN component.

20. A dynamic CDN node metrics reporting system, comprising:

a graphical display map for displaying a plurality of nodes and visual representations of reported metric values for characterizing components, said nodes representing said components, wherein individual ones of said nodes are include a plurality of said visual representations;

a plurality of said components distributed across a heterogeneous network; and

a plurality of agents configured to probe said components for component metric values, said agent determining said reported metric values based upon said component metric values and conveying said reported metric values to said graphical display map, wherein said reported metric values include values representing said component metric values that are displayed as said visual representations and control values that are not displayed as said visual representations.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein each of said agent is a platform-independent software object.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said agents are distributed across said heterogeneous network.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein at least one of said nodes includes a plurality of said visual representations for that node.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said plurality of visual representations for said node are based upon reported metric values conveyed to said node from a plurality of different agents.