Method of remote monitoring

• US 6,944,793 B1
• Filed: 10/29/2001
• Issued: 09/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Parker, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Damiano, Anne L
• Application Number:
  US10/020,535
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: 714/4, 714/25, 714/31, 714/48, 714/47, 702/188
• US Class Current: 714/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3093 Configuration details thereof, e.g. installation, enabling, spatial arrangement of the probes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/552 involving long-term monitoring or reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload

Abstract

A method and apparatus is described for remote monitoring of digital processing systems. A remote monitoring digital processing system may be connected to one or more digital processing systems to be monitored. A diagnostic program may be executed on the remote monitoring digital processing system to generate diagnostic information relating to each monitored digital processing system.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

connecting at least one remote monitoring digital processing system to at least one monitored digital processing system, wherein connecting comprises establishing a secure connection between the remote digital processing system and the monitored digital processing system; and

executing at least one diagnostic program from the remote monitoring digital processing system to run a command on the monitored system to generate diagnostic information relating to the monitored digital processing system, wherein executing comprises;

constructing, within a remote probe residing on the remote monitoring digital processing system, at least one string containing at least one command to be run on the monitored digital processing system;

sending the string from the remote monitoring digital processing system to the monitored digital processing system; and

running the command on the monitored digital processing system, wherein running the command comprises running the command within a daemon residing on the monitored digital processing system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing a secure connection comprises establishing a connection using Secure Shell.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein sending comprises sending the string from the remote probe to the monitored digital processing system through the secure connection.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the daemon is a Secure Shell daemon.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising collecting within the remote monitoring digital processing system the diagnostic information relating to the monitored digital processing system.

6. A method comprising:

establishing a secure connection between a remote digital processing system and a monitored digital processing system;

executing at least one diagnostic program on the remote digital processing system to generate diagnostic information relating to the monitored digital processing system by constructing within a remote probe residing on the remote monitoring digital processing system at least one string containing at least one command to be run on the monitored digital processing system; and

collecting within the remote probe residing on the remote monitoring digital processing system the diagnostic information relating to the monitored digital processing system.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising interpreting within the remote monitoring digital processing system the diagnostic information.

8. A method comprising:

establishing a secure connection between a remote digital processing system and a monitored digital processing system;

executing at least one diagnostic program on the remote digital processing system to generate diagnostic information relating to the monitored digital processing system by constructing within a remote probe residing on the remote monitoring digital processing system at least one string containing at least one command to be run on the monitored digital processing system;

collecting within the remote monitoring digital processing system the diagnostic information relating to the monitored digital processing system; and

interpreting within the remote probe residing on the remote monitoring digital processing system the diagnostic information.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a scheduler residing on a remote monitoring digital processing system;

a command residing on the remote monitoring digital processing system to execute a diagnostic program within the remote monitoring system, wherein the command is operatively coupled with the scheduler; and

a monitored digital processing system coupled with the remote monitoring digital processing system; and

a daemon residing on the monitored digital processing system.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the daemon is a Secure Shell daemon.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a UNIX operating system running on the remote monitoring digital processing system.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the monitored digital processing system is coupled with the remote monitoring digital processing system through a secure connection.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the secure connection is a Secure Shell connection.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising at least one string to be sent from and to the monitored digital processing system through the secure connection, the string containing at least one command to be run on the monitored digital processing system to generate diagnostic information relating to the monitored digital processing system.