Method and apparatus for customizably calculating and displaying health of a computer network

• US 7,003,564 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2001
• Issued: 02/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Adams, John C, Greuel, James R
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiley, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gerezgiher, Yemane M.
• Application Number:
  US09/764,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20020133584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,861 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709220-222, 709/227, 709/228
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/024 using relational databases for representation of network management data, e.g. managing via structured query language [SQL]
• 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 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route

Abstract

Apparatus and methods facilitate customizable and extensible performance monitoring of a computer network. One method accepts a composite score definition in terms of N system variables, wherein N≧2; determines N raw data values, each raw data value corresponding to one of the N system variables; computes the composite score in accordance with the definition using the N raw data values as inputs; and outputs the composite score. The composite score definition is preferably in the form of a markup language, such as XML. The composite score definition preferably comprises, for each of the N system variables, a mapping and a weight. Preferably the composite score is displayed in at least one graphic form, such as a dial gauge, a bar indicator or a number, on a hypertext page. The hypertext page preferably contains one or more links to hypertext pages containing information regarding the scores and/or raw data values from which the composite score is derived. Another method accepts a mapping by which a raw data value associated with a corresponding system variable is mapped to a score, determines a raw data value corresponding to the system variable, converts the raw data value to a score in accordance with the mapping; and produces an output based on the score. One apparatus comprises a composite score definition, a data collector, a calculation logic and an output. The data collector collects a raw data value corresponding to one of the N system variables. The calculation logic is connected to the data collector and calculates the composite score in accordance with the definition using the N raw data values as inputs. The composite score is conveyed by way of the output. Preferably, the data collector comprises a database in which at least some of the raw data values are stored and a communication module by which at least some of the raw data values are transported, preferably according to the SNMP and/or the ICMP protocols. Another apparatus comprises a mapping, a data collector, a converter and an output. A raw data value associated with a corresponding system variable is mapped to a score, according to the mapping.

Claims

1. A method for generating at least one composite health score indicating the health of at least a portion of a computer network comprising:

receiving a definition of said composite health score, said definition defining for each of a plurality of observable network resources a mapping between a plurality of raw performance data for said each observable network resource and a representative component health score representative of said health of said each observable network resource, and further defining a function defining how said component health scores for said plurality of observable network resources are combined to form said composite health score;

collecting said raw network performance data from at least one network resource;

converting, in accordance with said mapping for each said network resource, said collected raw data into said representative component health score for said each observable network resource; and

combining said component health scores according to said function to form said composite health score.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said composite health score definition is in the form of a markup language.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

filtering network resources specified in said composite health score definition according to access criteria to prevent access to certain networked resources on the computer network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying said at least one composite health score on a hypertext page.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said hypertext page contains at least one link to a hypertext page containing information regarding at least one of said component health scores or said raw network performance data from which said at least one displayed composite health score is derived.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said composite health score is one of a group consisting of a composite network health score, a composite router health score, a composite customer premise equipment health score, a composite access link health score, a composite key device health score and a composite server health score.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said function defining how said component health scores are combined to form said composite health score comprises:

a function defining a weighted average of said component health scores.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said mapping for at least one of said plurality of network resources comprises:

a mapping that equates at least one value range of said collected raw performance data with a single value of said representative component health score.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said mapping for at least one of said plurality of network resources comprises:

a mapping that translates at least one of said collected raw performance data values to a representative component health score value in accordance with a mathematical formula.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein for at least one of said at least one of said collected performance data values said mathematical formula comprises an identity function.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of observable network resources comprises a network device selected from a group consisting of a node, a router, a hub, a server, a gateway, a switch, a bridge, a node interface, a link, and a customer premise equipment.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected raw data comprises one or more of the following:

an up/down status, an error rate, a packet discard rate, a buffer level, a congestion metric, a latency metric, a retransmission count, a collision count, a negative acknowledgement count, a processor utilization metric, a storage utilization metric and a time since last reset.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said collecting raw data comprises:

collecting said raw performance data utilizing at least one protocol selected from a group consisting of Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP).

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said collecting said raw network performance data from at least one network resource comprises:

communicating with a plurality of remote node agents each associated with a network node on the computer network to receive said raw performance data for said associated network node.

41. The method of claim 1, wherein for at least one of the observable network resources, the mapping between the raw performance data and the component health score comprises a plurality of mappings between one or more of the raw performance data and corresponding subcomponent health scores, and wherein the step of converting said collected raw data into said component health score of the network resource comprises:

converting, in accordance with said mappings, said one or more raw performance data to said subcomponent health scores; and

computing the component health score using said subcomponent health scores.

15. A computer-readable medium on which is embedded a software program, wherein, when executed, the program performs a method comprising:

receiving a definition of said composite health score, said definition defining for each of a plurality of observable network resources a mapping between a plurality of raw performance data for said each observable network resource and a representative component health score representative of said health of said each observable network resource, and further defining a function defining how said component health scores for said plurality of observable network resources are combined to form said composite health score;

collecting said raw network performance data from at least one network resource;

converting, in accordance with said mapping for each said network resource, said collected raw data into said representative component health score for the network resource; and

combining said component health scores according to said function to form said composite health score.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

filtering network resources specified in said composite health score definition according to access criteria to prevent access to certain networked resources on the computer network.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

displaying said at least one composite health score on a hypertext page.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein said hypertext page contains at least one link to a hypertext page containing information regarding at least one of said component health scores or said raw network performance data from which said at least one displayed composite health score is derived.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein said function defining how said component health scores are combined to form said composite health score comprises:

a function defining a weighted average of said component health scores.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein said mapping for at least one of said plurality of observable network resources comprises:

a mapping dial translates at least one of said collected raw performance data values to a representative component health score value in accordance with a mathematical formula.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein for at least one of said at least one of said collected performance data values said mathematical formula comprises an identity function.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein said collecting raw data comprises:

collecting said raw performance data utilizing at least one protocol selected from a group consisting of Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP).

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein receiving raw data comprises:

communicating with a plurality of remote node agents each associated with a network node on the computer network to receive said raw performance data for said associated network node.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein for at least one of the observable network resources, the mapping between the raw performance data and the component health score comprises a plurality of mappings between one or more of the raw performance data and corresponding subcomponent health scores, and wherein the converting of said collected raw data into said component health score for the network resource comprises:

converting, in accordance with said mappings, said one or more raw performance data to said subcomponent health scores; and

computing the component health score using said subcomponent health scores.

24. An apparatus for generating at least one composite health score indicating the health of at least a portion of a computer network comprising:

a data collector configured to collect raw network performance data from at least one network resource; and

calculation logic configured to calculate said composite health score using a definition defining for each of a plurality of observable network resources a mapping between a plurality of raw performance data for said each observable network resource and a representative component health score representative of said health of said each observable network resource, and further defining a function defining how said component health scores for said plurality of observable network resources are combined to form said composite health score.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said calculation logic comprises:

a converter configured to convert, in accordance with said mapping for each said network resource, said collected raw data into said representative component health score.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said calculation logic comprises:

a combiner configured to combine said component health scores according to said function to form said composite health score.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

a filter, connected between the composite score definition and the data collector, wherein the filter blocks access to certain system resources, according to a predetermined criteria.

28. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

a filter, connected between the data collector and the converter, wherein the filter excludes certain raw data, according to a predetermined criteria.

29. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said data collector operates in accordance with a protocol selected from the group consisting of SNMP and ICMP.

43. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein for at least one of the observable network resources, the mapping between the raw performance data and the component health score comprises a plurality of mappings between one or more of the raw performance data and corresponding subcomponent health scores;

and

wherein the calculation logic in calculating said composite health score is configured to convert, in accordance with said mappings, said one or more raw performance data to said subcomponent health scores, and to compute the component health score using said subcomponent health scores.

30. An apparatus for generating at least one composite health score indicating the health of at least a portion of a computer network comprising:

means for collecting raw network performance data from at least one network resource;

means for converting said collected raw data into said representative component health score in accordance with a mapping included in a definition of said composite health score, wherein said mapping defines for each of a plurality of observable network resources, how a plurality of raw performance data for said each observable network resource is to be converted to a representative component health score representative of said health of said each observable network resource; and

means for combining said component health scores for said plurality of observable network resources in accordance with a function included in said composite health score definition, wherein said function defines how said component health scores are combined to form said composite health score.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein said composite health score definition is in the form of a markup language.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, further comprising:

means for filtering network resources specified in said composite health score definition according to access criteria to prevent access to certain networked resources on the computer network.

33. The apparatus of claim 30, further comprising:

means for displaying said at least one composite health score on a hypertext page.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said hypertext page contains at least one link to a hypertext page containing information regarding at least one of said component health scores or said raw network performance data from which said at least one displayed composite health score is derived.

35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said function defining how said component health scores are combined to form said composite health score comprises:

a function defining a weighted average of said component health scores.

36. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said mapping for at least one of said plurality of network resources comprises:

a mapping that equates at least one value range of said collected raw performance data with a single value of said representative component health score.

37. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said mapping for at least one of said plurality of network resources comprises:

a mapping that translates at least one of said collected raw performance data values to a representative component health score value in accordance with a mathematical formula.

38. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein for at least one of said at least one of said collected performance data values said mathematical formula comprises an identity function.

39. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said means for collecting raw data comprises:

means for collecting said raw performance data utilizing at least one protocol selected from a group consisting of Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP).

40. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said means for collecting said raw network performance data comprises:

means for communicating with a plurality of remote node agents each associated with a network node on the computer network to receive said raw performance data for said associated network node.