Server recording and client playback of computer network characteristics

• US 7,013,251 B1
• Filed: 12/15/1999
• Issued: 03/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Stone, Adam C., Nace, Eric W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez, Paul L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Craig, Dwin M.
• Application Number:
  US09/461,900
• Time in Patent Office: 2,281 Days
• Field of Search: 703/21, 703/22, 703/23, 703/24, 703/27, 709/223, 709/224, 709/217, 709/218, 709/220, 709/221, 714/20, 714/31, 714/32, 714/26, 714/33, 714/37, 714/38, 714/47, 702/186, 702/182
• US Class Current: 703/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/028 by filtering

Abstract

A system and a method for server recording and client playback of computer network characteristics. In general, the network simulation system of the present invention includes a recording module that resides on a server and records and stores the network characteristics associated with networks sessions in a data collector file. The system also includes playback module that resides on a client receives the data collector file and plays back the data collector file upon request. The data collector file includes a log file, which is used to store initial request data, and a data file, which is used to store data other than the initial request data. The method of the present invention includes recording computer network characteristics on a recording server and playing back the recording on a client to the same or another server. The recording method of the present invention includes using a global filter residing on the server to record the network characteristics and storing the recording in a data collector file. The playback method includes receiving a data collector file containing recorded network characteristics recorded on a server and playing back the data collector file to simulate the characteristics of real-world network sessions.

Claims

1. A network simulation system for simulating network characteristics, comprising:

a record module having a filter that resides on a server and records network characteristics;

a data collector file that stores the recorded network characteristics for playback on a playback machine.

2. The network simulation system of claim 1, wherein the record module comprises a filter that captures network data from a host environment.

3. The network simulation system of claim 2, wherein the filter is a global filter.

4. The network simulation system of claim 2, wherein the filter is implemented into an operating system of the server.

5. The network simulation system of claim 4, wherein the filter is implemented between a port handling module, which scans a port for incoming network data, and a processing module, which processes the network data.

6. The network simulation system of claim 1, wherein the record module comprises a log restriction/rolling module that is capable of limiting a size of the data collector file that stores the recorded network characteristics.

7. The network simulation system of claim 6, wherein the log restriction/rolling module limits the size of the data collector file by at least one of:

(a) deleting at least a portion of the data collector file;

(b) moving at least of portion of the data collector file to another machine.

8. The network simulation system of claim 1, wherein the data collector file comprises a log file, which stores header and tracking information, and a data file, which stores other types of data.

9. The network simulation system of claim 8, further comprising a caching module that caches at least a portion of incoming network data and subsequently writes the cached data to the log file.

10. The network simulation system of claim 1, further comprising a playback module that resides on the playback machine and plays back the recorded network characteristics.

11. The network simulation system of claim 10, wherein the playback machine is a client and the recorded network characteristics are played back to a testing server.

12. The network simulation system of claim 10, wherein the playback module comprises a data collector file reader that reads at least a portion of the recorded network characteristics stored in the data collector file.

13. The network simulation system of claim 12, wherein the data collector file comprises a log file, which stores header information, and data file, which stores other network data.

14. The network simulation system of claim 11, wherein the testing server is connected to at least one other client and the playback module comprises a controller and a controller mapping table that determines to which client the testing server should send a played back request.

15. The network simulation system of claim 11, wherein the testing server is connected to at least one other client and each client comprises a client mapping table that is used to time out a user.

16. A network simulation system for playing back recorded network characteristics, comprising:

a data collector file that contains network data that has been recorded by a filter that resides on a recording server; and

a playback module that resides on a playback machine and plays back the data collector file;

wherein the network data is sent by the playback to a testing server to simulate network characteristics on the testing server.

17. The network simulation system of claim 16, wherein the network data includes header data and the data collector file comprises a log file, which stores he header data, and a data file, which stores the remainder of the network data.

18. The network simulation system of claim 16, wherein the playback machine is a client machine in communication with the testing server.

19. The network simulation system of claim 18, wherein the playback module comprises a data collector file reader capable of accessing the network data within the data collector file.

20. A method of simulating computer network characteristics on a testing server, comprising:

recording network data using a filter residing on a recording server;

storing the recorded network data; and

playing back the recorded network data on a playback machine in communication with the testing server.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein recording comprises capturing the network data from a host environment of the recording server.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein recording further comprises caching the captured network data prior to storing the network data.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the network data comprises header data and body data and network data is cached until all the header data has been captured.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the network data comprises header data and body data and the recorded network data is stored in a data collector file comprising a log file, which stores the header data, and a data file, which stores the body data.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the header data is cached until all of the header data has been recorded and the cached header data is stored in the log file.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein recording comprises assigning a unique value to each user in communication with the recording server to identify the user.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the unique value is stored in the log file.

28. The method of claim 20, further comprising tracking network information from the recording server.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the network information includes at least one of:

(a) a user that sent a request;

(b) what time a request was sent by a user;

(c) when a socket was opened;

(d) when a socket was closed;

(e) a status code of the recording server.

30. The method of claim 20, wherein the playback machine is a client machine.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the testing server is in communication with a second client and playing back comprises using a controller mapping table to assign a user to a client such that all recorded network data from the user is played back on the same client.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the client machine can simulate multiple users by playing back the recorded network data.

33. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 20.

34. A network simulation system for recording network characteristics of a computer network, comprising:

a record module located on a server on the computer network; and

a custom-generated log file generated by the record module that stores the recorded network characteristics;

wherein the custom-generated log file is not a server log file of the server.