Distributed network monitoring and control system

• US 7,181,519 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2001
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SilverBack Technologies, Inc. (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SilverBack Technologies, Inc. (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Klotz, Robert, Pillai, Vikram, White, Noah, MacCallum, Deborah, Bruell, Gregory O., Kinsella, Joseph, Bray, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): MESFIN, YEMANE
• Application Number:
  US10/010,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20020052950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,901 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709223-224, 709/219, 709/229, 709/249, 370/229, 370/235, 370/252, 713/201
• 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 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A distributed system and method for performing network monitoring including an infrastructure management appliance located within a customer premises. The infrastructure management appliance collects and aggregates relevant information regarding the status and performance of one or more of the customer'"'"'s information technology resources. The infrastructure management appliance may support some number of integrated management and reporting applications. A secure virtual connection between the infrastructure management appliance and a remote data center may be used to convey management information from the infrastructure management appliance to the data center, and also to pass information defining the customer specific configuration and functional operation of the infrastructure management appliance from the remote data center to the infrastructure management appliance.

Claims

1. A distributed method of performing network monitoring, comprising:

obtaining, by an infrastructure management appliance, customer specific information for establishing a secure virtual connection with a remote data center, said customer specific information being obtained from said remote data center via a first communication interface to said infrastructure management appliance,

wherein said remote data center is connected to a public network,

wherein said infrastructure management appliance is connected to a customer network via a second communication interface to said infrastructure management appliance, and

wherein said infrastructure management appliance is connectable to said public network via said second communication interface and said customer network;

establishing, responsive to said customer specific information obtained via said first communication interface, said secure virtual connection with said remote data center by said infrastructure management appliance,

wherein said secure virtual connection with the remote data center is established over said public network via said second communication interface to said infrastructure management appliance;

monitoring, by said infrastructure management appliance, at least one customer resource, the customer resource being connected to the customer network, wherein the monitoring step includes monitoring the customer resource over the customer network; and

transmitting information obtained through said monitoring of said customer resource to said remote data center via said secure virtual connection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said establishing said secure virtual connection with said remote data center comprises establishing a virtual private network with said remote data center.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said monitoring of said at least one customer resource is performed over said second interface to said infrastructure management appliance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtaining of said customer specific information over said first interface to said infrastructure management appliance comprises obtaining said customer specific information through dial up access over a serial line to said data center.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtaining of said customer specific information further comprises obtaining an network address of said infrastructure management appliance from said remote data center.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said obtaining of said network address of said infrastructure management appliance comprising obtaining an Internet Protocol (IP) address from said remote data center.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said monitoring of said at least one customer resource comprises periodically polling of a server system to determine whether said server system is in an operational state.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said monitoring of said at least one customer resource comprises generating a synthetic transaction with respect to at least one customer application, and storing a result obtained from said customer application in response to said synthetic transaction.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

discovering at least one customer operational environment attribute; and

configuring said first interface to said infrastructure management appliance in response to said at least one customer operational environment attribute.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said at least one customer operational environment comprises a dial-out prefix.

11. An infrastructure management appliance, comprising:

a first communication interface;

a second communication interface;

at least one processor;

at least one memory, said memory operable to store program code executable on said at least one processor, wherein said program code includes;

program code for obtaining customer specific information for establishing a secure virtual connection with a remote data center, said customer specific information being obtained from said remote data center via said first communication interface;

program code for establishing, responsive to said customer specific information, said secure virtual connection with said remote data center, the infrastructure management appliance being connectable to a customer network, the remote data center being connected to a public network, the customer network being connectable to the public network, wherein the program code for establishing a secure virtual connection is operable to establish the secure virtual connection with the remote data center over the public network via said second communication interface;

program code for monitoring at least one customer resource, the customer resource being connected to the customer network, wherein the program code for monitoring at least one customer resource is operable to monitor the customer resource over the customer network; and

program code for transmitting information obtained through said monitoring of said customer resource to said remote data center via said secure virtual connection.

12. The infrastructure management appliance of claim 11, wherein said program code for establishing said secure virtual connection with said remote data center comprises program code for establishing a virtual private network with said remote data center.

13. The infrastructure management appliance of claim 11, wherein said program code for monitoring said at least one customer resource monitors said at least one customer resource over said second communication interface.

14. The infrastructure management appliance of claim 11, wherein said program code for obtaining said customer specific information obtains said customer specific information over said first communication interface, and wherein said first communication interface provides dial up access over a serial line to said remote data center.

15. The infrastructure management appliance of claim 11, wherein said program code for obtaining said customer specific information further comprises program code for obtaining a network address of said infrastructure management appliance from said remote data center.

16. The infrastructure management appliance of claim 15, wherein said program code for obtaining said network address of said infrastructure management appliance comprises program code for obtaining an Internet Protocol (IP) address from said remote data center.

17. The infrastructure management appliance of claim 11, wherein said program code for monitoring of said at least one customer resource comprises program code for periodically polling a server system to determine whether said server system is in an operational state.

18. The infrastructure management appliance of claim 11, wherein said program code for monitoring said at least one customer resource comprises program code for generating a synthetic transaction with respect to at least one customer application, and program code for storing a result obtained from maid customer application in response to said synthetic transaction.

19. The infrastructure management appliance of claim 11, further comprising:

program code for discovering at least one customer operational environment attribute; and

program code for configuring said first communication interface in response to said at least one customer operational environment attribute.

20. The infrastructure management appliance of claim 19, wherein said at least one customer operational environment attribute comprises a dial-out prefix.

21. A distributed system for performing network monitoring, comprising:

a public network;

a remote data center connected to said public network;

a customer network connectable to said public network;

an infrastructure management appliance connected to said customer network, said infrastructure management appliance having a first communication interface and a second communication interface;

means for obtaining, by said infrastructure management appliance, customer specific information for establishing a secure virtual connection with a remote data center, said customer specific information being obtained from said remote data center via said first communication interface to said infrastructure management appliance;

means for establishing, by said infrastructure management appliance, said secure virtual connection with the remote data center over the public network via said second communication interface to said infrastructure management appliance,

wherein said means for establishing said secure virtual connection with said remote data center is responsive to said customer specific information obtained from said remote data center via said first communication interface to said infrastructure management appliance;

means for monitoring, by said infrastructure management appliance, at least one customer resource, said at least one customer resource being connected to the customer network, wherein said means for monitoring the at least one customer resource is operable to monitor the customer resource over the customer network; and

means for transmitting information obtained through said monitoring of said customer resource to said remote data center via said secure virtual connection.