Network monitoring system

• US 7,353,269 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2001
• Issued: 04/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Saito, Hideaki, Aki, Yuko
• Primary Examiner(s): JACOBS, LASHONDA T
• Application Number:
  US09/864,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20020083169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,505 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/223, 709/225, 709/226, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/224
• 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 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring

Abstract

A network monitoring system which monitors activities on a network with optimal coverage and frequency, depending on the current state of the network. A monitoring policy setting unit sets a specific monitoring policy that includes: which object to watch, which item of that object to monitor, and how frequent it should be. According to this policy, a monitoring unit carries out monitoring of the network. The monitoring result is passed to a monitoring policy changing unit, which changes the current monitoring policy being set in the monitoring policy setting unit. Some related resources on the network may also be reconfigured according to the reported monitoring result, by a resource setup changing unit. An event detector detects a particular event occurred in the network resources and notifies the monitoring policy changing unit of the occurrence, so that the monitoring policy will be changed accordingly.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium storing a program for monitoring activities on a network, the program causing a computer system to function as:

monitoring policy setting means for setting a monitoring policy;

monitoring means for monitoring the network according to the policy set in said monitoring policy setting means; and

monitoring policy changing means for automatically changing the current monitoring policy being set in said monitoring policy setting means, according to a monitoring result reported by said monitoring means,

wherein said monitoring policy changing means automatically increases the frequency of the monitoring and adds a new object or item to the coverage of the monitoring, when degradation in service level of the network is observed; and

wherein said monitoring policy changing means automatically decreases the frequency of the monitoring and withdraws an existing object or item from the coverage of the monitoring, when improvement in service level of the network is observed.

2. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring policy includes a parameter that specifies how frequently the monitoring will be conducted.

3. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring policy includes a parameter that specifies which object to monitor.

4. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring policy includes a parameter that specifies which item to monitor.

5. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, further storing a program which causes the computer system to function as resource setup changing means for changing a setup of a predetermined set of resources on the network according to the monitoring result reported by said monitoring means.

6. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1, further storing a program which causes the computer system to function as event detecting means for detecting the occurrence of a particular event in a predetermined resource on the network,

wherein said monitoring policy changing means changes the current monitoring policy in response to the particular event detected by said event detecting means.

7. A network monitoring system which monitors activities on a network, comprising:

monitoring policy setting means for setting a monitoring policy;

monitoring means for monitoring the network according to the policy set in said monitoring policy setting means; and

monitoring policy changing means for automatically changing the current monitoring policy being set in said monitoring policy setting means, according to a monitoring result reported by said monitoring means,

wherein said monitoring policy changing means automatically increases the frequency of the monitoring and adds a new object or item to the coverage of the monitoring, when degradation in service level of the network is observed; and

wherein said monitoring policy changing means automatically decreases the frequency of the monitoring and withdraws an existing object or item from the coverage of the monitoring, when improvement in service level of the network is observed.

8. A method of monitoring activities on a network, comprising the steps of:

(a) setting a monitoring policy;

(b) monitoring the network according to the set monitoring policy;

(c) automatically changing a current monitoring policy that is originally set by said setting a monitoring policy, According to a monitoring result obtained at said monitoring;

(d) automatically increasing the frequency of the monitoring and adding a new object or item to the coverage of the monitoring, when degradation in service level of the network is observed; and

(e) automatically decreasing the frequency of the monitoring and withdrawing an existing object or item from the coverage of the monitoring, when improvement in service level of the network is observed.