Method and system for monitoring performance of distributed applications

• US 7,401,141 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2003
• Issued: 07/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sciacca, Vincenzo, Carusi, Francesco
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess; Glenton
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOUZON, LAJUANIA N
• Application Number:
  US10/687,255
• Publication Number:
  US 20050021736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,734 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/224
• 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 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/87 Monitoring of transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Method and system for performance monitoring of distributed applications. A sensor intercepts every request of service for a server that is generated on a client. If the request meets a filtering condition (for example, defined by the address of the server, the web page from which the request is originated and/or the selected link) the measuring of a corresponding transaction on the client is enabled; at the same time, the request is updated by inserting a correlator. The request is then transmitted to the server. If the request includes the correlator, the measuring of a sub-transaction originating from the request is also enabled on the server. The parameters measured on the client and on the server are then associated with the correlator.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring performance of distributed applications including the steps of:

a. a client computer originating a request of service for a server computer,

b. responsive to the request of service meeting at least one predefined condition and

c. verifying whether an address of the server computer matches a predetermined pattern stored on the client computer,

d. enabling measuring on the client computer of at least one performance parameter for a transaction corresponding to the request of service,

i. associating a correlation identifier with the at least one performance parameter measured on the client computer, and inserting the correlation identifier in the request of service,

e. transmitting the request of service to the server computer,

f. responsive to the request of service transmitted to the server computer including the inserted correlation identifier, enabling measuring on the server computer of the at least one performance parameter for a sub-transaction originating from the request of service,

g. executing the sub-transaction,

i. associating the correlation identifier with the at least one performance parameter measured on the server computer, and

h. further including at least one recursive execution of the steps of;

i. the server computer originating at least one further request of service for at least one further server computer,

ii. responsive to the request of service including the correlation identifier, inserting a further correlation identifier in the at least one further request of service,

iii. transmitting each further request of service to a corresponding further server computer,

iv. responsive to the further request of service including the further correlation identifier, enabling measuring on the corresponding further server computer of the at least one performance parameter for a further sub-transaction originating from the further request of service,

v. executing the further sub-transaction, and

1. associating the further correlation identifier with the at least one performance parameter measured on the corresponding further server computer

vi. wherein upon completion of the executing of the further sub-transaction;

1. disable measuring on the further server computer;

2. log the measured performance parameter on the further server computer and its associated correlation identifier, and

3. return the results of the request of service to the server computer,

vii. the server computer generating results for the client computer,

viii. the server computer sending the results to the client computer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of originating the request of service is performed under the control of a first module running on the client computer, the method further including the step of intercepting the request of service by a second module running on the client computer, the step of enabling the measuring on the client computer of the at least one performance parameter for the transaction corresponding to the request of service and inserting the correlation identifier responsive to the request of service meeting the at least one predefined condition being performed under the control of the second module.

3. A method of monitoring performance of distributed applications including the steps of:

a. a client computer originating a request of service for a server computer,

b. responsive to the request of service meeting at least one predefined condition and

c. verifying whether an address of the server computer matches a predetermined pattern stored on the client computer,

d. enabling measuring on the client computer of at least one performance parameter for a transaction corresponding to the request of service and inserting a correlation identifier in the request of service,

e. transmitting the request of service to the server computer,

f. responsive to the request of service transmitted to the server computer including the inserted correlation identifier, enabling measuring on the server computer of the at least one performance parameter for a sub-transaction originating from the request of service,

g. executing the sub-transaction,

i. associating the correlation identifier with the at least one performance parameter measured on the server computer, and

ii. associating the correlation identifier with the at least one performance parameter measured on the client computer, wherein the step of originating the request of service includes;

i. downloading a document from the server computer,

ii. displaying the document, and

iii. selecting a link in the document,

and wherein the step of enabling measuring of the at least one performance parameter for the transaction and inserting the correlation identifier in the request of service responsive to the request meeting the at least one predefined condition includes;

i. verifying whether a definition of the document includes at least one enabling identifier, wherein the step of verifying whether the definition of the document includes the at least one enabling identifier includes one of verifying whether the definition of the document includes a global enabling identifier for all transactions originating from the document, and verifying whether a definition of the selected link includes a local enabling identifier for transactions originating from the selected link,

h. further including at least one recursive execution of the steps of;

i. the server computer originating at least one further request of service for at least one further server computer,

ii. responsive to the request of service including the correlation identifier, inserting a further correlation identifier in the at least one further request of service,

iii. transmitting each further request of service to a corresponding further server computer,

iv. responsive to the further request of service including the further correlation identifier, enabling measuring on the corresponding further server computer of the at least one performance parameter for a further sub-transaction originating from the further request of service,

v. executing the further sub-transaction, and

1. associating the further correlation identifier with the at least one performance parameter measured on the corresponding further server computer

vi. wherein upon completion of the executing of the further sub-transaction;

1. disable measuring on the further server computer;

2. log the measured performance parameter on the further server computer and its associated correlation identifier, and

3. return the results of the request of service to the server computer.

vii. the server computer generating results for the client computer,

viii. the server computer sending the results to the client computer.