Performance logging solution

• US 7,480,647 B1
• Filed: 07/30/2004
• Issued: 01/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sprague, Roger W. Jr., Murstein, Michael S., Zizys, Giedrius, Thomas, Michael W., Sutton, Alexander M.
• Primary Examiner(s): PANNALA, SATHYANARAYA R
• Application Number:
  US10/903,764
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 235/385, 718/100, 718/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

A system and method is provided for monitoring, gathering and aggregating performance metrics of a plurality of members configured as an entity. Configurable performance metric settings can be set at a first computer (e.g., a first member) and dynamically propagated to all members of the entity to establish performance metric configuration settings at each of the plurality of members. In one aspect of the invention, a system and method log performance metric data periodically at a predefined time period and resolution at a plurality of members for one or more performance metrics. The performance metric data values logged at the predefined time period and resolution are aggregated to data sets of at least one larger time period and resolution. Valid performance data values of similar time periods and resolutions are then gathered from the plurality of members and aggregated over the entity to provide a unified result set for the entity.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for gathering and aggregating performance metrics of a plurality of members configured as an entity, comprising:

receiving a request for performance data from a requestor, the request is received by one of the plurality of members;

monitoring at least one performance metric at the plurality of members;

retaining at least one metric value for each of the plurality of members, the at least one metric value relates related to the at least one performance metric monitored, the retained metric value includes an aggregate of the at least one metric value of each of the plurality of members over a predefined time span;

generating a supplemental aggregate of the at least one metric value, the supplemental aggregate generated by aggregating the retained aggregates over at least one of a larger time span or large time resolution;

querying for at least one performance metric from the plurality of members based on the received request, the querying originates from the one member receiving the request;

aggregating the at least one performance metric to form the performance data requested; and

returning the performance data to the requestor.

2. The method of claim 1, the request comprising at least a time period and a time resolution and one of an entity data specification and a member data specification.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting a configuration at one of the plurality of members defining the at least one performance metric to be stored at each of the plurality of members and replicating the configuration to each of the plurality of members prior to the storing.

4. The method of claim 1, the querying comprising accessing at least one of the metric value and data set of at least one member.

5. The method of claim 1, the aggregating comprising outputting to the requestor as performance data a request aggregate of one of the metric value and data set of an available member of the entity related to the time period and time resolution associated with a member data specification request.

6. The method of claim 1, the aggregating comprising disregarding error information and invalid information from available members.

7. The method of claim 1, the aggregating comprising outputting to the requestor as performance data a request aggregate of one of the metric value and data set of each available member of the entity related to the time period and time resolution associated with an entity data specification request.

8. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for carrying out the method of claim 1.

9. A computer-implemented system for gathering and aggregating performance metrics of a plurality of members configured as an entity, comprising:

at least one processor coupled to memory and configured to facilitate execution of;

means for receiving a request at one member of the plurality of members for performance data from a requestor;

means for monitoring at least one performance metric at the plurality of members;

means for retaining at least one metric value for each of the plurality of members, the at least one metric value relates related to the at least one performance metric monitored, the retained metric value includes an aggregate of the at least one metric value of each of the plurality of members over a predefined time span;

means for generating a supplemental aggregate of the at least one metric value, the supplemental aggregate generated by aggregating the retained aggregates over at least one of a larger time span or large time resolution;

means for querying for at least one performance metric from the plurality of members;

means for aggregating the at least one performance metric from one or more members of the plurality of member to form the performance data; and

means for returning the performance data to the requestor.

10. A computer-implemented method for monitoring performance metrics of a plurality of members configured as an entity, comprising:

setting configurable performance metric settings for determining performance metric types to be monitored on at least one member of the plurality of members;

propagating the performance metric settings from the least one member of the plurality of members to a plurality of remaining members of the entity via a replication engine to establish performance metric configuration settings at the plurality of members;

logging performance metric data at predefined time periods and resolutions at each of the plurality of members based at least in part on the performance metric configuration settings;

aggregating logged performance metric data over at least one larger time span or larger time resolution to produce a supplemental aggregate; and

returning the performance data to the requestor.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising dynamically updating logging of performance metric data at each of the plurality of members based on changes in the performance metric settings.

12. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for carrying out the method of claim 10.

13. A computer implemented system that monitors performance metrics of a plurality of members configured as an entity, comprising:

at least one processor, coupled to memory, that executes;

a component that sets configurable performance metric settings for determining performance metric types to be monitored, the component establishes the settings on one member of the plurality of members;

a propagation component that propagates the performance metric settings from the one member to a plurality of remaining members of the entity to establish performance metric configuration settings at the plurality of members;

a component that logs performance metric data at predefined time periods and resolutions at each of the plurality of members based at least in part on the performance metric configuration settings;

an aggregation component that aggregates logged performance metric data over at least one larger time span or larger time resolution to produce a supplemental aggregate; and

returning the performance data to the requester.

14. A computer implemented method that aggregates operational data of a plurality of members of an entity, comprising:

searching on at least one member of the plurality of members for at least one operational data type from the plurality of members;

retaining at least one value related to the at least one operational data type for each of the plurality of members, retaining the at least one value comprises retaining an aggregate value for each of the plurality of members, the aggregate value is aggregated over a predefined time span and time resolution;

generating an additional aggregate of the at least one value, the additional aggregate generated by aggregating the retained aggregates over at least one of a larger time span or large time resolution;

creating a unified result set indicative of one of entity operational performance and member operational performance, the set related to the at least one operational data type, the unified result set is created from an aggregation of information relating to the at least one operational data type from the plurality of members; and

reporting the unified result set.

15. The method of claim 14, the searching comprising initializing a search algorithm by utilizing at least a time span parameter, a time resolution parameter, and one of an entity search parameter and a member search parameter.

16. The method of claim 15, the member search parameter comprises an indication of one of an individual member of the entity and a plurality of members.

17. The method of claim 15, the initializing comprising extracting values from one of the member and the plurality of members associated with the parameters of the search algorithm.

18. The method of claim 17, the extracting comprising disregarding invalid data from members of the entity.

19. The method of claim 14, the creating a unified result set comprising aggregating the extracted values over the time span parameter and the time resolution parameter.

20. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for carrying out the method of claim 14.

21. A system that aggregates operational data of a plurality of members of an entity, comprising:

at least one processor, coupled to memory, that executes;

a component that searches on one member of the plurality of members for at least one operational data type from the plurality of members;

a component that retains at least one value related to the at least one operational data type for each of the plurality of members, the component retains an aggregate value for each of the plurality of members, the aggregate value is aggregated over a predefined time span and time resolution;

a component that generates an additional aggregate of the at least one value, the additional aggregate generated by aggregating the retained aggregates over at least one of a larger time span or large time resolution;

a component that creates a unified result set indicative of one of entity operational performance and member operational performance, the set related to the at least one operational data type, the unified result set is an aggregation of data relating to the at least one operational data type from the plurality of members; and

a component that reports the unified result set.