Method and apparatus for maintaining the status of objects in computer networks using virtual state machines

• US 7,509,540 B1
• Filed: 11/09/2007
• Issued: 03/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Optanix, Inc. (Axispoint Technology Solutions Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ShoreGroup, Inc.
• Inventors: Fagan, Brant M., Lovy, David M., Bojanek, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lohn; Joshua A
• Application Number:
  US11/937,798
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 714/43, 714/47, 714/57, 709/224
• US Class Current: 714/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0686 Additional information in the notification, e.g. enhancement of specific meta-data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps

Abstract

A network appliance for monitoring, diagnosing and documenting problems among a plurality of devices and processes (objects) coupled to a computer network utilizes periodic polling and collection of object-generated trap data to monitor the status of objects on the computer network. The status of a multitude of objects is maintained in memory utilizing virtual state machines which contain a small amount of persistent data but which are modeled after one of a plurality of finite state machines. The memory further maintains dependency data related to each object which identifies parent/child relationships with other objects at the same or different layers of the OSI network protocol model. A decision engine verifies through on-demand polling that a device is down. A root cause analysis module utilizes status and dependency data to locate the highest object in the parent/child relationship tree that is affected to determine the root cause of a problem. Once a problem has been verified, a “case” is opened and notification alerts may be sent out to one or more devices. A user interface allows all objects within the network to be displayed with their respective status and their respective parent/child dependency objects in various formats.

Claims

1. In a computer system having a processor, memory and a network interface, an apparatus for monitoring a plurality of device or process objects operatively coupled to the computer system over a computer network, the apparatus comprising:

(a) a processor;

(b) a memory operatively coupled to the processor;

(c) a monitoring module for monitoring the status of the plurality of monitored objects over the computer network;

(d) first module for storing in memory a plurality of different finite state machine models;

(e) a second module for storing in memory a virtual state machine associated with each of the plurality of monitored objects; and

(f) a decision engine, operatively coupled to the processor and the memory, for receiving input event data relating to one of the monitored objects and for accessing the virtual state machine in memory associated with said one monitored object, the decision engine further configured to manipulate data identifying a current state of the virtual state machine and for determining which actions associated with an identified finite state machine model should be performed.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each finite state machine model comprises a finite set of states, only one of the states being active at a time and referred to as the current state.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein each virtual state machine comprises data identifying one of the finite states of the identified finite state machine model as a current state of the virtual state machine.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each finite state machine model comprises a finite set of input events that trigger state changes and execution of actions.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each finite state machine model comprises a finite set of transitions, each of which, given a current state and a specific input event, cause a transition of the finite state machine model to a next state.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each finite state machine model comprises a set of actions associated with selected of the finite states.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the set of actions associated with selected of the plurality of different finite state machine module comprises actions to be performed based on a current state of the finite state machine model and a received input data.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the set of actions associated with selected of the plurality of different finite state machine models comprises actions to be performed based on a next state of the virtual state machine model, without regard to a current state of the finite state machine model and any received input data.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each virtual state machine comprises data identifying the monitored object.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each virtual state machine comprises data identifying one of the plurality of finite state machine models.