System, method and program to troubleshoot a distributed computer system or determine application data flows

• US 7,603,459 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2004
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Alam, A.K.M Kamrul, Barsuk, Vyacheslav
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar; Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ashraf; Waseem
• Application Number:
  US10/940,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20060075089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,855 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/223, 370/231
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product for determining active connections likely needed to handle client requests. First program instructions repeatedly detect active connections between a first server and other servers. Second program instructions determine how often an active connection between the first server and each of the other servers has been detected. Third program instructions determine when each of the active connections was last detected. Fourth program instructions form a table listing the active connections, how often or how frequently each of the active connections has been detected, and when each of the active connections was last detected. Preferably, the fourth program instructions highlight in the table one or more of the active connections which were not detected as active during a most recent iteration by the first program instructions. Fifth program instructions identify a plurality of the active connections which do not utilize ports generally used for system functions or ports generally used to receive requests from user clients. This plurality of active connections are more likely to be needed to handle client requests.

Claims

1. A computer program product for determining active, server-server connections likely needed to handle client requests, said program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium;

first program instructions to repeatedly detect active connections between a first server and other servers; and

second program instructions to determine a number of times an active connection between said first server and each of said other servers has been detected;

third program instructions to determine a respective, approximate time when each of said active connections was last detected; and

fourth program instructions to form a table listing said active connections, said number of times each of said active connections has been detected, and said respective, approximate time when each of said active connections was last detected, said table being available for display to a user troubleshooting a problem with said first server; and

wherein

said first program instructions identify said active connections between said first server and said other servers by detecting a multiplicity of active connections on said first server and filtering out one or more active connections of said multiplicity which utilize ports generally used for system functions; and

said first, second, third and fourth program instructions are stored on said computer readable storage medium.

2. A computer program product as set forth in claim 1 wherein said fourth program instructions highlight in said table one or more of said active connections which were not detected as active during a most recent iteration by said first program instructions.

3. A computer program product as set forth in claim 1 further comprising fifth program instructions to identify which of said active connections utilize a listening port on said first server;

and wherein said fifth program instructions are stored on said computer readable storage medium.

4. A computer program product as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first program instructions identify said active connections between said first server and said other servers by also filtering out one or more active connections of said multiplicity which utilize ports generally used to receive requests from user clients.

9. A computer program product as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first program instructions identify said active connections between a first server and other servers by also filtering out one or more active connections of said multiplicity which utilize ports generally used to receive requests from user clients.

11. A computer program product as set forth in claim 1 wherein said fourth program instructions group together in said table a plurality of said active connections between said first server and another of said servers.

5. A method for determining active, server-server connections likely needed to handle client requests, said method comprising the steps of:

repeatedly detecting active connections between a first server and other servers; and

determining a number of times an active connection between said first server and each of said other servers has been detected;

determining a respective, approximate time when each of said active connections was last detected; and

generating and displaying a table listing said active connections, said number of times each of said active connections has been detected, and said respective, approximate time when each of said active connections was last detected; and

wherein

the step of repeatedly detecting active connections between a first server and other servers comprises the step of detecting a multiplicity of active connections on said first server and filtering out one or more active connections of said multiplicity which utilize ports generally used for system functions.

6. A method as set forth in claim 5 further comprising the step of highlighting in said table one or more of said plurality of said active connections which were not detected as active during a most recent iteration by said first program instructions.

10. A method as set forth in claim 5 wherein the step of repeatedly detecting active connections between a first server and other servers further comprises the step of filtering out one or more active connections of said multiplicity which utilize ports generally used to receive requests from user clients.

12. A method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said step of generating and displaying said table listing said active connections, said number of times each of said active connections has been detected, and said respective, approximate time when each of said active connections was last detected comprises the step of grouping together in said table a plurality of said active connections between said first server and another of said servers.

7. A computer system for determining active, server-server connections likely needed to handle client requests, said system comprising:

a central processing unit and a computer readable memory;

a computer readable storage media;

first program instructions to repeatedly detect active connections between a first server and other servers; and

second program instructions to determine a number of times an active connection between said first server and each of said other servers has been detected;

third program instructions to determine a respective, approximate time when each of said active connections was last detected; and

fourth program instructions to form a table listing said active connections, said number of times each of said active connections has been detected, and said respective, approximate time when each of said active connections was last detected, said table being available for display to a user troubleshooting a problem with said first server; and

wherein

said first program instructions identify said active connections between a first server and other servers by detecting a multiplicity of active connections on said first server and filtering out one or more active connections of said multiplicity which utilize ports generally used for system functions; and

said first, second, third and fourth program instructions are stored on said computer readable storage medium for execution by said central processing unit via said computer readable memory.

8. A computer system as set forth in claim 7 wherein said fourth program instructions highlight in said table one or more of said active connections which were not detected as active during a most recent iteration by said first program instructions.

13. A computer system as set forth in claim 7 wherein said fourth program instructions group together in said table a plurality of said active connections between said first server and another of said servers.