Method and apparatus for exposing monitoring violations to the monitored application

• US 7,631,073 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2005
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chagoly, Bryan Christopher, Emuchay, Nduwuisi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim; Krisna
• Assistant Examiner(s): Najee-Ullah; Tariq S
• Application Number:
  US11/044,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20060168199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,776 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method and system for exposing monitoring violations to monitored applications is provided. A monitored application may detect that a monitoring application has been applied to monitor a transaction. Based on a defined policy or a threshold within policy, the monitored application may determine if the transaction is in a violation state. If the transaction is in a violation state, the mechanism of the present invention enables the monitoring application to notify the monitored application, such that the monitored application may take corrective action to correct the violation.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system for exposing monitoring violations to a monitored application, the method comprising:

configuring, by a processor of an application server, a monitored application to interact with a monitoring application, wherein configuring a monitored application comprises;

receiving, by the processor, a monitoring component from a user;

inserting code into the monitored application using the monitoring component; and

receiving, by a performance monitoring engine of the processor, at least one policy and at least one threshold defined by the user, wherein the at least one policy and the at least one threshold is associated with a transaction in the monitored application;

initiating the transaction in the monitored application, wherein initiating the transaction comprises;

generating the transaction using the code inserted into the monitored application using the monitoring component;

matching the transaction against the at least one policy and determining if the at least one policy matches the transaction, wherein determining if the at least one policy matches the transaction comprises examining a policy mapper in a management agent to determine if the transaction is defined in the at least one policy;

in response to determining that the at least one policy matches the transaction;

returning a valid Application Response Measurement correlator; and

invoking a start method on the performance monitoring engine using the valid Application Response Measurement correlator;

the monitoring application querying the monitored application for a status of the transaction at the monitored application, wherein querying a status of the transaction comprises retrieving a status code from the performance monitoring engine;

the monitored application determining whether the transaction is in a violation state based on the status at the monitored application, wherein the transaction is determined to be in a violation state if the status code is determined to be greater than zero, and wherein the transaction is determined to not be in a violation state if the status code is determined to be equal to zero;

in response to determining that the status code is greater than zero such that the transaction is in a violation state, taking corrective actions to correct a violation, wherein taking corrective actions to correct a violation comprises;

the monitored application alerting the monitoring application of the violation;

the monitoring application aborting the transaction using the code inserted into the monitored application by the monitoring component, wherein the code invokes an abort method on the performance monitoring engine; and

taking an alternative code path to correct the transaction; and

in response to determining that the status code is not greater than zero;

determining whether the status code is equal to zero; and

in response to determining that the status code is equal to zero such that the transaction is not in a violation state, continuing with the transaction until the transaction is completed.

2. A data processing system for exposing monitoring violations to a monitored application, the data processing system comprising:

an application server having a processor, the processor comprising;

configuring means for configuring a monitored application to interact with a monitoring application, wherein the configuring means comprises;

means for receiving a monitoring component from a user

means for inserting code into the monitored application using the monitoring component; and

means for receiving, by a performance monitoring engine of the processor, at least one policy and at least one threshold defined by the user, wherein the at least one policy and the at least one threshold is associated with a transaction in the monitored application;

means for initiating the transaction in the monitored application, wherein the initiating means comprises;

means for generating the transaction using the code inserted into the monitored application using the monitoring component;

means for matching the transaction against the at least one policy and determining if the at least one policy matches the transaction, wherein the means for determining if the at least one policy matches the transaction comprises means for examining a policy mapper in a management agent to determine if the transaction is defined in the at least one policy;

in response to determining that the at least one policy matches the transaction,

means for returning a valid Application Response Measurement correlator; and

means for invoking a start method on the performance monitoring engine using the valid Application Response Measurement correlator;

querying means for the monitoring application to query the monitored application for a status of the transaction at the monitored application, wherein the querying means comprises means for retrieving a status code from the performance monitoring engine;

determining means for the monitored application to determine whether the transaction is in a violation state based on the status at the monitored application, wherein the the transaction is determined to be in a violation state if the status code is determined to be greater than zero, and wherein the transaction is determined to not be in a violation state if the status code is determined to be equal to zero;

in response to determining that the status code is greater than zero such that the transaction is in a violation state, means for taking corrective actions to correct a violation, wherein the means for taking corrective actions comprises;

means for the monitored application to alert the monitoring application of the violation;

means for the monitoring application to abort the transaction using the code inserted by the monitoring component, wherein the code invokes an abort method on the performance monitoring engine; and

means for taking an alternative code path to correct the transaction; and

in response to determining that the code status is not greater than zero;

means for determining whether the status code is equal to zero; and

in response to determining that the status code is equal to zero such that the transaction is not in a violation state, means for continuing with the transaction until the transaction is completed.

3. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable recordable-type medium storing computer usable instructions for exposing monitoring violations to a monitored application, the computer program product comprising;

first instructions for configuring, by a processor of an application server, a monitored application to interact with a monitoring application, wherein the first instructions comprises;

instructions for receiving, by the processor, a monitoring component from a user;

instructions for inserting code into the monitored application using the monitoring component; and

instructions for receiving, by a performance monitoring engine of the processor, at least one policy and at least one threshold defined by the user, wherein the at least one policy and the at least one threshold is associated with a transaction in the monitored application;

second instructions for initiating the transaction in the monitored application, wherein the second instructions comprises;

instructions for generating the transaction using the code inserted into the monitored application using the monitoring component;

instructions for matching the transaction against the at least one policy; and

instructions for determining if the at least one policy matches the transaction, wherein the instructions for determining if the at least one policy matches the transaction comprises instructions for examining a policy mapper in a management agent to determine if the transaction is defined in the at least one policy;

in response to determining that the at least one policy matches matching the transaction;

instructions for returning a valid Application Response Measurement correlator; and

instructions for invoking a start method on the performance monitoring engine using the valid Application Response Measurement correlator;

third instructions for the monitoring application to query the monitored application for a status of the transaction at the monitored application wherein the third instructions comprises instructions for retrieving a status code from the performance monitoring engine;

fourth instructions for the monitored application to determine whether determining if the transaction is in a violation state based on the status at the monitored application, wherein the fourth instructions determines that the transaction is in a violation state if the status code is determined to be greater than zero, and that the transaction is not in a violation state if the status code is determined to be equal to not greater than zero;

in response to determining that the status code is greater than zero such that the transaction is in a violation state, fifth instructions for taking corrective actions to correct a violation, wherein the fifth instructions comprises;

instructions for the monitored application to alert alerting the monitoring application of the violation;

instructions for the monitoring application to abort aborting the transaction using the code inserted into the monitored application by the monitoring component, wherein the code invokes an abort method on the performance monitoring engine; and

instructions for taking an alternative code path to correct the transaction;

and in response to determining that the transaction is not greater than zero;

sixth instructions for determining whether the status code is equal to zero; and

in response to determining that the status code is equal to zero such that the transaction is not in a violation state, seventh instructions for continuing with the transaction until the transaction is completed.