Distributed data gathering and aggregation agent

• US 7,636,708 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2004
• Issued: 12/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Garcea, Federico, Zizys, Giedrius, Thomas, Michael W., Sutton, Alexander M., Sprague, Roger W., Murstein, Michael S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vy; Hung T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Merilyn P
• Application Number:
  US10/924,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20050021748A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,947 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/10, 707/100, 707/102, 707 1- 4, 707/104.1, 707200-201, 702/182, 702/186, 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3447 Performance evaluation by modeling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system and method is provided for gathering and aggregating operational metrics (e.g., performance metrics, process events, health monitor state, server state) for a plurality of members as a single entity and for a plurality of entities as a singular entity. The system and method provides for operational metrics of members and entities to be aggregated and retrieved as a single result set, such that entity wide operational metrics can be acquired, monitored and displayed as a single entity.

Claims

1. A system for gathering and aggregating operational metrics for server computers configured to act as a single logical entity, the system comprising:

a plurality of server computers configured to act as a single logical entity, the single logical entity configured to serve data in response to requests from client computers, each of the plurality of server computers being configured to receive a request for an operational metric for the single logical entity as a whole and to provide the operational metric for the single logical entity as a whole in response to the request, the plurality of server computers including;

a first server computer including at least one processor, system memory and a first interface, the first server computer being configured to;

receive, via the first interface, a first request for a first operational health metric for the single logical entity as a whole;

build a first query based on parameters of the first request received via the first interface;

query each of the plurality of server computers that are configured to act as a single logical entity based on the first query;

aggregate results of the first query to create the requested first operational health metric for the single logical entity as a whole; and

aggregate the first operational health metric into at least one of a single result state based on a first set of predefined rules; and

a second server computer including at least one processor, system memory and a second interface, the second server computer being configured to;

receive, via the second interface, a second request for a second operational health metric for the single logical entity as a whole;

build a second query based on parameters of the second request received via the second interface;

query each of the plurality of server computers that are configured to act as a single logical entity based on the second query; and

aggregate results of the second query to create the requested second operational health metric for the single logical entity as a whole; and

aggregate the second operational health metric into at least one of a single result state based on a second set of predefined rules.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first operational health metric is at least one of a performance metric, an event metric, a status metric and a health metric.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first server computer is adapted to aggregate the first operational health metric over time to form a first unified result set;

and

wherein the second server computer is adapted to aggregate the second operational health metric over time to form a second unified result set.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first server computer is further adapted to aggregate the first operational health metric into data of at least one time period and time resolution to form the first unified result set;

and

wherein the second server computer is further adapted to aggregate the second operational health metric into data of at least one time period and time resolution to form the second unified result set.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first server computer is further adapted to take one of an average, a minimum, a maximum, and a weighted average of the data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first operational health metric is an operational event metric and the first server computer is adapted to coalesce events from the plurality of server computers that are configured to act as a single logical entity to form a first unified result set;

and

wherein the second operational health metric is an operational event metric and the first server computer is adapted to coalesce events from the plurality of server computers that are configured to act as a single logical entity to form a second unified result set.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first server computer is configured to determine a server computer health state for each of the plurality of server computers based on a server computer specific health rule set, to query each of the server computer health states from the plurality of server computers and to apply a health entity aggregation rule set to determine a health state of the single logical entity.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first server computer is configured to apply a health member aggregation rule set to a unified result set to determine a health state of the single logical entity.

9. A system for gathering and aggregating operational metrics for server computers configured to act as a single logical entity, the system comprising:

a plurality of server computers configured to act as a single logical entity, the single logical entity configured to serve data in response to requests from client computers, each of the plurality of server computers being configured to receive a request for an operational metric for the single logical entity as a whole and to provide the operational metric for the single logical entity as a whole in response to the request, the plurality of server computers including;

a first server computer including at least one processor, system memory and a first interface, the first server computer being configured to;

receive, via the first interface, a first request for a first operational health metric for the single logical entity as a whole;

execute a first query of each of the plurality of server computers based on parameters of the first request;

aggregate results of the first query to create the requested first operational health metric for the single logical entity as a whole; and

aggregate the first operational health metric into at least one of a single result state based on a first set of predefined rules; and

a second server computer including at least one processor, system memory and a second interface, the second server computer being configured to;

receive, via the second interface, a second request for a second operational health metric for the single logical entity as a whole;

execute a second query of each of the plurality of server computers based on parameters of the second request;

aggregate results of the second query to create the requested second operational metric for the single logical entity as a whole; and

aggregate the second operational health metric into at least one of a single result state based on a second set of predefined rules.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first operational metric is at least one of a performance metric, an event metric, a status metric and a health metric.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the first server computer is adapted to aggregate the first operational health metric over time to form a first unified result set;

and

wherein the second server computer is adapted to aggregate the second operational health metric over time to form a second unified result set.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first server computer is further adapted to aggregate the first operational health metric into data of at least one time period and time resolution to form the first unified result set;

and

wherein the second server computer is further adapted to aggregate the second operational health metric into data of at least one time period and time resolution to form the second unified result set.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the first operational health metric is an operational event metric and the first server computer is adapted to coalesce events from the plurality of server computers that are configured to act as a single logical entity to form a first unified result set;

and

wherein the second operational health metric is an operational event metric and the first server computer is adapted to coalesce events from the plurality of server computers that are configured to act as a single logical entity to form a second unified result set.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the first server computer is configured to determine a server computer health state for each of the plurality of server computers based on a server computer specific health rule set, to query each of the server computer health states from the plurality of server computers and to apply a health entity aggregation rule set to determine a health state of the single logical entity.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the first server computer is configured to apply a health member aggregation rule set to a unified result set to determine a health state of the single logical entity.

16. A method for gathering and aggregating operational metrics for a plurality of server computers configured to act as a single logical entity, the single logical entity configured to serve data in response to requests from client computers, each of the plurality of server computers being configured to receive a request for an operational metric for the single logical entity as a whole and to provide the operational metric for the single logical entity as a whole in response to the request, the plurality of server computers including a first server computer and a second server computer, the first server computer including at least one processor, system memory, and a first interface, the second server computer including at least one processor, system memory, and a second interface, the method comprising:

at the first server computer;

receiving, via the first interface, a first request for a first operational health metric for the single logical entity as a whole;

executing a first query of each of the plurality of server computers based on parameters of the first request;

aggregating results of the first query to create the requested first operational health metric for the single logical entity as a whole; and

aggregating the first operational health metric into at least one of a single result state based on a first set of predefined rules; and

at the second server computer;

receiving, via the second interface, a second request for a second operational health metric for the single logical entity as a whole;

executing a second query of each of the plurality of server computers based on parameters of the second request;

aggregating results of the second query to create the requested second operational health metric for the single logical entity as a whole; and

aggregating the second operational health metric into at least one of a single result state based on a second set of predefined rules.