Method and device for deploying a distributed monitoring

• US 7,779,112 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2001
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bull Sas (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Bull Sas (Atos SE)
• Inventors: Li, Xiaobo, Herrmann, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr.; William C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BENGZON, GREG C
• Application Number:
  US09/735,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20020026506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,417 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/220, 709/221, 709/201, 709/203, 709/227, 709222-225, 345/749
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/042 comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/044 comprising hierarchical management structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0095 Specification, development or application of network management software, e.g. software re-use

Abstract

A method and device for deploying a distributed monitoring of a computer system having a plurality of resources forming at least one monitored domain. The method includes specifying for each indicator to be deployed, the domain or domains of the computer system in which each indicator should be deployed and deploying the specified configuration using a configuration deployment agent that creates, for each resource to be monitored, a configuration agent to handle the creation of the indicators.

Claims

1. A deployment device comprising:

a computer configured to deploy, a distributed monitoring of a computer system having a plurality of resources to be monitored by said deployment device, wherein said resources form a monitored domain, said deployment device including a computer readable storage medium upon which is encoded a sequence of instructions, which when executed by the computer, cause the deployment device to establish distributed monitoring of the computer system;

a plurality of indicator agents stored on a computer readable storage medium each configured to evaluate an indicator comprising a value characterizing a status or an operation of one or more resources of the computer system and an indicator-defining function for determining said value by searching through object identifiers, instantiating associated variables using a network management protocol, and unifying the object identifiers using a unifiability criteria;

a configuration module encoded with a sequence of instructions to specify one or more domains of the computer system in which each said indicator agent is to be deployed, the configuration module comprising a configuration deployment agent that creates a configuration agent for creating the plurality of indicator agents for the resource, and each indicator agent evaluates one of the plurality of indicators and manages an associated subscriber list; and

writing modules associated with each indicator agent, and encoded with a sequence of instructions to write in the associated subscriber list, upon receiving a subscription notification from at least one other indicator agent, an identification and management information of said at least one other indicator agent, and the subscriber list being managed by the associated indicator agent and stored using storage means of the resource associated with the indicator agent.

2. A deployment device according to claim 1, wherein each configuration agent comprises means which creates an indicator agent for each indicator of the resource to which said indicator is assigned, said indicator agent being an indicator deployment agent which determines, for the indicator with which said deployment agent is associated, various combinations of the values of the variables used by the function from which said indicator is determined.

3. A deployment device according to claim 2, further comprising an indicator compiler that generates, for each indicator, after analyzing the function from which said indicator is determined, at least two different object classes comprising:

a first object class “

I_Deployer”

associated with the indicator deployment agents that deploys instances of a second object class “

I_Indicator”

; and

the second object class “

I_Indicator”

associated with the indicator agents that evaluates the indicator, said second object class “

I_Indicator”

being configured to identify indicator agents;

wherein the first class object “

I_Deployer”

is configured to specify which indicator agents identified by the second object class “

I_Indicator”

must be created and to declare to a naming service the indicator agents actually created.

4. A deployment device according to claim 1, wherein the indicator agent comprises name resolution means which resolves names of objects referenced in the function from which the indicator is determined;

and

means which creates corresponding indicator agents by determining valid combinations of the values of the variables of said objects determined by the name resolution means.

5. A deployment device according to claim 2, wherein the indicator deployment agent comprises name resolution means which resolves names of objects referenced in the function from which the indicator is determined;

and

means which creates corresponding indicator agents by determining valid combinations of the values of the variables of said objects determined by the name resolution means.

6. A deployment device according to claim 4, wherein the name resolution means comprises search means which searches for all objects identified in the function from which the indicator is determined, the search means comprising:

means which verifies, for a referenced object, whether a constraint expressed in the values of the variables is satisfied; and

means which creates the indicator agent associated with the indicator deployment agent if the constraint is satisfied, using as parameters the objects corresponding to the valid combinations of the values of the variables found.

7. A deployment device according to claim 2, wherein the configuration deployment agents and the configuration agents are managed by at least one agent machine installed in at least one resource of the monitored domain, the at least one agent machine being configured to handle the distribution of one or more subscription notifications and the transmission of the subscription notifications and the management of overall indicator agent atomicity.

8. A deployment device according to claim 3, wherein the configuration deployment agents and the configuration agents are managed by at least one agent machine installed in at least one resource of the monitored domain, the at least one agent machine being configured to handle the distribution of one or more subscription notifications and the transmission of the subscription notifications and the management of overall indicator agent atomicity.

9. A deployment device according to claim 2, further comprising means which manages each indicator deployment agent either by the agent machine that manages the configuration agent associated with the indicator deployment agent, or by a different agent machine, the at least one agent machine being configured to handle the distribution of one or more subscription notifications and the transmission of the subscription notifications and the management of overall indicator agent atomicity.

10. A deployment device according to claim 3, further comprising means which manages each indicator deployment agent either by the agent machine that manages the configuration agent associated with the indicator deployment agent, or by a different agent machine, the at least one agent machine being configured to handle the distribution of one or more subscription notifications and the transmission of the subscription notifications and the management of overall indicator agent atomicity.

11. A method for deploying a distributed monitoring of a computer system having a plurality of resources to be monitored by a deployment device included in the computer system, the deployment device including a computer readable storage medium upon which is encoded a sequence of instructions, which when executed by the computer, causes the deployment device to establish distributed monitoring of the computer system, the method comprising:

evaluating, using a plurality of indicator agents stored on a computer readable storage medium, an indicator comprising a value characterizing a status or an operation of one or more resources of the computer system and an indicator-defining function for determining said value by searching through object identifiers, instantiating associated variables using a network management protocol, and unifying the object identifiers using a unifiability criteria;

specifying, using a configuration module encoded with a sequence of instructions, one or more domains of the computer system in which each said indicator agent is to be deployed, the configuration module comprising a configuration deployment agent that creates a configuration agent for creating the plurality of indicator agents for the resource, wherein each indicator agent evaluates one of the plurality of indicators and manages an associated subscriber list; and

writing, using a writing module associated with each indicator agent and encoded with a sequence of instructions, in the associated subscriber list, upon receiving a subscription notification from at least one other indicator agent, an identification and management information of said at least one other indicator agent, wherein the subscriber list is being managed by the associated indicator agent and stored using storage means of the resource associated with the indicator agent.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising creating an indicator agent for each indicator of the resource to which said indicator is assigned, said indicator agent being an indicator deployment agent, and determining, using said indicator deployment agent, for the indicator with which said deployment agent is associated, various combinations of the values of the variables used in the function from which said indicator is determined.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising generating, for each indicator, after analyzing the function from which said indicator is determined, at least two different object classes comprising:

a first object class “

I_Deployer”

associated with the indicator deployment agents that deploys instances of a second object class “

I_Indicator”

; and

the second object class “

I_Indicator”

associated with the indicator agents that evaluates the indicator, said second object class “

I_Indicator”

being configured to identify indicator agents;

wherein the first class object “

I_Deployer”

is configured to specify which indicator agents identified by the second object class “

I_Indicator”

must be created and to declare to a naming service the indicator agents actually created.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising resolving, using name resolution means, names of objects referenced in the function from which the indicator is determined, and creating corresponding indicator agents by determining valid combinations of the values of the variables of said objects determined by the name resolution means.

15. The method according to claim 12, further comprising resolving, using name resolution means, names of objects referenced in the function from which the indicator is determined, and creating corresponding indicator agents by determining valid combinations of the values of the variables of said objects determined by the name resolution means.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

searching for all objects identified in the function from which the indicator is determined;

verifying, for a referenced object, whether a constraint expressed in the values of the variables is satisfied; and

creating the indicator agent associated with the indicator deployment agent if the constraint is satisfied, using as parameters the objects corresponding to the valid combinations of the values of the variables found.

17. The method according to claim 12, further comprising managing the configuration deployment agents and the configuration agents by at least one agent machine installed in at least one resource of the monitored domain, the at least one agent machine being configured to handle the distribution of one or more subscription notifications and the transmission of the subscription notifications and the management of overall indicator agent atomicity.

18. The method according to claim 13, further comprising managing the configuration deployment agents and the configuration agents by at least one agent machine installed in at least one resource of the monitored domain, the at least one agent machine being configured to handle the distribution of one or more subscription notifications and the transmission of the subscription notifications and the management of overall indicator agent atomicity.

19. The method according to claim 12, further comprising managing each indicator deployment agent either by the agent machine that manages the configuration agent associated with the indicator deployment agent, or by at least one different agent machine, the at least one agent machine being configured to handle the distribution of one or more subscription notifications and the transmission of the subscription notifications and the management of overall indicator agent atomicity.

20. The method according to claim 12, further comprising managing each indicator deployment agent either by the agent machine that manages the configuration agent associated with the indicator deployment agent, or by at least one different agent machine, the at least one agent machine being configured to handle the distribution of one or more subscription notifications and the transmission of the subscription notifications and the management of overall indicator agent atomicity.