Monitoring performance of applications in a distributed environment

• US 7,870,244 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2003
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lam, Robert S., Chong, James C., Tsang, Arthur, Zychowski, Christopher M., Tang, Henry, Chan, Joseph L., So, Chi Hong, Banks, Jerome D., Patel, Tushar M., Heler, Jean Jacques, Chow, Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THANH T
• Application Number:
  US10/606,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20040064552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,757 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/225, 370/467, 370/401, 370/232, 370/229, 379/90.1, 379/115, 379/119
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3072 where the reporting involves data filtering, e.g. pattern matching, time or event triggered, adaptive or policy-based reporting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/11 File system administration, e.g. details of archiving or snapshots file system backup G06F11/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/865 Monitoring of software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/88 Monitoring involving counting
• 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 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A method for management of performance of computer systems and applications includes prompting the user to select information for monitoring, monitoring the performance of applications running on servers, displaying data, and prompting users to input performance adjustments. A user is prompted to select a server or server group, a resource, and a threshold or condition for notification, and in response a system compares the value or quality of the parameter to the threshold or condition, and provides a notification to the user in the event that the parameter reaches the threshold or condition. A method includes the steps of providing the user with performance information, receiving from the user a request for more specific performance information, and providing more detailed performance information. A method according to the invention includes the steps of receiving from the user an identification of a server as an authoritative server, another server as a comparison server, comparing runtime environment data in the form of one or more of CPU data, server data and Java data between the selected servers, and displaying differences to a user. A method of the invention includes the steps of receiving from the user an identification of a server as an authoritative server, and another server as a comparison server, and providing a list of matching and differing file names. The method may further include the step of receiving from the user a selection of a file, conducting a comparison of the files, and providing a result to the user. A method of the invention includes the steps of assigning a role to each user, and mapping between access to functions and each user role by an access control list, whereby access to functions is limited depending on the assigned role of the user.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring the performance of applications running on a plurality of servers in a distributed computing environment, comprising:

providing a user with at least two choices as to a level of monitoring, receiving from a user selected information for monitoring, wherein the selected information for monitoring includes user selection of one of a level of monitoring and particular features to be monitored, wherein each level of monitoring provides a different level of detail, wherein the selected information for a first level of monitoring comprises request level data and server level data, wherein the selected information for a second level of monitoring includes the selected information for the first level and API level data, wherein the API level data includes data regarding throughput of a particular CPU and functionality to permit the user to provide a soft cancel of a request, and wherein the selected information for a third level of monitoring includes the selected information for the second level of monitoring and method level data, wherein the user is provided with an option of changing dynamically between the second level and the third level, receiving from the user identification of a schedule for monitoring of the selected information, wherein the schedule consists of a group of schedule records, each of which is a combination of a staff date and time and a monitoring level, wherein the schedule define times for a monitoring level to change, monitoring application performance in accordance with the selected information and in accordance with the identified schedule, wherein the monitoring commences with a first schedule record, wherein the monitoring changes when a current time is a start time and date of another schedule record, and wherein the monitoring continues through successive schedule records, and making monitored performance information available to the user in accordance with the selected information, wherein the selected information includes availability management including information as to whether a particular application is running on a particular server, system resources including information as to an amount of available memory and a number of available connections, and basic request data including a number of requests being made and a number of requests being completed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is prompted to identify a scope of information to be monitored, and wherein application server performance is monitored in accordance with the selected scope.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said scope comprises a first monitoring level.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said scope further comprises a second monitoring level wherein the selected information further comprises the API level data for problem determination for servers with a high volume of transactions and occasional instability.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said scope further comprises a third monitoring level, wherein the selected information further comprises the method level data for problem determination for servers that have been selected for diagnostics, detailed workload characterization and profiling.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, in a system running at least one application, a management application having various components for monitoring and management, and monitoring and providing to a user in real-time information concerning configuration of the components and the relationships between the components.

7. A system for monitoring the performance of applications running on a plurality of servers in a distributed computing environment, comprising:

means for providing a user with at least two choices as to a level of monitoring, further comprising means for prompting the user to identify a scope of information to be monitored,

means for receiving from a user selected information for monitoring, wherein the selected information for monitoring includes user selection of one of a level of monitoring and particular features to be monitored, wherein each level of monitoring provides a different level of detail, wherein the selected information for a first level of monitoring comprises request level data and server level data, wherein the selected information for a second level of monitoring includes the selected information for the first level and API level data, wherein the API level data includes data regarding throughput of a particular CPU and functionality to permit the user to provide a soft cancel of a request, and wherein the selected information for a third level of monitoring includes the selected information for the second level of monitoring and method level data, wherein the user is provided with an option of changing dynamically between the second level and the third level,

means for receiving from the user identification of a schedule for monitoring of the selected information, wherein the schedule consists of a group of schedule records, each of which is a combination of a start date and time and a monitoring level, wherein the schedule define times for a monitoring level to change,

means for monitoring application performance in accordance with the selected information received from a user and in accordance with the identified schedule including means for monitoring the application server performance in accordance with the selected scope, wherein the monitoring commences with a first schedule record, wherein the monitoring changes when a current time is a start time and date of another schedule record, and wherein the monitoring continues through successive schedule records, and

means for making monitored performance information available to the user in accordance with the selected information, wherein the selected information includes availability management including information as to whether a particular application is running on a particular server, system resources including information as to an amount of available memory and a number of available connections, and basic request data including a number of requests being made and a number of requests being completed.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said scope comprises a first monitoring level.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said scope further comprises a second monitoring level wherein the selected information further comprises the API level data for problem determination for servers with a high volume of transactions and occasional instability.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said scope further comprises a third monitoring level, wherein the selected information further comprises the method level data for problem determination for servers that have been selected for diagnostics, detailed workload characterization and profiling.

11. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

means for providing, in a system running at least one application, a management application having various components for monitoring and management, and

means for monitoring and providing to a user in real-time information concerning configuration of the components and the relationships between the components.

12. A computer program for monitoring the performance of applications running on a plurality of servers in a distributed computing environment, said program consisting of instructions stored on a computer readable storage medium, said instructions, when executed on a processor cause the processor to execute:

providing a user with at least two choices as to a level of monitoring, wherein the user is prompted to identify a scope of information to be monitored,

receiving from a user selected information for monitoring, wherein the selected information for monitoring includes user selection of one of a level of monitoring and particular features to be monitored, wherein each level of monitoring provides a different level of detail, wherein the selected information for a first level of monitoring comprises request level data and server level data, wherein the selected information for a second level of monitoring includes the selected information for the first level and API level data, wherein the API level data includes data regarding throughput of a particular CPU and functionality to permit the user to provide a soft cancel of a request, and wherein the selected information for a third level of monitoring includes the selected information for the second level of monitoring and method level data, wherein the user is provided with an option of changing dynamically between the second level and the third level,

receiving from the user identification of a schedule for monitoring of the selected information, wherein the schedule consists of a group of schedule records, each of which is a combination of a start date and time and a monitoring level, wherein the schedule define times for a monitoring level to change,

monitoring application performance in accordance with the selected information and in accordance with the identified schedule, wherein the application server performance is monitored in accordance with the selected scope, wherein the monitoring commences with a first schedule record, wherein the monitoring changes when a current time is a start time and date of another schedule record, and wherein the monitoring continues through successive schedule records, and

making monitored performance information available to the user in accordance with the selected information, wherein the selected information includes availability management including information as to whether a particular application is running on a particular server, system resources including information as to an amount of available memory and a number of available connections, and basic request data including a number of requests being made and a number of requests being completed.

13. The computer program of claim 12, wherein said scope comprises a first monitoring level.

14. The computer program of claim 13, wherein said scope further comprises a second monitoring level wherein the selected information further comprises the API level data for problem determination for servers with a high volume of transactions and occasional instability.

15. The computer program of claim 14, wherein said scope further comprises a third monitoring level, wherein the selected information further comprises the method level data for problem determination for servers that have been selected for diagnostics, detailed workload characterization and profiling.

16. The computer program of claim 12, wherein said instructions, when executed on a processor cause the processor to execute:

providing, in a system running at least one application, a management application having various components for monitoring and management, and

monitoring and providing to a user in real-time information concerning configuration of the components and the relationships between the components.