Method and apparatus for maintaining the status of objects in computer networks using virtual state machines

• US 7,971,106 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2009
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Optanix, Inc. (Axispoint Technology Solutions Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ShoreGroup, Inc.
• Inventors: Fagan, Brant M., Lovy, David M., Bojanek, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lohn; Joshua A
• Application Number:
  US12/409,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20090216881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 714/43, 714/47, 714/57, 709/224
• US Class Current: 714/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0233 Object-oriented techniques, for representation of network management data, e.g. common object request broker architecture [CORBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0686 Additional information in the notification, e.g. enhancement of specific meta-data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps

Abstract

A network appliance for monitoring, diagnosing and documenting problems among a plurality of devices and processes (objects) coupled to a computer network utilizes periodic polling and collection of object-generated trap data to monitor the status of objects on the computer network. The status of a multitude of objects is maintained in memory utilizing virtual state machines which contain a small amount of persistent data but which are modeled after one of a plurality of finite state machines. The memory further maintains dependency data related to each object which identifies parent/child relationships with other objects at the same or different layers of the OSI network protocol model. A decision engine verifies through on-demand polling that a device is down. A root cause analysis module utilizes status and dependency data to locate the highest object in the parent/child relationship tree that is affected to determine the root cause of a problem. Once a problem has been verified, a “case” is opened and notification alerts may be sent out to one or more devices. A user interface allows all objects within the network to be displayed with their respective status and their respective parent/child dependency objects in various formats.

Claims

1. A computer program product for use with a computer system operatively coupled over a computer network to a plurality of device or process objects, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program code embodied thereon comprising:

a) program code for monitoring the status of the plurality of monitored objects over the computer network;

(b) program code for receiving data indicating that the status of a monitored objects, and, if the data indicating that the status of a monitored object is not normal, for sending a verification request to the monitored object requesting verification of abnormal status and for receiving from the monitored object data confirming or denying abnormal status thereof;

(c) program code for storing, in a memory, data relating to the status of the monitored objects wherein the memory stores a plurality of virtual state-machines relating to the monitored objects; and

(d) program code for presenting data relating to the monitored objects.

2. An apparatus for use with a computer system operatively coupled over a computer network to a plurality of device or process objects, some of the plurality of objects having dependency relationships therebetween, the apparatus comprising:

(a) a display device;

(b) a memory coupled to the display device;

(c) program logic for monitoring the status of the plurality of monitored objects;

(d) program logic for receiving data indicating that the status of a monitored object, and, if the data indicating that the status of the monitored object is not normal, for sending a verification request to the monitored object requesting verification of abnormal status and for receiving from the monitored object data confirming or denying abnormal status thereof;

(e) program logic for storing, in the memory, data relating to the status of the monitored objects;

(f) program logic for receiving a request to display the status of one of the monitored objects;

(g) program logic for simultaneously presenting, on the display device, a macroview visual representation of the computer network and a microview visual representation of a node-level map of a designated portion of the macroview visual representation.

3. In a computer system operatively coupled over a computer network to a plurality of device or process objects, a method comprising:

(a) monitoring the status of the plurality of monitored objects over the computer network;

(b) receiving data indicating that the status of a monitored object, and, if the data indicating that the status of the monitored object is not normal, sending a verification request to the monitored object requesting verification of abnormal status and for receiving from the monitored object data confirming or denying abnormal status thereof;

(c) storing in memory data relating to the status of the monitored object; and

(d) presenting a visual representation of the monitored object, and a current state of a plurality of parameters associated with the status of the monitored object, the current state of the plurality of parameters represented as a visual icon.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein (d) comprises:

(d1) representing dependency relationships of the monitored object to others of the monitored objects in the computer network with indicators of Boolean relations.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein (d) further comprises:

(d2) presenting a visual representation of any child monitored object which depends directly from the requested monitored object and a current state of any said child monitored object.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein (d) further comprises:

(d2) presenting a current state of a plurality of parameters associated with the status of a child monitored object, the current state of the plurality of parameters represented as a visual icon.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein (d) further comprises:

(d2) presenting a visual representation of any parent monitored object on which the requested monitored object depends directly and a current state of any said parent monitored object.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein (d) further comprises:

(d2) presenting a current state of a plurality of parameter associated with the status of a parent monitored object, the current state of the plurality of parameters represented as a visual icon.