Management of monitoring sessions between monitoring clients and monitoring target server

• US 7,991,876 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2006
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Yoda, Kunikazu, Kushida, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Jean Gilles; Jude J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Means; Jaren M
• Application Number:
  US11/612,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20080147845A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,687 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/227, 709/228
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A system includes a monitoring management server, a monitoring target server, and one or more monitoring clients. The management server determines monitoring parameters for each client. The monitoring parameters specify at least when a client is to begin a monitoring session with the target server and when the client is to end the session with the target server. The management server determines the monitoring parameters for each client such that a predetermined maximum number of monitoring sessions performed within each time period is never exceeded by the target server. Each client receives monitoring parameters from the management server in response to a request initiated by the client, initiates a monitoring session with the target server in accordance with the monitoring parameters, and reports results of the monitoring session to the management server upon the monitoring session ending.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a monitoring management server to determine monitoring parameters for each of one or more monitoring clients, the monitoring parameters specifying at least when a monitoring client is to begin a monitoring session with a monitoring target server and when the monitoring client is to end the monitoring session with the monitoring target server,

the monitoring management server determining the monitoring parameters for each monitoring client such that a predetermined maximum number of monitoring sessions performed within each of a plurality of time periods is never exceeded by the monitoring target server;

the monitoring target server having the predetermined maximum number of monitoring sessions that can performed between the one or more monitoring clients and the monitoring target server in each of a plurality of time periods; and

,

the one or more monitoring clients, each monitoring client to receive monitoring parameters from the monitoring management server in response to a request initiated by the monitoring client, to initiate a monitoring session with the monitoring target server in accordance with the monitoring parameters, and to report results of the monitoring session to the monitoring management server upon the monitoring session ending,

wherein each of the monitoring management server, the monitoring target server, and the one or more monitoring clients is a computing device connected to one another over a network,

wherein the monitoring session initiated between each monitoring client and the monitoring target server results in communication of data between the monitoring client and the monitoring target server, where the communication of data is measured for one or more of latency and throughput, where the one or more of latency and throughput are the results of the monitoring session,

wherein each monitoring client is to initiate the monitoring session directly with the monitoring target server, instead of initiating the monitoring session through the monitoring management server,

wherein the monitoring target server has no software installed thereon related to monitoring management functionality performed by the monitoring management server,

wherein the monitoring target server is unaware of the monitoring management server and is unaware that the monitoring management server is instructing the one or more monitoring clients when and for how long to establish monitoring sessions with the monitoring target server, whereas the monitoring management server is aware of the monitoring target server,

wherein a given monitoring client of the one or more monitoring clients is to send a first local time of the given monitoring client to the monitoring management server, the first local time being equal to a first absolute time plus a first lag between the first local time and the first absolute time, the first absolute time being a first value of an absolute time just before the given monitoring client sends the first local time to the monitoring management server;

wherein in response to the given monitoring client sending the first local time to the monitoring management server,

the monitoring management server is to determine a delta equal to a second local time of the monitoring management server minus the first local time, the second local time being equal to a second absolute time plus a second lag between the second local time and the second absolute time, the second absolute time being a second value of the absolute time just after the monitoring management server receives the first local time from the given monitoring client, the delta being equal to the second absolute time minus the first absolute time plus the second lag minus the first lag;

the monitoring management server is to send a given time equal to the delta plus the absolute time to the given monitoring client,

wherein in response to the given monitoring client receiving the given time from the monitoring management server, the given monitoring client is to start monitoring at the first lag plus the given time, the first lag plus the given time being equal to the absolute time plus the second lag plus a difference between the second value of the absolute time and the first value of the absolute time,

and wherein the communication of data between the monitoring client and the monitoring target server comprises one or more of;

first communication of data from the monitoring client and the monitoring target server and second communication of data from the monitoring target server to the monitoring client.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring parameters further specify a type of a monitoring session to be performed between a monitoring client and the monitoring target server.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the maximum number of monitoring sessions that can be performed between the one or more monitoring clients and the monitoring target server in each of the plurality of time periods relates to a threshold past which degradation of monitoring by the monitoring target server results.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring management server is to permit an administrator to specify the predetermined maximum number of monitoring sessions performed within each of the plurality of time periods by the monitoring target server.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring management server, in response to receiving a request from a monitoring client for monitoring parameters is to determine the monitoring parameters for the monitoring client such that the predetermined maximum number of monitoring sessions performed within each of the plurality of time periods by the monitoring target server is never exceeded.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring target server is unaware that the monitoring management server is managing the monitoring sessions initiated with the monitoring target server by the monitoring clients.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring target server has no software installed thereon related to monitoring management performed by the monitoring management server.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring target server has no built-in load-distribution functionality in relation to the monitoring sessions initiated with the monitoring target server.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the monitoring target server is unable to reject initiation of a monitoring session by a monitoring client.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein each of a plurality of times a monitoring client reports the results of a monitoring session to the monitoring management server upon the monitoring session ending, the monitoring client receives new monitoring parameters from the monitoring management server in accordance with which a new monitoring session is to be initiated by the monitoring client with the monitoring target server.

11. A method comprising:

requesting monitoring parameters, by a monitoring client from a monitoring management server, the monitoring parameters specifying at least when the monitoring client is to begin a monitoring session with a monitoring target server and when the monitoring client is to end the monitoring session with the monitoring target server;

receiving, by the monitoring client, the monitoring parameters from the monitoring management server; and

,

initiating, by the monitoring client, the monitoring session with the monitoring target server in accordance with the monitoring parameters,

wherein each of the monitoring management server, the monitoring target server and the monitoring client is a computing device connected to one another over a network,

wherein the monitoring session initiated between the monitoring client and the monitoring target server results in communication of data between the monitoring client and the monitoring target server, where the communication of data is measured for one or more of latency and throughput as the results of the monitoring session reported to the monitoring management server upon the monitoring session ending, wherein each monitoring client is to initiate the monitoring session directly with the monitoring target server, instead of initiating the monitoring session through the monitoring management server,

wherein the monitoring target server has no software installed thereon related to monitoring management functionality performed by the monitoring management server,

wherein the monitoring target server is unaware of the monitoring management server and is unaware that the monitoring management server is instructing the one or more monitoring clients when and for how long to establish monitoring sessions with the monitoring target server, whereas the monitoring management server is aware of the monitoring target server,

wherein the monitoring client is to send a first local time of the monitoring client to the monitoring management server, the first local time being equal to a first absolute time plus a first lag between the first local time and the first absolute time, the first absolute time being a first value of an absolute time just before the monitoring client sends the first local time to the monitoring management server;

wherein in response to the monitoring client sending the first local time to the monitoring management server,

the monitoring management server is to determine a delta equal to a second local time of the monitoring management server and the first local time, the second local time being equal to a second absolute time plus a second lag between the second local time and the second absolute time, the second absolute time being a second value of the absolute time just after the monitoring management server receives the first local time from the monitoring client, the delta being equal to the second absolute time minus the first absolute time plus the second lag minus the first lag;

the monitoring management server is to send a given time equal to the delta plus the absolute time to the monitoring client,

wherein in response to the monitoring client receiving the given time from the monitoring management server, the monitoring client is to start monitoring at the first lag plus the given time, the first lag plus the given time being equal to the absolute time plus the second lag plus a difference between the second value of the absolute time and the first value of the absolute time.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising reporting, by the monitoring client, results of the monitoring session to the monitoring management server.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising, in response to the monitoring client reporting the results of the monitoring session to the monitoring management server:

receiving, by the monitoring client, new monitoring parameters from the monitoring management server; and

,

initiating the new monitoring session with the monitoring target server in accordance with the new monitoring parameters.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the monitoring parameters further specify a type of a monitoring session to be performed between the monitoring client and the monitoring target server.

15. A method comprising:

determining, by a monitoring management server, a maximum number of monitoring sessions performable within each of a plurality of time periods by a monitoring target server;

receiving, by the monitoring management server, a request for monitoring parameters from a monitoring client in accordance with which the monitoring client is to initiate a monitoring session with the monitoring target server;

determining, by the monitoring management server, the monitoring parameters such that the maximum number of monitoring sessions performable within each of the plurality of time periods by the monitoring target server is not exceeded; and

,

sending, by the monitoring management server, the monitoring parameters to the monitoring client,

wherein each of the monitoring management server, the monitoring target server and the monitoring client is a computing device connected to one another over a network,

wherein the monitoring session initiated between the monitoring client and the monitoring target server results in communication of data between the monitoring client and the monitoring target server, where the communication of data is measured for one or more of latency and throughput as the results of the monitoring session reported to the monitoring management server upon the monitoring session ending,

wherein each monitoring client is to initiate the monitoring session directly with the monitoring target server, instead of initiating the monitoring session through the monitoring management server,

wherein the monitoring target server has no software installed thereon related to monitoring management functionality performed by the monitoring management server,

wherein the monitoring target server is unaware of the monitoring management server and is unaware that the monitoring management server is instructing the one or more monitoring clients when and for how long to establish monitoring sessions with the monitoring target server, whereas the monitoring management server is aware of the monitoring target server,

wherein the monitoring client is to send a first local time of the monitoring client to the monitoring management server, the first local time being equal to a first absolute time plus a first lag between the first local time and the first absolute time, the first absolute time being a first value of an absolute time just before the monitoring client sends the first local time to the monitoring management server;

wherein in response to the monitoring client sending the first local time to the monitoring management server,

the monitoring management server is to determine a delta equal to a second local time of the monitoring management server and the first local time, the second local time being equal to a second absolute time plus a second lag between the second local time and the second absolute time, the second absolute time being a second value of the absolute time just after the monitoring management server receives the first local time from the monitoring client, the delta being equal to the second absolute time minus the first absolute time plus the second lag minus the first lag;

the monitoring management server is to send a given time equal to the delta plus the absolute time to the monitoring client,

wherein in response to the monitoring client receiving the given time from the monitoring management server, the monitoring client is to start monitoring at the first lag plus the given time, the first lag plus the given time being equal to the absolute time plus the second lag plus a difference between the second value of the absolute time and the first value of the absolute time.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving, by the monitoring management server, results of the monitoring session from the monitoring client;

in response to the monitoring management server receiving the results of the monitoring session from the monitoring client,

determining, by the monitoring management server, new monitoring parameters in accordance with which the monitoring client is to initiate a new monitoring session with the monitoring target server; and

,

the monitoring management server sending the monitoring parameters to the monitoring client.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the monitoring parameters further specify a type of a monitoring session to be performed between the monitoring client and the monitoring target server.