Methods and apparatus for real user monitoring including flash monitoring

• US 8,095,650 B1
• Filed: 07/30/2008
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dynatrace LLC (Dynatrace, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Compuware Corporation (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Cheng, Yuan, Lieberman, Allen, Anastas, Paul, Mouline, Imad, Breen, William Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MINH CHAU
• Application Number:
  US12/182,513
• Time in Patent Office: 1,259 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/32 with visual or acoustical indication of the functioning of the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/86 Event-based monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/865 Monitoring of software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet

Abstract

A system provides a tag for a flash application. The tag identifies a flash event to record during execution of the flash application. The flash event is recorded to monitor performance of the flash application to generate performance metrics. The flash performance monitoring process generates the performance metrics of the flash application based on an occurrence of the flash event during the execution of the flash application, and provides a graphical user interface in which to render a graphical representation of the generated performance metrics.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for monitoring performance of a flash application, the method comprising:

embedding a tag within the markup language of a web page, the tag identifying a flash event and an associated flash event threshold to record during execution of the flash application in conjunction with rendering the web page at a client, wherein the flash event and associated flash event threshold are recorded for monitoring performance of the flash application;

transmitting from a server the web page including the embedded tag to the client responsive to a client request for the web page;

in response to the flash event being recorded at the client, receiving at the server, flash event threshold information associated with the flash event;

generating performance metrics for the flash application based on the received flash event information; and

generating a graphical user interface displaying a graphical representation of the generated performance metrics.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein embedding the tag within the markup language of a web page comprises:

providing a capability for a user to specify the flash event to record during the execution of the flash application.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein providing the capability for the user to specify the flash event to record during the execution of the flash application comprises:

providing a capability for a user to define the flash event.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

providing a capability for the user to define a beginning and an end for the flash event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein embedding the tag within the markup language of a web page further comprises:

providing a capability for a user to specify a type of data, associated with the flash event, to return to the server.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising specifying the type of data as at least one of:

i) event data including flash events defined by the user;

ii) error data including error messages that are generated during execution of the flash application;

iii) dynamic data including data that is generated during execution of the flash application; and

iv) static data including metadata that is associated with the flash application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein embedding the tag within the markup language of a web page comprises:

minimizing an impact of the tag on an efficiency of the execution of the flash application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein embedding the tag within the markup language of a web page comprises:

associating the tag with the flash application during development of the flash application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the performance metrics for the flash application based on the received flash event information comprises:

capturing data associated with a user rendering the flash application, the data including user experience and user initiated events.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the performance metrics comprises:

defining performance metrics to include execution of the flash application and traffic associated with the flash application by multiple instantiations of the flash application.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the graphical user interface displaying the graphical representation of the generated performance metrics comprises:

calculating an impact of the performance of the flash application, the impact triggering a contractual violation.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the graphical user interface displaying the graphical representation of the generated performance metrics comprises:

identifying the client on which a user is rendering the flash application;

identifying specifications associated with the client; and

calculating the performance metrics according to the client and the specifications associated with the client.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the graphical user interface displaying the graphical representation of the generated performance metrics comprises:

identifying demographics associated with a plurality of users rendering the flash application; and

calculating the performance metrics based on the demographics.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with computer programming logic that when executed on a process in a computerized device monitors flash performance, the medium comprising:

instructions for embedding a tag within the markup language of a web page, the tag identifying a flash event and an associated flash event threshold to record during execution of the flash application in conjunction with rendering the web page at a client, wherein the flash event and associated flash event threshold are recorded for monitoring performance of the flash application;

instructions for transmitting from a server the web page including the embedded tag to the client responsive to a client request for the web page;

instructions for, in response to the flash event being recorded at the client, receiving at the server, flash event threshold information associated with the flash event;

instructions for generating performance metrics for the flash application based on the received flash event information; and

instructions for generating a graphical user interface displaying a graphical representation of the generated performance metrics.

15. A computerized device comprising:

a memory;

a processor;

a communications interface;

an interconnection mechanism coupling the memory, the processor and the communications interface;

wherein the memory is encoded with a flash performance monitoring application that when executed on the processor is capable of monitoring flash performance on the computerized device by performing the operations of;

embedding a tag within the markup language of a web page, the tag identifying a flash event and an associated flash event threshold to record during execution of the flash application in conjunction with rendering the web page at a client, wherein the flash event and associated flash event threshold are recorded for monitoring performance of the flash application;

transmitting from a server the web page including the embedded tag to the client responsive to a client request for the web page;

in response to the flash event being recorded at the client, receiving at the server, flash event threshold information associated with the flash event;

generating performance metrics for the flash application based on the received flash event information; and

generating a graphical user interface displaying a graphical representation of the generated performance metrics.