Adaptive application interface management

• US 8,281,322 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2008
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Qian, Zhiqiang, Bajpay, Paritosh, Liu, Jackson, Zinnikas, Michael John
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Qing
• Application Number:
  US12/273,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20100125853A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0703 Error or fault processing not based on redundancy, i.e. by taking additional measures to deal with the error or fault not making use of redundancy in operation, in hardware, or in data representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• 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 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70

Abstract

A method and system for adaptive processing of alert messages exchanged between applications is disclosed. The system may include a diagnostic engine coupled to a plurality of applications. A plurality of application alert messages may be monitored to determine if the alerts exceed a predetermined threshold. If a threshold number of alert messages is exceeded, an interface status based on a diagnostic code for the interface may be determined. A query value for the interface may be adjusted. Based on the amount of the increase in the alert messages, different actions may be indicated. An administrator for the application interface or for equipment associated with the interface may be notified for servicing the equipment.

Claims

1. A method for adaptive processing of inter-application alerts, comprising:

setting a threshold for inter-application alerts associated with an application interface generated within a monitoring interval;

in response to the inter-application alerts exceeding the threshold, analyzing a diagnostic code associated with at least one of the inter-application alerts to determine an interface status associated with the at least one inter-application alert;

in response to the diagnostic code indicating a non-responsive interface status, adjusting a query value for the at least one inter-application alert; and

performing at least one of;

storing the query value and displaying a message indicative of the inter-application alerts exceeding the threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface status is a timeout status, and wherein the query value is a timeout value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface status is a busy status, and wherein the query value is at least one of a priority value and the monitoring interval.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic code indicates a missing data status, the method further comprising:

notifying a maintenance entity associated with the application interface about the inter-application alert.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for inter-application alerts exceeding the threshold by a minimum amount, escalating a priority of at least one of the inter-application alerts to an enhanced priority inter-application alert.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

notifying a maintenance entity associated with the application interface about the enhanced priority inter-application alert.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the maintenance entity is requested to evaluate a throughput capacity of at least one network system associated with the enhanced priority inter-application alert.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the maintenance entity is requested to evaluate equipment associated with at least one network system associated with the enhanced priority inter-application alert.

9. A system for adaptive processing of inter-application alerts, comprising:

a processor; and

memory media accessible to the processor, including processor executable instructions to;

monitor a plurality of inter-application alerts, corresponding to a plurality of application interfaces between a diagnostic engine and a plurality of applications;

in response to exceeding a threshold number of inter-application alerts associated with an application interface, determine an interface status based on at least one diagnostic code associated with at least one of the inter-application alerts; and

increase a timeout value for the application interface based on the interface status indicating a timeout status.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising instructions executable to:

increase a priority value for the application interface based on the interface status indicating a busy status.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising instructions executable to:

notify an administrator for the application interface based on the interface status indicating a missing data status.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the threshold is exceeded by a predetermined amount, and further comprising instructions executable to:

request testing of equipment associated with the application interface.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the diagnostic engine is configured to process customer support events in response to providing telephone service to a plurality of customers.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of application interfaces includes an interface to an Internet-protocol network.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of application interfaces includes an interface to a Public Switched Telephone Network.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of application interfaces includes an interface to at least one of:

a customer-support ticket system, an incident management system, a telephone switch inventory system, and a database of records.

17. Computer-readable memory media, including processor executable instructions for adaptive processing of inter-application alerts, said instructions executable to:

detect an increase in the number of inter-application alerts for a plurality of application interfaces between a diagnostic engine and a plurality of applications;

in response to said increase, determine an amount of the increase relative to a threshold value for at least one of the plurality of application interfaces;

based on the amount of the increase and at least one diagnostic code associated with a selected application interface, determine an interface status for the selected application interface; and

increase a priority value for the selected application interface based on the interface status indicating a busy status.

18. The memory media of claim 17, further comprising instructions executable to:

increase a timeout value for the selected application interface based on the interface status indicating a timeout status.

19. The memory media of claim 17, further comprising instructions executable to:

notify an administrator based on the interface status indicating a missing data status.

20. The memory media of claim 17, further comprising instructions executable to:

in response to the amount of the increase being greater than the threshold value, request priority service of equipment associated with the selected application interface.

21. The memory media of claim 20, wherein the equipment is included in a telephone system configured to provide telephony service to a plurality of customers.

22. The memory media of claim 21, wherein the telephone system includes an Internet-protocol network and a public switched telephone network.