Synthetic transactions to test blindness in a network system

• US 8,650,292 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ruiz, Jon, Thio, Ling, Zuzga, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): NANO, SARGON N
• Application Number:
  US13/241,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20120016983A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/55 Testing of service level quality, e.g. simulating service usage

Abstract

Synthetic transactions for a network system are generated based on monitoring of the network system to determine whether the network system may be blind to traffic. A process determines whether an application within an application server in a network system is processing traffic received by the application server, and whether a web server within the network system and in communication with the application server is receiving traffic that requires processing by the application. The process determines that the network system may be blind to the traffic, and, in response, generates a synthetic transaction instruction and a corresponding synthetic transaction to test whether the network system is blind to the traffic. Based on a response of the network system to the synthetic transaction, the process determines whether there is a malfunction of the application server or a period of low traffic activity of the application server.

Claims

1. A method, comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

monitoring traffic between client devices and a web server, the traffic comprises requests for transactions from the client devices in a period of activity, and the web server uses a plurality of servers to process the transactions, the transactions comprise first and second transactions which are processed using first and second servers, respectively, of the plurality of servers;

monitoring the plurality of servers;

in response to the monitoring of the plurality of servers, determining that application runtime data has not been received from instrumentation of an application at the first server during a time period after the period of activity;

in response to the monitoring of the traffic, determining that traffic has been detected during the time period; and

in response to the determining that the application runtime data has not been received from the instrumentation of the application at the first server during the time period and the determining that traffic has been detected during the time period, determining whether the first server is malfunctioning, the determining whether the first server is malfunctioning comprises submitting a test request for the first transaction to the web server and determining whether application runtime data is received from the first server from processing the first transaction in response to the test request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first and second transactions are requested when first and second URLs, respectively, are in the requests from the client devices; and

the test request for the first transaction comprises the first URL.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

generating the test request by accessing a table which cross references the first server to the first URL.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the table cross references a plurality of agitators to the plurality of servers, the plurality of agitators comprise a first agitator connected to the first server;

and the test request is provided by the first agitator.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the submitting the test request comprises sending an instruction to the first agitator, the agitator provides the test request to the web server in response to the instruction, the method further comprising:

receiving a confirmation from the agitator, the confirmation indicates that the agitator received the instruction; and

determining that the first server is malfunctioning in response to;

application runtime data not being received from the instrumentation of the application of the first server from processing the first transaction in response to the test request, and the agitator confirming receipt of the instruction.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the first server is malfunctioning in response to application runtime data not being received from the instrumentation of the application of the first server from processing the first transaction in response to the test request.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the first server is not malfunctioning in response to application runtime data being received from the instrumentation of the application of the first server from processing the first transaction in response to the test request.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the test request is submitted in response to a synthetic transaction generator and not by the client devices.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the monitoring of the traffic comprises intercepting the traffic at a router or switch between the client devices and the web server, and providing a copy of the traffic to a traffic monitoring system; and

the submitting of the test request is responsive to the traffic monitoring system.

10. A processor readable storage device comprising processor readable code embodied thereon for programming a processor to perform a method comprising:

monitoring traffic between client devices and a web server, the traffic comprises requests for transactions from the client devices in a period of activity, and the web server uses a plurality of servers to process the transactions, the transactions comprise first and second transactions which are processed using first and second servers, respectively, of the plurality of servers, and the first and second transactions are requested when first and second parameters, respectively, are in the requests from the client devices;

monitoring the plurality of servers;

in response to the monitoring of the plurality of servers, determining that application runtime data has not been received from instrumentation of an application at the first server during a time period after the period of activity;

in response to the monitoring of the traffic, determining that traffic has been detected during the time period; and

in response to the determining that the application runtime data has not been received from the instrumentation of the application at the first server during the time period and the determining that traffic has been detected during the time period;

accessing a table which cross references the first server to the first parameter and to an agitator connected to the first server, submitting an instruction to the agitator, the instruction is for the agitator to generate a test request for the first transaction to the web server, the test request comprises the first parameter, determining whether the agitator confirms receipt of the instruction,

determining whether application runtime data is received from the instrumentation of the application of the first server from processing the first transaction in response to the test request, and determining that the first server is malfunctioning in response to;

application runtime data not being received from the instrumentation of the application of the first server from processing the first transaction in response to the test request, and the agitator confirming receipt of the instruction.

11. The processor readable storage device of claim 10, wherein:

the test request is not submitted by the client devices.

12. The processor readable storage device of claim 10, wherein:

the monitoring of the traffic comprises intercepting the traffic at a router or switch between the client devices and the web server, and providing a copy of the traffic to a traffic monitoring system; and

the submitting of the instruction is responsive to the traffic monitoring system.

13. The processor readable storage device of claim 10, wherein:

the first and second parameters comprise first and second URLs, respectively.

14. The processor readable storage device of claim 13, wherein:

the first parameter comprises a URL and a URL parameter.

15. A system, comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor in communication with the storage device, the processor programmed to;

monitor traffic between client devices and a web server, the traffic comprises requests for transactions from the client devices in a period of activity and the web server uses a plurality of servers to process the transactions, the transactions comprise first and second transactions which are processed using first and second servers, respectively, of the plurality of servers, and the first and second transactions are requested when first and second parameters, respectively, are in the requests from the client devices;

monitor the plurality of servers;

in response to the monitoring of the plurality of servers, determine that application runtime data has not been received from instrumentation of an application at the first server during a time period after the period of activity;

in response to the monitoring of the traffic, determine that traffic has been detected during the time period; and

in response to the determining that the application runtime data has not been received from the instrumentation of the application at the first server during the time period and the determining that traffic has been detected during the time period;

generate a test request for the first transaction, the test request for the first transaction comprises the first parameter, submit the test request for the first transaction to the web server, determine that submission of the test request is confirmed, determine whether application runtime data is received from the instrumentation of the application of the first server from processing the first transaction in response to the test request, and

determine that the first server is malfunctioning in response to;

application runtime data not being received from the instrumentation of the application of the first server from processing the first transaction in response to the test request, and the submission of the test request being confirmed.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the processor, to monitor of the traffic, intercepts the traffic at a router or switch between the client devices and the web server, and provides a copy of the traffic to a traffic monitoring system; and

the submitting of the test request is responsive to the traffic monitoring system.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the first and second parameters comprise first and second URLs, respectively.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the first parameter comprises a URL and a URL parameter.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the test request is generated using a table which cross references the first server to the first parameter.