Supporting transactions in a data network using router information

• US 8,738,804 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2004
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Childress, Rhonda L., Kumhyr, David Bruce, Pennell, Neil Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): Anwari, Maceeh
• Application Number:
  US10/753,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20050154758A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,792 Days
• Field of Search: 709232-235, 709238-244, 709201-203, 709/245
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for monitoring transactions for a set of known nodes in a network data processing system. Cache data is received from a router in the data processing system. The cache data includes an identification of the set of known nodes sending data packets for transactions onto the network data processing system. The transactions are tracked for the set of nodes using the cache data from the router. In this manner, the loading of work for different nodes in a set of nodes can be identified.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system for monitoring transactions for a set of known nodes in a network data processing system, the method comprising:

receiving cache data from a router in the data processing system, wherein the cache data includes an identification of the set of known nodes sending data packets for transactions onto the network data processing system, wherein the receiving step occurs on a periodic basis;

identifying the transactions handled by each node in the set of known nodes using the identification of the set of nodes included in the cache data received from the router, to form identified transactions;

analyzing the identified transactions;

in response to the analyzing the identified transactions, selectively initiating a load balancing process for at least one of the nodes in the set of known nodes to mitigate transaction overload at the at least one of the nodes; and

generating a display of the set of known nodes in a graphical view, wherein the graphical view includes the communications paths with a graphical indication of the network traffic.

2. A data processing system, including a system bus, for monitoring transactions for a set of known nodes in a network data processing system, the data processing system comprising:

a data processor coupled to the system bus and a memory comprising instructions that are executable to perform steps of;

receiving cache data from a router in the data processing system, wherein the cache data includes an identification of the set of known nodes sending data packets for transactions onto the network data processing system, wherein the receiving means is initiated on a periodic basis;

identifying the transactions handled by each node in the set of known nodes using the identification of the set of nodes included in the cache data received from the router, to form identified transactions;

analyzing the identified transactions;

selectively initiating, responsive to analyzing the identified transactions, a load balancing process for at least one of the nodes in the set of known nodes to mitigate transaction overload at the at least one of the nodes; and

generating a display of the set of known nodes in a graphical view, wherein the graphical view includes the communications paths with a graphical indication of the network traffic.

3. A method in a data processing system for monitoring transactions for a set of known nodes in a network data processing system, the method comprising:

receiving cache data from a router in the data processing system, wherein the cache data includes an identification of the set of known nodes sending data packets for transactions onto the network data processing system;

identifying the transactions handled by each node in the set of known nodes using the identification of the set of nodes included in the cache data received from the router, to form identified transactions;

analyzing the identified transactions; and

in response to the analyzing the identified transactions, selectively initiating a load balancing process for at least one of the nodes in the set of known nodes to mitigate transaction overload at the at least one of the nodes, wherein the cache data is from an address resolution protocol cache located on the router and is received through an agent located on the router, where the agent clears the address resolution protocol cache each time the cache data is sent to the data processing system.