Integrated forensics platform for analyzing IT resources consumed to derive operational and architectural recommendations

• US 8,880,682 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2010
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Bishop, Anthony Bennett, Wanish, Paul John, Pecoraro, Alexis Salvatore, Narkier, Sheppard David
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quang N
• Application Number:
  US12/899,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20110145657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,490 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/224, 726/3, 726/22
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3442 for planning or managing the needed capacity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3447 Performance evaluation by modeling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/865 Monitoring of software
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1433 Vulnerability analysis

Abstract

A method for facilitating forensic analysis of operational data for an IT infrastructure includes deriving performance data from a plurality of physical systems, network elements and storage devices in an IT infrastructure via a toolset comprising a plurality of IT monitoring and metrics tools, importing the performance data into an integrated forensics platform, aggregating the imported data, and analyzing the aggregated data to determine resources consumed. Each tool is communicatively interfaced with one or more of the physical systems, network elements and storage devices.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating forensic analysis of operational data for an Information Technology (“

IT”

) infrastructure, comprising the steps of;

deriving performance data from a plurality of physical systems, network elements and storage devices in the IT infrastructure via a toolset comprising a plurality of IT monitoring and metrics tools, wherein each tool is communicatively interfaced with one or more of the physical systems, network elements and storage devices;

importing the performance data into an integrated forensics platform;

aggregating the imported data;

analyzing the aggregated data to determine resources consumed;

producing a forensic heat map setting forth a collection of metrics and at least one aspect of resource consumption for each metric includes producing a collection of forensic heat maps, each for a separate application; and

selectively displaying the collection of forensic heat maps to a user via an archaeologist platform.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the toolset includes third party tools.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the third party tools include a plurality of tools from different providers.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the third party tools include at least a first tool provided by the owner or manager of the IT infrastructure and at least a second tool provided by an entity other than the owner or manager of the IT infrastructure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one aspect of resource consumption for each metric includes a current condition of the respective metric.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the condition of the respective metric is described on a scale having at least three values.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the condition of the respective metric is described textually.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the condition of the respective metric is described graphically.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one aspect of resource consumption for each metric includes a current impact of the respective metric.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the impact of the respective metric is described on a scale having at least three values.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the impact of the respective metric is described textually.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the impact of the respective metric is described graphically.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one aspect of resource consumption for each metric also includes a current condition of the respective metric.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein a type of resource to which the metric pertains is included in the forensic heat map for each metric.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the resource types are selected from a group that includes processing, messaging, memory, data and availability.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the resource types are selected from a group that includes variability of consumption (variation), latency of consumption, intensity of consumption (quality) and occupancy of the resource (volume).

17. The method of claim 1, wherein a metric type is included in the forensic heat map for each metric.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of generating software anomaly risk information.