Monitoring web service transactions

• US 8,892,718 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vercara LLC
• Original Assignee: Neustar Incorporated
• Inventors: Le, Bach, Drees, Tim, Ratchitsky, Lenny, Kirwan, Peter, Saftoiu, Rares
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAW, PELING ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US12/163,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20090006614A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,335 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-219, 709223-226, 714/39, 714/47
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

Systems and methods for monitoring web service transactions include a monitoring server that is configured to monitor a web service transaction. The monitoring server allows a user to describe a sequence of web service requests that in combination define a web service transaction. The monitoring server sends out the web service requests in sequence to remote agents that are deployed in geographically diverse locations. The agents send the requests to the target web service and the results are provided back to the monitoring server. The monitoring server receives the results and then dynamically constructs the next request in the series based on the sequence of requests from the user and data from the response to a prior request. The dynamically constructed next request is then sent to remote agents for execution and the results are provided to the monitoring server.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for automatic monitoring of a web service transaction comprising a plurality of requests to one or more web services, the method comprising:

receiving a web service transaction comprising a sequence of two or more web service requests for two or more different web services hosted by two or more different web servers, wherein the two or more web service requests comprise at least a first web service request and a second web service request, and wherein the second web service request is different than the first web service request;

storing the web service transaction in a data storage area; and

periodically executing the web service transaction and recording the results of said execution, wherein executing the web service transaction comprises

executing the first web service request for a first web service hosted by a first web server,

receiving a response to the first web service request, the response comprising at least one value,

modifying said second web service request using the at least one value, and

executing said modified second web service request for a second web service which is different than the first web service and which is hosted by a second web server that is remote from the first web server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending an alert when the results of said execution meet a predetermine criteria.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein recording the results comprises storing the results of each web service request that is executed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying said second web service request using the at least one value comprises including the at least one value in said second web service request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein periodically executing the web service transaction comprises periodically executing the two or more web service requests by, for each of the two or more web service requests:

sending the web service request to one or more of a plurality of geographically diverse agents; and

,

by each of the one or more geographically diverse agents, sending the web service request to a web service provider.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the first web service request comprises sending the first web service request to a first web service provider, and wherein executing the second web service request comprises sending the second web service request to a second web service provider which is different than the first web service provider.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a definition of a variable from a user; and

parsing the response to the first web service request to identify the at least one value using the definition of the variable.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon one or more sequences of instructions for causing one or more microprocessors to perform the steps for automatic monitoring of a web service transaction comprising a plurality of requests to one or more web services, the steps comprising:

receiving a web service transaction comprising a sequence of two or more web service requests for two or more different web services hosted by two or more different web servers, wherein the two or more web service requests comprise at least a first web service request and a second web service request, and wherein the second web service request is different than the first web service request;

storing the web service transaction in a data storage area; and

periodically executing the web service transaction and recording the results of said execution, wherein executing the web service transaction comprises

executing the first web service request for a first web service hosted by a first web server,

receiving a response to the first web service request, the response comprising at least one value,

modifying said second web service request using the at least one value, and

executing said modified second web service request for a second web service which is different than the first web service and which is hosted by a second web server that is remote from the first web server.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the steps further comprise sending an alert when the results of said execution meet a predetermine criteria.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein recording the results comprises the step of storing the results of each web service request that is executed.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein modifying said second web service request using the at least one value comprises including the at least one value in said second web service request.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein periodically executing the web service transaction comprises periodically executing the two or more web service requests by, for each of the two or more web service requests:

sending the web service request to one or more of a plurality of geographically diverse agents; and

,

by each of the one or more geographically diverse agents, sending the web service request to a web service provider.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein executing the first web service request comprises sending the first web service request to a first web service provider, and wherein executing the second web service request comprises sending the second web service request to a second web service provider which is different than the first web service provider.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the steps further comprise:

receiving a definition of a variable from a user; and

parsing the response to the first web service request to identify the at least one value using the definition of the variable.

16. The system of claim 8, wherein the monitoring server further comprises an alert module configured to send an alert upon identification of a predetermined condition.

15. A system for automatic monitoring of a web service transaction comprising a plurality of requests to one or more web services and corresponding responses, the system comprising:

one or more remote agents communicatively coupled with a monitoring server and one or more target web services via a communication network; and

a monitoring server communicatively coupled with the one or more remote agents and the one or more target web services via the communication network said monitoring server comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium configured to store computer executable programmed modules and a processor communicatively coupled with the non-transitory computer readable medium configured to execute programmed modules stored therein;

wherein the monitoring server comprises a transaction module stored in the non-transitory computer readable medium and configured to be executed by the processor to periodically execute a web service transaction comprising a sequence of two or more web service requests for two or more different web services hosted by two or more different web servers; and

wherein data received in response to a prior web service request sent to a first web service hosted by a first web server is used to modify a subsequent and different web service request in the sequence of two or more web service requests, the transaction module further configured to execute the modified web service request for a second web service which is different than the first web service and which is hosted by a second web server that is remote from the first web server, and analyze the results of the sequence of two or more web service requests.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the monitoring server further comprises a data storage area configured to store the sequence of two or more web service requests and data received in response to a web service request.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the monitor server is configured to parse data received in response to a web service request and store a portion of said data in a variable in said data storage area.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the periodic execution of the web service transaction comprises periodically executing the two or more web service requests by, for each of the two or more web service requests:

sending the web service request to at least one of the one or more remote agents; and

,

by the at least one remote agent, sending the web service request to a web service provider.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the periodic execution of the web service transaction comprises:

periodically sending at least a first one of the two or more web service requests to a first web service provider; and

periodically sending at least a second one of the two or more web service requests to a second web service provider which is different than the first web service provider.