Method and system for monitoring message objects sent from a client to invoke operations on a server in a distributed computing environment

• US 9,213,620 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Software AG
• Original Assignee: Software AG
• Inventors: Bahlke, Rolf, Trensch, Guido, Schmidt, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Ashraf, Waseem
• Application Number:
  US13/307,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20130110908A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,476 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709223-224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/302 where the computing system component is a software system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3065 Monitoring arrangements determined by the means or processing involved in reporting the monitored data error or fault reporting or logging G06F11/0766
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

Certain example embodiments relate to a method of monitoring a message object sent from a client to invoke an operation on a server in a distributed computing environment. Upon receipt of the message object at a measurement point, measurement data is produced. The measurement data is inserted into the message object.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring a message object sent from a client to invoke an operation on a server in a distributed computing environment, the method comprising:

having at least one registered dynamic measurement point in the distributed computing environment, the at least one registered dynamic measurement point having been registered in response to instructions from an interface;

collecting data about a computing environment at the at least one registered measurement point in a component of the distributed computing environment;

upon receipt of the message object at the at least one registered measurement point, extracting measurement data from the message object;

converting the extracted measurement data into a data format associated with the at least one registered measurement point;

performing, at the component including the at least one registered measurement point, a computation using the converted extracted measurement data and the collected data at the at least one registered measurement point;

producing, at the component including the at least one registered measurement point, measurement data based at least in part on the computation using the converted extracted measurement data and the collected data at the at least one registered measurement point, the produced measurement data including a plurality of measurement values and identification information for each measurement value, the identification information identifying the component including the at least one registered measurement point;

inserting the produced measurement data into the message object; and

forwarding the message object including the produced measurement data in the distributed computing environment in invoking the operation on the server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the produced measurement data comprises information about a delay time, transport time and/or retention time of the message object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the inserting comprises appending the measurement data, produced based at least in part on the computation using the extracted measurement data, to measurement data that already exists in the message object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the message object comprises at least one message extension in which the measurement data is inserted, the at least one message extension being separate from a payload of the message object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the producing of measurement data comprises using the extracted measurement data to produce a time interval.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the message object at a message endpoint; and

sending the measurement data comprised in the message object to a data collector.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the message object is passed between at least one client and at least one server over at least one broker in the distributed computing environment;

and

wherein the at least one client, the at least one server and/or the at least one broker comprises at least one respective registered measurement point for producing measurement data.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium tangibly storing a computer program comprising instructions for implementing a method according to claim 1.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein registered measurement points are provided to a plurality of computing components of different respective types provided in a heterogeneous network.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting the produced measurement data into a predefined data format.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the predefined data format is a common printable format.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising inserting into the message object additional data including a version of the component including the at least one registered measurement point, and/or operating system information on which the component is running.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the message object is received from a preceding measurement point and includes results of a computation performed by the preceding measurement point; and

the computation using the extracted measurement data is performed based at least in part on the results of the computation performed by the preceding measurement point.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the produced measurement data comprises a plurality of key-value pairs, the key of the key-value pair including the identification information and the value of the key-value pair including the measurement value.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the produced measurement data is inserted into the message object without modifying the extracted measurement data.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the message object at a message endpoint, the message object including measurement data produced at each of the measurement points; and

sending the measurement data comprised in the message object to a data collector.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying a behavior of a component including the at least one registered measurement point in response to the computation using the extracted measurement data.

25. The method of claim 1,

wherein the measurement data produced based at least in part on the computation is converted back into a format of the message object before being inserted into the message object.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the produced measurement data includes a measurement value produced based on the computation using the extracted measurement data, and a measurement value produced at the at least one registered measurement point based on a computation not using the extracted measurement data.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification information further comprises a version of the component and operating system of a machine on which the component is running.

9. A system for monitoring a message object sent from a client to invoke an operation on a server in a distributed computing environment, wherein the system comprises:

processing resources including a computer processor and a memory; and

at least one registered dynamic measurement point in the distributed computing environment, registered in response to instructions from an interface, controlled by the processing resources, and configured to;

collect data about a computing environment at the at least one measurement point in a component of the distributed computing environment;

receive the message object at the at least one registered measurement point,

extract measurement data from the message object,

convert the extracted measurement data into a data format associated with the at least one registered measurement point;

performing, at the component including the at least one registered measurement point, a computation using the converted extracted measurement data and the collected data at the at least one registered measurement point,

produce, at the component including the at least one registered measurement point, measurement data based at least in part on the computation using the converted extracted measurement data and the collected data at the at least one registered measurement point, the produced measurement data including a plurality of measurement values and identification information for each measurement value, the identification information identifying the component including the at least one registered measurement point,

insert the produced measurement data into the message object, and

forward the message object including the produced measurement data in the distributed computing environment in invoking the operation on the server.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one registered measurement point is configured to produce measurement data comprising information about a delay time, transport time and/or retention time of the message object.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one registered measurement point is configured to append the measurement data to measurement data that already exists in the message object.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the message object comprises at least one message extension in which the measurement data is inserted, the at least one message extension being separate from a payload of the message object.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the producing measurement data includes using the extracted measurement data to produce a time interval.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the system further comprises a message endpoint configured to:

receive the message object; and

send the measurement data comprised in the message object to a data collector.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the system further comprises at least one client, at least one server and at least one broker between which the message object is passed;

wherein the at least one client, the at least one server and/or the at least one broker comprise at least one respective registered measurement point for producing measurement data.