Monitoring cloud computing environments

• US 9,529,689 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2009
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Ferris, James Michael, Riveros, Gerry Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US12/627,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20110131499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,584 Days
• Field of Search: 715734-739, 715748-749, 715/740, 715741-743, 717/140, 717/171, 717/172, 717/173, 726/7
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45591 Monitoring or debugging support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/865 Monitoring of software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/145 the attack involving the propagation of malware through the network, e.g. viruses, trojans or worms

Abstract

A monitoring system can provide monitoring services to users of cloud computing environment. The monitoring system can receive access information from users subscribing to the monitoring services. Once received, the monitoring system can access clouds utilizing the access information and monitor the computing processes instantiated in the clouds and associated with the user. The monitoring system can monitor the computing processes and collect information such as usage of cloud resources, number and type of computing processes instantiated, software programs utilized by the computing processes.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving one or more requests from a user to subscribe to a monitoring service for a plurality of cloud computing systems comprising a plurality of virtual machines, wherein the one or more requests comprise access information for the plurality of cloud computing systems, wherein the access information comprises an identifier or address of each of the plurality of cloud computing systems and login information to access an account of the user at each of the plurality of cloud computing systems;

establishing connections to each of the plurality of cloud computing systems in view of the access information;

tracking a set of rights associated with the user for associated virtual machines of the plurality of virtual machines;

identifying, by a processor in view of the connections, usage information for each cloud computing system in the plurality of cloud computing systems in view of the set of rights associated with the user, wherein the usage information comprises types, durations, and fees for a plurality of computing processes that are executed by the account in the cloud computing system wherein the usage information comprises resource usage of the cloud computing system, wherein the resource usage for the user differs between the associated virtual machines; and

providing a report to the user, wherein the report comprises the usage information for each of the associated virtual machines of the plurality of cloud computing systems, individual resources for each of the plurality of cloud computing systems, and the plurality of computing processes that are executed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the access information.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing the usage information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cloud computing systems comprise at least one of a subscription cloud or a cloud controlled by the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage information further comprises at least one of, a number of the plurality of computing processes, or an identification of a plurality of software programs utilized by the plurality of computing processes.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an interface to receive the request.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of computing processes comprise at least one of a virtual machine, a software appliance, or a software program.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive one or more requests from a user to subscribe to a monitoring service for a plurality of cloud computing systems comprising a plurality of virtual machines, wherein the one or more requests comprise access information for the plurality of cloud computing systems, wherein the access information comprises an identifier or address of each of the plurality of cloud computing systems and login information to access an account of the user at each of the plurality of cloud computing systems;

establish connections to each of the plurality of cloud computing systems in view of the access information;

track a set of rights associated with the user for associated virtual machines of the plurality of virtual machines;

identify, by the processor in view of the connections, usage information for each cloud computing system in the plurality of cloud computing systems in view of the set of rights associated with the user, wherein the usage information comprises types, durations, and fees for a plurality of computing processes that are executed by the account in the cloud computing system, wherein the usage information comprises resource usage of the cloud computing system, wherein the resource usage for the user differs between the associated virtual machines; and

provide a report to the user, wherein the report comprises the usage information for each of the associated virtual machines of the plurality of cloud computing systems, individual resources for each of the plurality of cloud computing systems, and the plurality of computing processes that are executed.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the processor is further to store the access information.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the processor is further to store the usage information.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the plurality of cloud computing systems comprise at least one of a subscription cloud or a cloud controlled by the user.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the usage information further comprises at least one a number of the plurality of computing processes, or an identification of a plurality of software programs utilized by the plurality of computing processes.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the processor is further to provide an interface to receive the request.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the plurality of computing processes comprise at least one of a virtual machine, a software appliance, or a software program.

15. A system comprising:

a network interface; and

a processor to communicate with the network interface to;

receive one or more requests from a user to subscribe to a monitoring service for a plurality of cloud computing systems comprising a plurality of virtual machines, wherein the one or more requests comprise access information for the plurality of cloud computing systems, wherein the access information comprises an identifier or address of each of the plurality of cloud computing systems and login information to access an account of the user at each of the plurality of cloud computing systems;

establish connections to each of the plurality of cloud computing systems in view of the access information;

track a set of rights associated with the user for associated virtual machines of the plurality of virtual machines;

identify, in view of the connections, usage information for each cloud computing system in the plurality of cloud computing systems in view of the set of rights associated with the user, wherein the usage information comprises types, durations, and fees for a plurality of computing processes that are executed by the account in the cloud computing system, wherein the usage information comprises resource usage of the cloud computing system, wherein the resource usage for the user differs between the associated virtual machines; and

provide a report to the user, wherein the report comprises the usage information for each of the associated virtual machines of the plurality of cloud computing systems, individual resources for each of the plurality of cloud computing systems, and the plurality of computing processes that are executed.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further to store the access information.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further to store the usage information.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of cloud computing systems comprise at least one of a subscription cloud or a cloud controlled by the user.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the usage information further comprises at least one of a number of the plurality of computing processes, or an identification of a plurality of software programs utilized by the plurality of computing processes.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of computing processes comprise at least one of a virtual machine, a software appliance, or a software program.