Managing and classifying assets in an information technology environment using tags

• US 9,922,055 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2012
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tripwire Incorporated (Belden Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tripwire Incorporated (Belden Inc.)
• Inventors: Whitlock, David M., Little, Mark A., Booth, Julie, Trople, Chyna
• Primary Examiner(s): Yen, Syling
• Application Number:
  US13/597,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20130054601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,030 Days
• Field of Search: 707610, 707611, 707620, 707634, 707640, 707661, 707674, 707999204, 725 5, 725 41
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/11 File system administration, e.g. details of archiving or snapshots file system backup G06F11/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2291 User-Defined Types; Storage management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/085 Retrieval of network configuration; Tracking network configuration history

Abstract

Disclosed below are representative embodiments of methods, apparatus, and systems for managing and classifying assets in an information technology (“IT”) environment using a tag-based approach. The disclosed tag-based classification techniques can be implemented through a graphical user interface. Embodiments of the disclosed tag-based classification techniques can be used to allow a user to easily and quickly select and perform actions on groups of one or more assets (e.g., monitor policies, perform upgrades, etc.). For example, the tag-based classification techniques can automatically classify assets into “tag sets” (or “tagged sets”) based on node properties or user-selected criteria or conditions (e.g., criteria or conditions that are established in a user-created tagging profile or rule). The tagged assets can then be further filtered to identify even deeper relationships between the assets.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, from a user via a user interface, a set of conditions to establish a tagging profile;

receiving, from the user via the user interface, identifications of one or more tags associated with the tagging profile;

upon the user selecting to run the tagging profile via the user interface, (a) applying the tagging profile to multiple existing nodes in an information technology network to identify nodes in the information technology network that satisfy one or more conditions of the tagging profile, wherein one of the conditions is that a node is tagged with a selected tag that is different than the one or more tags associated with the tagging profile, and (b) in response to said identifying, automatically associating each of the one or more tags with the multiple ones of the nodes that satisfy the one or more conditions of the tagging profile;

displaying a list of the one or more tags; and

after user selection of a respective one of the tags, displaying a list of the multiple ones of the nodes associated with the respective one of the tags.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing a user to select whether the tagging profile is to be applied automatically to a newly detected node in the information technology network or manually.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the nodes to which the tagging profile is applied comprise one or more of a database server, directory server, file server, or network device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of tags is displayed in a first panel of a display screen and the list of the nodes associated with the respective one of the tags is displayed in a second panel of the display screen whose content changes depending on which tag is selected from the first panel.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the conditions is that a node be within a range of internet protocol addresses.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the conditions is that a node have a name or attribute that matches a user-typed keyword.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing a user to select whether all conditions of the set or less than all conditions of the set must be satisfied before associating nodes with the one or more tags.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the user via the user interface, a user-created name for the tagging profile.

9. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform the method of claim 1.

10. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

monitoring nodes in a computer network via a compliance and configuration control tool, the nodes comprising one or more of a database server, directory server, file server, or network device;

detecting a new node in the computer network;

upon detecting the new node and without user initiation, automatically associating the new node with one or more tags, wherein the one or more tags that are automatically associated with the new node without user initiation include a tag indicative of a health of the new node, the tag indicative of the health of the new node being indicative of whether the new node is communicating without errors with the compliance and configuration control tool;

detecting one or more changes between a current state of the new node and a baseline state of the new node; and

generating a report comprising a listing of the one or more changes that are not approved changes.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the associating the new node comprises applying one or more tagging profiles to the new node, each tagging profile comprising a set of one or more conditions that, if satisfied by the new node, causes the new node to be associated with one or more respective tags of the tagging profile.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more tags include a tag indicative of an operating system used by the new node.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more tags include a tag indicative of a directory service used by the new node.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more tags include a tag indicative of a monitoring status of the new node.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying the tags in a first pane of a display screen, and, upon user selection of a respective one of the tags, displaying nodes associated with the respective one of the tags in a second pane of the display screen.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

capturing the baseline state of the new node; and

comparing the current state of the new node to the baseline state of the new node.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

crosschecking the one or more changes with one or more policies to determine whether the one or more changes are approved changes.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more tags comprise metadata or a database field assigned to the new node.

19. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform the method of claim 10.

20. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

in a first pane of a screen, displaying a list of tags, each tag being associated with a property of an asset in an information technology environment, wherein the list of tags includes a tag for healthy assets and one or more tags for assets experiencing errors;

receiving a filter request specifying a keyword or tag;

matching the keyword or tag to multiple assets in the information technology environment;

in a second pane of the screen distinct from the first pane and separated from the first pane by a first pane border, displaying a list of assets matching the keyword or tag; and

upon user selection of a respective one of the assets in the second pane of the display screen, displaying additional information about the respective one of the assets in a third pane of the display screen, the third pane being distinct from the first pane and the second pane and separated from the second pane by a second pane border, wherein the additional information has previously been specifically associated with the respective one of the assets prior to the displaying in the third pane.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the third pane of the display screen includes an indication of tags with which the respective one of the assets is associated.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising updating the list of tags displayed in the first pane of the screen to further include a numerical indicator adjacent to each tag having matching assets, the numerical indicator indicating the number of matching assets for the respective tag.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the list of tags is displayed as part of an expandable list of tag sets in which, upon expansion, each tag set displays the respective tags for the tag set.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the filter request is a first filter request, wherein the keyword or tag is a first keyword or tag, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a second filter request specifying a second keyword or tag;

matching the second keyword or tag to one or more assets that also match the first keyword or tag; and

in the second pane of the screen, displaying an updated list of nodes matching both the first keyword or tag, and the second keyword or tag.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

displaying both the first keyword or tag and the second keyword or tag; and

allowing a user to de-select either one of the first keyword or tag, or the second keyword or tag.

26. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform the method of claim 20.

27. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a set of conditions to establish a tagging profile, the set of conditions specifying a set of one or more conditions that must be satisfied by a node before the node is assigned a tag associated with the tagging profile;

receiving identifications of one or more tags associated with the tagging profile and a user-created name for the tagging profile;

applying the tagging profile to multiple existing nodes in an information technology network, the applying the tagging profile comprising identifying multiple nodes of the multiple existing nodes that satisfy the set of conditions specified in the tagging profile, and in response to said identifying, automatically assigning each of the one or more tags associated with the tagging profile to the multiple nodes of the multiple existing nodes in the information technology network that satisfy the set of conditions specified in the tagging profile, thereby generating a tagged set of nodes; and

generating a data set in a hierarchically arranged database or file system that comprises the tagged set of nodes.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising accessing the data set comprising the tagged set of nodes with an information technology compliance and configuration control tool.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the method is performed by a monitoring computer in the information technology network, and wherein the method further comprises applying a rule to the tagged set of nodes in the data set, the rule identifying a criterion by which a configuration change to the node is to be transmitted to the monitoring computer.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising receiving, from a user the user-created name for the tagging profile.

31. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform the method of claim 27.