System and method for monitoring server performance using a server

• US 20010042122A1
• Filed: 05/15/2001
• Published: 11/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Masters, Steve, Thomas, Stephen David, Pierre Cote, Joseph Paul-Emile
• Granted Patent: US 7,613,801 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• 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 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications

Abstract

A method and system is described for monitoring the performance of a monitored server system using a polling server system. A single query is generated by the polling server system and transmitted to the monitored server system. The single query represents a request for a compilation of information about the performance of numerous services offered by a monitored server system. Upon receiving the single query, the monitored server system generates the compilation of information regarding the services it offers, and then transmits the compilation of information to the polling server system.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring the performance of a server system that is to be monitored, the method comprising:

the step of, at a server system that is to poll, generating a single query requesting a compilation of information about the performance of a plurality of services offered by the monitored server system;

the step of transmitting the single query from the polling server system to the monitored server system; and

the step of, at the polling server system, receiving the compilation of information about the performance of the plurality of services offered by the monitored server system.

2. The method of

claim 1

, further comprising:

the step of, at the polling server system, receiving from a client system a request for at least some of the information contained in the compilation; and

the step of transmitting the at least some of the information contained in the compilation from the polling server system to the client system in response to the request.

3. The method of

claim 1

, further comprising:

the step of automatically transmitting at least some of the information contained in the compilation from the polling server system to a client system.

4. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the compilation comprises a status of network services of the monitored server system.

5. The method of

claim 4

, wherein the network services comprise a directory service.

6. The method of

claim 4

, wherein the network services comprise a message store service.

7. The method of

claim 4

, wherein the network services comprise a message transfer agent.

8. The method of

claim 4

, wherein the network services comprise a facsimile communications service.

9. The method of

claim 4

, wherein the network services comprise an Internet communications service.

10. The method of

claim 4

, wherein the network services comprise a messaging service.

11. The method of

claim 10

, further comprising:

the step of, at the monitored server system, automatically attempting to establish a working connection to a mailbox in the messaging service;

the step of, at the monitored server system, determining whether the working connection is established; and

the step of reporting the result of the step of determining in the compilation.

12. The method of

claim 11

, further comprising:

the step of, depending on the result of the step of determining, automatically attempting to determine whether a message is available at the mailbox; and

the step of, depending on the result of the step of determining whether the working connection is established, automatically reporting in the compilation the result of the step of determining whether a message is available at the mailbox.

13. The method of

claim 12

, further comprising:

the step of, depending on the result of the step of automatically attempting to determine whether a message is available at the mailbox, attempting to read the message; and

the step of, depending on the result of the step of automatically attempting to determine whether a message is available at the mailbox, reporting in the compilation the result of the step of attempting to read the message.

14. The method of

claim 11

, wherein the result of the step of automatically attempting to establish a working connection depends on the messaging services'"'"' acceptance of a security code.

15. The method of

claim 11

, wherein the step of automatically attempting to establish a working connection is driven by a detection of a failure in the messaging service.

16. The method of

claim 11

, wherein the method further comprises the step of exercising a software service used in the establishment of a user'"'"'s working connection.

17. The method of

claim 16

, wherein the software service comprises a buffer service.

18. The method of

claim 1

, further comprising:

the step of, at the polling server system, installing polling software capable of performing the step of transmitting the single query from the polling server system to the monitored server system; and

the step of, at the monitored server system, installing attendant software capable of generating the compilation of information about the performance of the plurality of services offered by the monitored server system.

19. The method of

claim 18

, further comprising:

the step of the attendant software monitoring a time indicator at the monitored server system; and

the step of the attendant software including a time indication based at the monitored server system with the compilation.

20. The method as defined in

claim 19

, further comprising:

the step of the polling software monitoring a master time indicator at the polling server system to determine a master time indication; and

the step of comparing the time indication in the compilation with the master time indication of the polling server system.

21. The method of

claim 20

, further comprising:

the step of, if the difference between the time indication in the compilation and the master time indication exceeds a maximum permissible difference, the polling software at the polling server system causing the time indicator at the monitored server system to be updated to more accurately match the master time indication at the polling server system.

22. The method of

claim 1

, further comprising the step of, at the monitored server system, generating the compilation of information about the performance of the plurality of services offered by the monitored server system.

23. The method of

claim 1

, further comprising the step of, at the polling server system, using the compilation to update at least one server system list.

24. The method of

claim 23

, wherein the step of using the compilation to update at least one server system list comprises:

the step of listing the monitored server system in a normal server system list if the compilation does not indicate any deficiencies in the monitored server system; and

the step of listing the monitored server system in a critical server system list if the compilation indicates deficiencies in the monitored server system.

25. The method of

claim 23

, wherein the compilation is a current compilation, wherein the step of using the compilation to update at least one server system list comprises the step of transferring the monitored server system from a normal server system list to a critical server system list if a previous compilation indicated no deficiencies in the monitored server system, but the current compilation indicates a deficiency in the monitored server system.

26. The method of

claim 25

, wherein the step of transferring the monitored server system from a normal server system list to a critical server system list is caused by a polling software settings set in the polling server system by a system administrator.

27. The method of

claim 23

, wherein the compilation is a current compilation, wherein the step of using the compilation to update at least one server system lists comprises the step of transferring the monitored server system from a critical server system list to a normal server system list if a previous compilation indicated deficiencies in the monitored server system, but the current compilation indicates no deficiencies in the monitored server system.

28. The method of

claim 27

, wherein the step of transferring the monitored server system from a critical server system list to a normal server system list is caused by a setting of polling software set in the polling server system by a system administrator.

29. The method of

claim 28

further comprising the step of the polling software providing to the system administrator information about server system contained on the critical server system list more frequently than for the normal server system list.

30. A method comprising:

the step of, at a server system that is to be monitored, receiving a single query from a server system that is to poll, wherein the signal query requests a compilation of information about the performance of a plurality of services offered by the monitored server system;

the step of, at the monitored server system, generating the compilation of information about the performance of the plurality of services offered by the monitored server system; and

the step of transmitting the compilation from the monitored server system to the polling server system.

31. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the following:

the step of, at a server system that is to poll, generating a single query requesting a compilation of information about the performance of a plurality of services offered by a server system that is to be monitored;

the step of transmitting the single query from the polling server system to the monitored server system; and

the step of, at the polling server system, receiving the compilation of information about the performance of the plurality of services offered by the monitored server system.

32. The computer-readable medium of

claim 31

, wherein the computer-executable instructions are further for performing the following:

the step of updating one or more server system lists based on the compilation of information.

33. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the following:

the step of, at a server system that is to be monitored, receiving a single query from a server system that is to poll, wherein the signal query requests a compilation of information about the performance of a plurality of services offered by the monitored server system;

the step of, at the monitored server system, generating the compilation of information about the performance of the plurality of services offered by the monitored server system; and

the step of transmitting the compilation from the monitored server system to the polling server system.

34. The computer-readable medium of

claim 33

, wherein the computer-executable instructions for performing the step of generating the compilation of information are for performing the following:

the step of automatically attempting to establish a working connection to a mailbox in a messaging system of the monitored server system;

the step of determining whether the working connection is established; and

the step of including the result of the attempt in the compilation.

35. The computer-readable medium of

claim 34

, wherein the computer-executable instructions for performing the step of generating the compilation of information are further for performing the following:

the step of, depending on the result of the step of determining whether the working connection is established, automatically attempting to determine whether a message is available at the mailbox; and

the step of, depending on the result of the step of determining whether the working connection is established, including the result of the step of automatically attempting to determine whether a message is available at the mailbox in the compilation.

36. The computer-readable medium of

claim 35

, wherein the computer-executable instructions for performing the step of generating the compilation of information are further for performing the following:

the step of, depending on the result of the step of automatically attempting to determine whether a message is available, attempting to read the message; and

the step of, depending on the result of the step of automatically attempting to determine whether a message is available, including the result of the step of attempting to read the message in the compilation.

37. A method comprising:

the act of, at a polling server system, generating a single query requesting a compilation of information about the performance of a plurality of services offered by a monitored server system, wherein the single query is generated using polling software installed on the polling server system, wherein the polling server system is connected to the monitored server system over a network;

the act of transmitting the single query from the polling server system to the monitored server system over the network; and

the act of, at the polling server system, receiving the compilation of information about the performance of the plurality of services offered by the monitored server system.