System and method for monitoring browser event activities

• US 20020165954A1
• Filed: 05/04/2001
• Published: 11/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus LLC (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Eshghi, Kave, Morgan, Dennis, Green, John, Holland, Jerremy, Ramraj, Anupriya, Smead, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 6,944,660 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention is directed toward providing a system for monitoring events occurring on a networked browser while the browser is processing web page-based transactions and information, wherein the data from the monitoring process is sent to a computer other than the browser on which the transactions are executing and other than the computer from which the transaction was downloaded. Exemplary embodiments of the invention are directed toward a system and method for invoking a monitoring function on a network computer, including the steps of accessing a web page from a web server, updating the web page by inserting a script tag in the web page, wherein the script tag includes location information for a function for monitoring events on a network computer other than the web server, and storing the updated web page on the web server. An alternate embodiment is directed toward a system and method for monitoring events on a network computer, including the steps of downloading a web page from a web server to a client browser within a network, wherein the web page includes a script tag identifying a location of a monitoring function; retrieving the monitoring function based on information in the script tag; invoking the monitoring function to monitor an event on the client browser; and sending monitored data to a measurement computer, wherein the measurement computer is a computer other than the web server.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring events on a network computer, comprising:

a processor for downloading a web page from a web server to a client browser within a network, wherein the web page includes a script tag identifying a location of a monitoring function, and for retrieving the monitoring function based on information in the script tag to monitor an event on the client browser; and

an I/O device for sending monitored data to a measurement computer, wherein the measurement computer is a computer other than the web server.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the monitored data includes at least one of page access start time, page load time, page unload time, page URL being navigated from, page URL being navigated to, page access aborts, query string being passed to a page being navigated to, network connection type, time zone in which the client browser is located, and operating system under which the client browser is executing.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the monitored data is stored and evaluated on the measurement computer independently from processing of the web page on the client browser.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor calculates data associated with processing of web pages during a client browser session.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor invokes the monitoring function without authorization from the client browser.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the monitored data is a start time of a browser navigating to a web page across a network, and wherein the processor calculates elapsed time from the start time to a current browser system time, and when the calculated elapsed time has exceeded a predetermined maximum elapsed time, the processor initiates navigation to an alternate web server.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the processor generates a navigation failure record, wherein the navigation failure record includes navigation start time, navigation end time, page name and location, and an identifier of the web server to which elapsed navigation time was exceeded.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the web server, the client browser, and the measurement computer are remote from each other.

9. A method for invoking a monitoring function on a network computer, comprising the steps of:

accessing a web page from a web server,

updating the web page by inserting a script tag in the web page, wherein said script tag includes location information for a function for monitoring events on a network computer other than the web server; and

storing the updated web page on the web server.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the inserted script tag further includes a link to a file comprising monitoring instructions.

11. A method for monitoring events on a network computer, comprising the steps of:

downloading a web page from a web server to a client browser within a network, wherein the web page includes a script tag identifying a location of a monitoring function;

retrieving the monitoring function based on information in the script tag;

invoking the monitoring function to monitor an event on the client browser; and

sending monitored data to a measurement computer, wherein the measurement computer is a computer other than the web server.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the monitored data includes at least one of page access start time, page load time, page unload time, page URL being navigated from, page URL being navigated to, page access aborts, query string being passed to a page being navigated to, network connection type, time zone in which the client browser is located, and operating system under which the client browser is executing.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the monitored data is stored and evaluated on the measurement computer independently from processing of the web page on the client browser.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of invoking the monitoring functions includes calculating data associated with the processing of web pages during a client browser session.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of invoking the monitoring function is performed without authorization from the client browser.

16. The method according to claim 11, comprising the steps of:

capturing a start time of a browser navigating to a page across a network;

calculating an elapsed time from the start time to a current browser system time;

determining whether the elapsed has exceeded a predetermined maximum elapsed time; and

initiating navigation to an alternate web server when the elapsed time has exceeded the predetermined maximum.

17. The method according to claim 16, comprising terminating navigation to the page by generating a navigation failure record, wherein the navigation failure record includes navigation start time, navigation termination time, page name and location, and an identifier of the web server to which navigation was terminated.