Interfacing external metrics into a performance management system

• US 6,816,898 B1
• Filed: 08/16/2000
• Issued: 11/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ProactiveNet, Inc. (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Badhe, Rajesh, Garg, Atul, Scarpelli, Joe, Sodem, Sridhar, LeFaive, Alex
• Primary Examiner(s): EL HADY, NABIL M
• Application Number:
  US09/640,967
• Time in Patent Office: 1,546 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 714/47
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/50 Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements

Abstract

A method and apparatus for network management is described. In one embodiment, a method comprises collecting performance data having accompanying meta data including information defining the performance management data and information indicating operations to be performed on the performance management data, and generating output data for display using collected performance management data according to the information indicating the operations to be performed on the performance management data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

collecting performance management data having accompanying meta data, the meta data including information defining the performance management data and information indicating operations to be performed on the performance management data; and

generating output data for display using the collected performance management data according to the information indicating the operations to be performed on the performance management data.

2. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a performance management system receiving at least one script-based program; and

running the script-based program via the performance management system to periodically collect the performance management data from components in a network.

3. The method defined in claim 2 further comprising:

integrating the at least one script-based program into the performance management system as a service monitor; and

using the service monitor to periodically collect the performance data.

4. The method defined in claim 3 further comprising the performance management system analyzing and integrating the performance management data.

5. The method defined in claim 3 further comprising the performance management system generating an alarm when the performance management data meets certain criteria.

6. A method for providing an interface between a user and a performance management system, the performance management system being connected with a network, the network including a plurality of components coupled by a plurality of connections, the performance management system collecting data of the components, the method comprising:

receiving at least one script-based program from the user, the script-based programs defining data types not provided by the performance management system;

integrating the program to the performance management system as a service monitor, the performance management system using the service monitor to periodically collect data of the defined data types from the components.

7. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the data collected by the service monitor is business-oriented performance management data of the components.

8. The method defined in claim 6, further comprising:

receiving input from the user, the input specifying a rate at which the service monitor polls the components;

receiving input from the user, the input specifying names, types and units of input parameters and output variables of the script-based program;

using the input from the user to setup the program as a service monitor of the performance management system.

9. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the performance management system analyzes the data collected using the service monitor.

10. The method defined in claim 9, wherein the performance management system displays at least one graph of the data collected using the service monitor.

11. The method defined in claim 9 wherein the performance management system generates at least one report of the data collected using the service monitor, and/or other types of data collected by the performance management system.

12. The method defined in claim 9, wherein the performance management system generates an alarm when the data collected using the service monitor does not meet certain criteria, the certain criteria being provided to the performance management system by the user.