Method and system for dynamic update of an application monitoring agent using a non-polling mechanism

• US 7,580,996 B1
• Filed: 05/31/2000
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: George, Joseph Mulavelil, Allan, Ron Campbell
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Dustin
• Application Number:
  US09/583,958
• Time in Patent Office: 3,373 Days
• Field of Search: 709/221, 709/224, 709/202, 709/226, 707/10, 370/255
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes

Abstract

A method for updating operational parameters of a monitoring agent on a client in a distributed data processing system is presented. The monitoring agent filters the outgoing network data traffic from the client to a server and determines whether an outgoing transaction is addressed such that an application on the server receives the outgoing transaction as a request to change the operational parameters of the monitoring agent. The outgoing transaction is parsed for a destination address and matched with a destination address stored as an operational parameter of the monitoring agent on the client. The destination address may be a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) embedded within a Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) request. In response to a positive determination, the monitoring agent then sends a request to the server to send to the monitoring agent an update of the operational parameters of the monitoring agent.

Claims

1. A method for updating operational parameters of a monitoring agent on a client in a distributed data processing system, the monitoring agent monitoring characteristics of at least one application executing on a server in the distributed data processing system, the method comprising the steps of:

filtering, by the monitoring agent, network data from the client to the server;

determining, by the monitoring agent, whether an outgoing transaction in the network data is addressed such that an application on the server receives the outgoing transaction as a request to change the operational parameters of the monitoring agent; and

in response to a positive determination that the outgoing transaction is addressed such that an application on the server receives the outgoing transaction as a request to change the operational parameters of the monitoring agent, sending a request from the monitoring agent to the server to send to the monitoring agent an update of the operational parameters of the monitoring agent;

receiving, at the monitoring agent, the update of the operational parameters of the monitoring agent; and

storing updated operational parameters on the client in a manner accessible to the monitoring agent.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

parsing the outgoing transaction for a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI);

matching the URI with a URI stored as an operational parameter of the monitoring agent on the client; and

providing an indication that the outgoing transaction is addressed such that the server receives the outgoing transaction as a request to change the operational parameters of the monitoring agent.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the URI is a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) embedded within a Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) request.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for an update of the operational parameters of the monitoring agent is addressed with a URI stored as an operational parameter of the monitoring agent on the client.

5. A method for updating operational parameters of a monitoring agent on a client in a distributed data processing system, the monitoring agent monitoring characteristics of at least one application executing on a server in the distributed data processing system, the method comprising the steps of:

filtering, by the monitoring agent, network data from the client to the server;

determining, by the monitoring agent, whether an outgoing transaction in the network data is addressed such that an application on the server receives the outgoing transaction; and

in response to a positive determination that the outgoing transaction is addressed such that an application on the server receives the outgoing transaction, sending a request from the monitoring agent to the server to send to the monitoring agent an update of the operational parameters of the monitoring agent;

receiving, at the monitoring agent the update of the operational parameters of the monitoring agent; and

storing updated operational parameters on the client in a manner accessible to the monitoring agent.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

parsing the outgoing transaction for an Internet Protocol (IP) address;

matching the IP address with an IP address stored as an operational parameter of the monitoring agent on the client; and

determining that the outgoing transaction is addressed such that an application on the server receives the outgoing transaction.

7. A data processing system comprising processor, memory, and a monitoring agent, the monitoring agent monitoring characteristics of at least one application executing on a server, the data processing system further comprising:

filtering means for filtering, by the monitoring agent, network data from a client to the server;

determining means for determining, by the monitoring agent, whether an outgoing transaction in the network data is addressed such that an application on the server receives the outgoing transaction as a request to change the operational parameters of the monitoring agent; and

sending means for sending, in response to a positive determination that the outgoing transaction is addressed such that an application on the server receives the outgoing transaction

as a request to change the operational parameters of the monitoring agent, a request from the monitoring agent to the server to send to the monitoring agent an update of the operational parameters of the monitoring agent;

receiving at the monitoring agent, the update of the operational parameters of the monitoring agent; and

storing updated operational parameters on the client in a manner accessible to the monitoring agent.

8. The data processing system of claim 7 further comprising:

parsing means for parsing the outgoing transaction for a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI);

matching means for matching the URI with a URI stored as an operational parameter of the monitoring agent on the client; and

providing means for providing an indication that the outgoing transaction is addressed such that the server receives the outgoing transaction as a request to change the operational parameters of the monitoring agent.

9. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the URI is a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) embedded within a Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) request.

10. The data processing system of claim 7, wherein the request for an update of the operational parameters of the monitoring agent is addressed with a URI stored as an operational parameter of the monitoring agent on the client.

11. A data processing system comprising processor, memory and a monitoring agent, the monitoring agent monitoring characteristics of at least one application executing on a server, the data processing system further comprising:

filtering means for filtering, by the monitoring agent, network data from a client to the server;

determining means for determining, by the monitoring agent, whether an outgoing transaction in the network data is addressed such that an application on the server receives the outgoing transaction; and

sending means for sending, in response to a positive determination that the outgoing transaction is addressed such that an application on the server receives the outgoing transaction, a request from the monitoring agent to the server to send to the monitoring agent an update of the operational parameters of the monitoring agent;

receiving, at the monitoring agent, the update of the operational parameters of the monitoring agent; and

storing updated operational parameters on the client in a manner accessible to the monitoring agent.

12. The data processing system of claim 11 further comprising:

parsing means for parsing the outgoing transaction for an Internet Protocol (IP) address;

matching means for matching the IP address with an IP address stored as an operational parameter of the monitoring agent on the client; and

determining means for determining that the outgoing transaction is addressed such that an application on the server receives the outgoing transaction.

13. A computer program product on a computer storage medium for use in a data processing system for updating operational parameters of a monitoring agent on a client in the data processing system, the monitoring agent monitoring characteristics of at least one application executing on a server in the data processing system, the computer program product comprising:

instructions for filtering, by the monitoring agent, network data from the client to the server;

instructions for determining, by the monitoring agent, whether an outgoing transaction in the network data is addressed such that an application on the server receives the outgoing transaction as a request to change the operational parameters of the monitoring agent; and

instructions for sending, in response to a positive determination that the outgoing transaction is addressed such that an application on the server receives the outgoing transaction as a request to change the operational parameters of the monitoring agent, a request from the monitoring agent to the server to send to the monitoring agent an update of the operational parameters of the monitoring agent;

instruction for receiving, at the monitoring agent, the update of the operational parameters of the monitoring agent; and

instruction for storing updated operational parameters on the client in a manner accessible to the monitoring agent.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising:

instructions for parsing the outgoing transaction for a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI);

instructions for matching the URI with a URI stored as an operational parameter of the monitoring agent on the client; and

instructions for providing an indication that the outgoing transaction is addressed such that the server receives the outgoing transaction as a request to change the operational parameters of the monitoring agent.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the URI is a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) embedded within a Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) request.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the request for an update of the operational parameters of the monitoring agent is addressed with a URI stored as an operational parameter of the monitoring agent on the client.

17. A computer program product on a computer storage medium for use in a data processing system for updating operational parameters of a monitoring agent on a client in the data processing system, the monitoring agent monitoring characteristics of at least one application executing on a server in the data processing system, the computer program product comprising:

instructions for filtering, by the monitoring agent, network data from the client to the server;

instructions for determining, by the monitoring agent, whether an outgoing transaction in the network data is addressed such that an application on the server receives the outgoing transaction; and

instructions for sending, in response to a positive determination that the outgoing transaction is addressed such that an application on the server receives the outgoing transaction, a request from the monitoring agent to the server to send to the monitoring agent an update of the operational parameters of the monitoring agent;

instruction for receiving, at the monitoring agent, the update of the operational parameters of the monitoring agent; and

instruction for storing updated operational parameters on the client in a manner accessible to the monitoring agent.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising:

instructions for parsing the outgoing transaction for an Internet Protocol (IP) address;

instructions for matching the IP address with an IP address stored as an operational parameter of the monitoring agent on the client; and

instructions for determining that the outgoing transaction is addressed such that an application on the server receives the outgoing transaction.