Event ownership assigner with failover for multiple event server system

• US 8,224,937 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2004
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Childress, Rhonda L., Dinger, John E., Pennell, Neil Raymond, Wiggins, James Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Bengzon, Greg C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gupta, Muktesh G
• Application Number:
  US10/793,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20050198273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,057 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 719/318
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0686 Additional information in the notification, e.g. enhancement of specific meta-data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 Reaction to server failures by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

Event reports generated from multiple event sources within an event management system such as Tivoli (TM) Event Console are handled by an Event Bus, which links multiple problem resolution servers together and assigns an ownership to each event report. The Event Bus parses each incoming event for adding or altering a slot value. Based on the slot value, the event is forwarded to the configured event servers. In addition, the ability to dynamically change ownership to maintain an error-free systematic transmission flow is provided.

Claims

1. A method for handling event reports in a problem management system comprising:

receiving by an event synchronizer an event report from an event source in a computing environment of managed networked computers, said event report having a series of digital values representing binary, text, or character parameters for a reported network computing enterprise single failure event;

responsive to determining by said event synchronizer that said event report contains a problem management server owner designation parameter, transmitting said received event report without modification to a local problem management server corresponding to said problem management server owner designation parameter;

responsive to determining by said event synchronizer that said received event report does not contain a problem management server owner designation parameter, selecting a primary problem management server owner value and a secondary problem management server owner value for said event report according to a rules base, and modifying said event report to include two problem management server owner designation parameters according to said primary owner value and to said secondary owner value; and

transmitting by said event synchronizer said modified event report in real-time directly to said primary problem management server and to said secondary problem management server corresponding to said added problem management server owner designation parameters without requiring said event report to be stored in a database disposed between said event synchronizer and said primary and secondary problem management servers, without delay of database synchronization, and without waiting for a request for said event from either said primary or said secondary problem management server.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said receiving an event report comprises intercepting an event report from a networked resource directed to an automated problem diagnosis and resolution tool.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said receiving an event report comprises receiving an event report transmitted from a networked resource directed to an automated problem diagnosis and resolution tool.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said determining that said received event report contains an owner designation parameter comprises determining that an automated problem diagnosis tool event report contains an owner field.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said selecting an owner value comprises making a logical selection according to a rules base defined by automated problem diagnosis tool.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said modifying said event report comprises modifying an automated problem diagnosis tool event report.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said transmitting said modified event report comprises transmitting the modified event report to an automated problem diagnosis tool.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said receiving an event report comprises intercepting event reports on a first communication network, and wherein said transmitting said modified event report comprises transmitting said modified event report to a local problem management server and to one or more alternate problem management servers on a second communication network, thereby reducing traffic flow of event reports on said first network.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein said transmitting on a first communication network comprises transmitting on a lower level of a hierarchically organized network, and wherein said step of transmitting on a second communication network comprises transmitting on a top level of said hierarchically organized network.

10. The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein said transmitting on a second network comprises transmitting on a secure communication network, thereby increasing the security and reliability of event report handling.

11. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein modifying said event report comprises modifying said event report to include a primary owner designation parameter and a secondary owner designation parameter.

12. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said receiving an event report further comprises receiving one or more modified event reports from one or more event busses; and

said determining that said event report does not contain an owner designation comprises examining said received modified event report for a primary owner designation parameter and a secondary owner designation parameter, and forwarding said modified event report to a problem management server corresponding to said secondary owner designation in the situation wherein a primary owner problem management server has failed to respond or is known to be otherwise indisposed to handle said event report.

13. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage memory device suitable for encoding computer programs; and

one or more computer programs encoded by said computer readable storage memory device, when executed by a processor;

receiving into a computer storage memory device by an event synchronizer an event report from an event source in a computing environment of managed networked computers, said event report having a series of digital values representing binary, text, or character parameters for a reported network computing enterprise single failure event;

responsive to determining by said event synchronizer that said event report contains a problem management server owner designation parameter, transmitting said received event report without modification to a local problem management server corresponding to said problem management server owner designation parameter;

responsive to determining by said event synchronizer that said received event report does not contain a problem management server owner designation parameter, selecting a primary problem management server owner value and a secondary problem management server owner value for said event report according to a rules base, and modifying said event report into a computer storage memory device to include two problem management server owner designation parameters according to said primary owner value and to said secondary owner value; and

transmitting by said event synchronizer said modified event report in real-time directly to said primary problem management server and to said secondary problem management server corresponding to said added problem management server owner designation parameters without requiring said event report to be stored in a database disposed between said event synchronizer and said primary and secondary problem management servers, without delay of database synchronization, and without waiting for a request for said event from either said primary or said secondary problem management server.

14. The computer program product as set forth in claim 13 wherein said receiving an event report comprises intercepting an event report from a networked resource directed to an automated problem diagnosis and resolution tool.

15. The computer program product as set forth in claim 13 wherein said receiving an event report comprises receiving an event report transmitted from a networked resource directed to an automated problem diagnosis and resolution tool.

16. The computer program product as set forth in claim 13 wherein said determining that said received event report contains an owner designation parameter comprises determining that an automated problem diagnosis tool event report contains an owner field.

17. The computer program product as set forth in claim 13 wherein said modifying said event report comprises modifying an automated problem diagnosis tool event report.

18. The computer program product as set forth in claim 13 wherein said transmitting said modified event report comprises transmitting the modified event report to an automated problem diagnosis tool.

19. The computer program product as set forth in claim 13 wherein said receiving an event report comprises intercepting event reports on a first communication network, and wherein said transmitting said modified event report comprises transmitting said modified event report to a local problem management server and to one or more alternate problem management servers on a second communication network, thereby reducing traffic flow of event reports on said first network.

20. The computer program product as set forth in claim 19 wherein said transmitting on a first communication network comprises transmitting on a lower level of a hierarchically organized network, and wherein said transmitting on a second communication network comprises transmitting on a top level of said hierarchically organized network.

21. The computer program product as set forth in claim 19 wherein said transmitting on a second network comprises transmitting on a secure communication network, thereby increasing the security and reliability of event report handling.

22. The computer program product as set forth in claim 13 wherein modifying said event report comprises modifying said event report to include a primary owner designation parameter and a secondary owner designation parameter.

23. The computer program product as set forth in claim 13 wherein:

said receiving an event report further comprises receiving one or more modified event reports from one or more event busses; and

said determining that said event report does not contain an owner designation comprises examining said received modified event report for a primary owner designation parameter and a secondary owner designation parameter, and forwarding said modified event report to a problem management server corresponding to said secondary owner designation in the situation wherein a primary owner problem management server has failed to respond or is known to be otherwise indisposed to handle said event report.

36. The computer program product as set forth in claim 13 wherein said selecting an owner value comprises making a logical selection according to a rules base defined by automated problem diagnosis tool.

24. A system comprising:

a computing platform having a hardware means for performing a logical process;

an event synchronizer portion of said computing platform;

receiving into a computer storage memory device an event report from an event source in a computing environment of managed networked computers, said event report having a series of digital values representing binary, text, or character parameters for a reported network computing enterprise single failure event,

determine that said received event report does or does not contain a problem management server owner designation parameter,

responsive to determining a problem management server owner designation parameter is not contained in said received event report;

selects a primary problem management server owner value and a

secondary problem management server owner value for said event report according to a rules base, and

modifies said event report in a computer storage memory device to include two problem management server owner designation parameters according to said primary owner value and to said secondary owner value; and

a transmitter portion of said computing platform which transmits said modified event report in real-time directly to said primary problem management server and to said secondary problem management server corresponding to said added problem management server owner designation parameters without requiring said event report to be stored in a database disposed between said event synchronizer and said primary and secondary problem management servers, without delay of database synchronization, and without waiting for a request for said event from either said primary or said secondary problem management server.

25. The system as set forth in claim 24 wherein said receiving an event report comprises intercepting an event report from a networked resource directed to an automated problem diagnosis and resolution tool.

26. The system as set forth in claim 24 wherein said receiving an event report comprises receiving an event report transmitted from a networked resource directed to an automated problem diagnosis and resolution tool.

27. The system as set forth in claim 24 wherein said determining that said received event report does not contain an owner designation parameter comprises determining that an automated problem diagnosis tool event report does not contain an owner field.

28. The system as set forth in claim 24 wherein said selecting an owner value comprises making a logical selection according to a rules base defined by automated problem diagnosis tool.

29. The system as set forth in claim 24 wherein said modifying said event report comprises modifying an automated problem diagnosis tool event report.

30. The system as set forth in claim 24 wherein said transmitter transmits the modified event report to an automated problem diagnosis tool.

31. The system as set forth in claim 24 wherein said receiver intercepts event reports on a first communication network, and wherein said transmitter transmits said modified event report to a local problem management server and to one or more alternate problem management servers on a second communication network, thereby reducing traffic flow of event reports on said

first network.

32. The system as set forth in claim 31 wherein said transmitting on a first communication network comprises transmitting on a lower level of a hierarchically organized network, and wherein said transmitting on a second communication network comprises transmitting on a top level of said hierarchically organized network.

33. The system as set forth in claim 31 wherein said transmitting on a second network comprises transmitting on a secure communication network, thereby increasing the security and reliability of event report handling.

34. The system as set forth in claim 24 wherein modifying said event report comprises modifying said event report to include a primary owner designation parameter and a secondary owner designation parameter.

35. The system as set forth in claim 24 wherein:

said receiver receives one or more modified event reports from one or more event busses; and

said event synchronizer forwards said modified event report to a problem management server corresponding to said secondary owner designation in a situation wherein a primary owner problem management server has failed to respond or is known to be otherwise indisposed to handle said event report.