Exception engine for capacity planning

• US 8,788,960 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dolan, Cynthia, Hackemer, Thomas E., Kaelber, Fred, Trott, Jermaine H., White, Samuel F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sax, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): VARGA, WILSON V
• Application Number:
  US12/609,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20110107249A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,726 Days
• Field of Search: 715/771, 715/772, 712/244, 712/E9.045
• US Class Current: 715/772
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An exception engine having a data layer, an application layer, and a presentation layer is provided. The data layer may be configured to store values of a plurality of metrics collected when operating a plurality of computers. The application layer may be configured to trigger exceptions based on the plurality of metrics. The presentation layer configured to provide an interface for customizing the exceptions.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing an exception engine for capacity planning in a network environment, the method comprising:

providing a data layer, the data layer comprising a data warehouse that stores values of a plurality of metrics collected by a monitoring device while a plurality of computers are operating, the plurality of metrics comprising processor utilization, memory utilization, storage utilization, and network utilization;

providing an application layer that accesses the plurality of metrics in the data layer, and upon accessing the plurality of metrics in the data layer, triggers exceptions comprising a first exception when a first metric in the plurality of metrics exceeds a first threshold and a second exception when a second metric in the plurality of metrics falls below a second threshold; and

providing a presentation layer that provides;

an exception setting interface configured to allow customization of the exceptions by at least one of a plurality of capacity planners, the exception setting interface comprising a threshold column and a time component column,

an exception display interface that displays the exceptions and whether the exceptions have been triggered, arranged by application and type of exception, and

a report interface that displays changes to the data layer made by at least one of the plurality of capacity planners and to associate each of the changes with a corresponding one of the plurality of capacity planners, that displays a metric identification that specifies a metric of the plurality of metrics that was changed as a result of the changes, that displays a current setting of the metric specified in the metric identification, the current setting comprising a current value of the metric after the changes, the current setting pertaining to a threshold or to a time component, and displays a previous setting of the metric specified in the metric identification, the previous setting comprising a previous value of the metric before the changes, the previous setting pertaining to a threshold or to a time component.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the exception setting interface enables at least one of the plurality of capacity planners to set a first value of the first threshold and a second value of the second threshold.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the application layer triggers the exceptions based on changes to hardware resources in at least one of the plurality of computers.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the exception display interface further displays whether the exceptions have been triggered, arranged by computer.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the exception display interface enables at least one of the plurality of capacity planners to record acknowledgments that at least one of the exceptions have been addressed by at least one of the plurality of capacity planners.

6. A system for providing an exception engine for capacity planning in a network environment, the system comprising:

a memory for storing a program containing code for providing the exception engine; and

a processor functionally coupled to the memory, the processor being responsive to computer-executable instructions contained in the program that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

providing a data layer, the data layer comprising a data warehouse that stores values of a plurality of metrics collected by a monitoring device while a plurality of computers are operating, the plurality of metrics comprising processor utilization, memory utilization, storage utilization, and network utilization

providing an application layer that accesses the plurality of metrics in the data layer, and upon accessing the plurality of metrics in the data layer, triggers exceptions comprising a first exception when a first metric in the plurality of metrics exceeds a first threshold and a second exception when a second metric in the plurality of metrics falls below a second threshold, and

providing a presentation layer that provides;

an exception setting interface configured to allow customization of the exceptions by at least one of a plurality of capacity planners, the exception setting interface comprising a threshold column and a time component column,

an exception display interface that displays the exceptions and whether the exceptions have been triggered, arranged by application and type of exception, and

a report interface that displays changes to the data layer made by at least one of the plurality of capacity planners and to associated each of the changes with a corresponding one of the plurality of capacity planners, that displays a metric identification that specifies a metric of the plurality of metrics that was changed as a result of the changes, that displays a current setting of the metric specified in the metric identification, the current setting comprising a current value of the metric after the changes, the current setting pertaining to a threshold or to a time component, and displays a previous setting of the metric specified in the metric identification, the previous setting comprising a previous value of the metric before the changes, the previous setting pertaining to a threshold or to a time component.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the an exception setting interface enables at least one of the plurality of capacity planners to set a first value of the first threshold and a second value of the second threshold.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the application layer triggers the exceptions based on changes to hardware resources in at least one of the plurality of computers.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the exception display interface further displays whether the exceptions have been triggered, the exceptions arranged by computer.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the exception display interface enables at least one of the plurality of capacity planners to record acknowledgments that at least one of the exceptions have been addressed by at least one of the plurality of capacity planners.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for capacity planning in a network environment comprising:

providing a data layer, the data layer comprising a data warehouse that stores values of a plurality of metrics collected by a monitoring device while a plurality of computers are operating, the plurality of metrics comprising processor utilization, memory utilization, storage utilization, and network utilization;

providing an application layer that accesses the plurality of metrics in the data layer, and upon accessing the plurality of metrics in the data layer, triggers exceptions comprising a first exception when a first metric in the plurality of metrics exceeds a first threshold and a second exception when a second metric in the plurality of metrics falls below a second threshold; and

providing a presentation layer that provides;

an exception setting interface configured to allow customization of the exceptions by at least one of a plurality of capacity planners, the exception setting interface comprising a threshold column and a time component column,

an exception display interface that displays the exceptions and whether the exceptions have been triggered, arranged by application and type of exception, and

a report interface that displays changes to the data layer made by at least one of the plurality of capacity planners and to associate each of the changes with a corresponding one of the plurality of capacity planners, that displays a metric identification that specifies a metric of the plurality of metrics that was changed as a result of the changes, that displays a current setting of the metric specified in the metric identification, the current setting comprising a current value of the metric after the changes, the current setting pertaining to a threshold or to a time component, and displays a previous setting of the metric specified in the metric identification, the previous setting comprising a previous value of the metric before the changes, the previous setting pertaining to a threshold or to a time component.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the an exception setting interface enables at least one of the plurality of capacity planners to set a first value of the first threshold and a second value of the second threshold.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the application layer triggers the exceptions based on changes to hardware resources in at least one of the plurality of computers.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the exception display interface further displays whether the exceptions have been triggered, arranged by application, computer.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the exception display interface enables at least one of the plurality of capacity planners to record acknowledgments that at least one of the exceptions have been addressed by at least one of the plurality of capacity planners.