Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Graph generating
Reexamination Certificate
1997-03-24
2001-11-20
Nguyen, Phu K. (Department: 2772)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Graph generating
Reexamination Certificate
active
06320585
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Computer networks link computers together to allow them to exchange information and communicate with each other over a distance. Some of these networks, known as local area networks, operate within a small geographical area such as a building or a portion of a building. Other networks, known as wide-area networks, operate over a wider geographical area and link computers located in different towns, states, and countries.
Computer networks can become quite large and complex, involving many components and devices that are essential for the services they provide. Like any large, complex electrical system, problems can occur which impair performance. Even when a network operates flawlessly, the increase in demand for network resources can exceed capacity and when this happens the users will experience a deterioration in performance.
The tasks of maintaining the network, adding computer resources when needed, reconfiguring the network to support changing patterns of usage and greater user demands, and solving the problems which occasionally occur are typically the responsibility of a network administrator. To effectively and efficiently carry out those responsibilities, the network administrator must be able to quickly determine how well even the most remote sections of the network are performing and to detect the occurrence of problems or a deterioration in performance that hints at the beginning of more serious problems.
Devices referred to generally as network monitors are available to assist the network administrators in determining what is happening with the network. Some of these devices, when connected to the network, gather, store and display a staggering amount of data relating to many different aspects of the networks performance and utilization. Though a tremendous amount of information is available through such devices, there has been a continuing need for more effective ways of presenting that information to the user so that it is readily accessible and easily understandable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a new and effective way of presenting information about the performance and utilization of remotely located resources that are accessible through a network, such as a computer network.
In general, in one aspect, the invention is a method of displaying information relating to performance over a preselected period of time of a computer resource that is connected to a communication network. The method includes the step of periodically sampling over the network data relating to performance of the resource so as to generate stored values for a preselected performance variable for that resource. The periodic sampling taking place over a preselected period of time and the preselected performance variable takes on values within a specified range of possible values. The method also includes dividing the specified range of possible values for the preselected performance variable into a plurality of subranges; for each subrange, determining for what proportion of the preselected period, the values of the preselected performance variable fall within that subrange; and for each subrange, displaying in graphical form the proportion of the preselected period of time that the values of the preselected performance variable fell within that subrange.
In preferred embodiments, the step of determining involves first determining for each of the stored values of the preselected performance variable within the preselected period of time which of the plurality of subranges it falls into; and then, counting the number of times that a stored value falls into each of said subranges to determine for what proportion of the preselected period the values of the preselected performance variable fall within that subrange.
In general, in another aspect, the invention is a method of reporting information about a resource that is connected to a communications network. The method involves the steps of: periodically sampling over the network data relating to performance of the resource so as to generate stored values for a preselected performance variable for that resource; collecting stored values representing a baseline period of time; setting a threshold value for the preselected performance variable; analyzing the stored values representing the baseline period to predict a time-to-threshold number, where the time-to-threshold number is the period of time that is expected to elapse from a present time to a later time at which a predicted value of the preselected performance variable will reach the threshold value; and generating a report that presents the time-to-threshold number for the preselected performance variable.
The invention presents network monitoring information to a network administrator in a way that is compact, meaningful, and easily understandable. Using stack bars positioned side-by-side, the bandwidth utilization chart shows distributions of bandwidth utilization throughout a selected period (e.g., a day) for many segments of the network at once. The chart allows the network administrator to determine, at a glance, percentages of the day for which individual network segments were operating at various levels of bandwidth utilization.
Another aspect of the invention relating to the Situations to Watch presents a sorted list of entries, each entry of which identifies a network segment, a performance or utilization variable for that segment, and a days-to-threshold number. The days-to-threshold number is a prediction of the remaining number of days until the corresponding performance or utilization variable reaches a threshold level. The list is sorted in order of increasing days-to-threshold numbers starting with the variable that has the fewest days to threshold. The Situations to Watch report enables the network administrator to quickly and easily identify where network problems may arise in the near future, to determine how imminent those problems are, and to prioritize dealing with those situations.
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Fleet and Partners “BenchMarker Plus—Toolset 3.0” 1994, pp. 10.16-10.29, 1994.*
F.J. Derfler, Jr., “Who's Minding Your Network?”, PC Magazine/Networking/Network Management, Nov. 8, 1994, (pp. 237-285).
Engel Ferdinand
Hamlin Arthur P.
MacDonald Wilson T.
Concord Communications Inc.
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Nguyen Phu K.
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