Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer network managing – Computer network monitoring
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-30
2001-10-23
Geckil, Mehmet B. (Department: 2152)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer network managing
Computer network monitoring
C709S201000, C709S202000, C709S205000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06308208
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed to managing a large distributed computer enterprise environment and, more particularly, to implementing a monitoring task across distributed computing resources in the environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Enterprises now desire to place all of their computing resources on a computer network. To this end, it is known to connect computers in a large, geographically-dispersed network environment and to manage such an environment in a distributed manner. One such management framework consists of a server that manages a number of nodes, each of which has a local object database that stores object data specific to the local node. Each managed node typically includes a management framework, comprising a number of management routines, that is capable of a relatively large number (e.g., hundreds) of simultaneous network connections to remote machines. The framework manages hundreds of megabytes of local storage and can spawn many dozens of simultaneous processes to handle method requests from local or remote users. This amount of power, however, is quite costly. Each managed node requires upwards of a megabyte of local memory of disk plus a permanent TCP/IP connection. If a managed node sees heavy use, then such costs go up considerably. Moreover, as the number of managed nodes increases, the system maintenance problems also increase, as do the odds of a machine failure or other fault.
The problem is exacerbated in a typical enterprise as the node number rises. Of these nodes, only a small percentage are file servers, name servers, database servers, or anything but end-of-wire or “endpoint” machines. The majority of the network machines are simple personal computers (“PC's”) or workstations that see little management activity during a normal day. Nevertheless, the management routines on these machines are constantly poised, ready to handle dozens of simultaneous method invocations from dozens of widespread locations, invocations that rarely occur.
When networks get very large, individual machines tend to lose their identity. Nevertheless, machines of certain classes share certain problems. To manage such distributed systems, it has been proposed to “abstract” a given “resource” in the distributed network into a so-called “model” to facilitate administration. Examples of distributed system resources include computer and communications hardware, operating system software, application programs, systems of programs cooperating to provide a service, and the like. Managing resource models (as opposed to specific resources) provides significant advantages. Thus, for example, by enabling an administrator to characterize the type or class of machine that should receive a particular task, resource model-based management obviates naming a vast host of machines explicitly or the distribution of tasks to all machines within a domain.
Although resource model-based management is desirable, existing schemes generally function by modeling resources at an individual node level. In many distributed environments, a given resource has an operating state that may be dependent on many other computing elements that are distributed across nodes throughout the enterprise. It would thus be desirable to provide a resource model-based management scheme that operates across distributed nodes. The present invention addresses this need in the art.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a primary object of the present invention to monitor resources in a computer environment using a distributed set of monitoring “cells”, preferably implemented via provisioned software agents. A set of monitoring cells comprise a distributed monitor sometimes referred to herein as a “cellular automaton.” A given cell is preferably designed to reflect the actual properties of the real resource “modeled” by the cell. Depending on the complexity of the resource, a given cell may “observe” other cells or it may be observed by another cell. The observer-observed relationship in the distributed cellular automaton thus preferably corresponds to the relationships between resources at different levels of conceptual complexity. As a concrete example, a cell representing a database server resource is an observer of cells representing disk drives, operating systems, and application processes. Thus, the database server may be construed as a “master” resource comprising a set of computing resources (e.g., disk drives, operating system and application processes) whose individual states may impact the state of the master resource.
Thus, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a given master resource having a set of computing resources is monitored in a distributed manner. The method begins by associating a set of one or more monitoring “cells” with a set of given computing resources that comprise the master resource. Each cell is associated with a respective one of the set of given computing resources and has a set of one or more attributes whose values collectively define a state of the cell. A given cell attribute value is preferably a function of zero or more simple constants, a primitive operation, other attributes of the cell (intra-cell attributes), or attributes of one or more other cells (inter-cell attributes). When a given cell attribute value is a function of other cell attributes, that value should be dynamically updated as a result of changes in the intra-cell and/or inter-cell attributes on which it depends. Thus, according to the invention, upon change of a given attribute of a given cell that effects a change in cell state, the method propagates the attribute change across each cell directly impacted by the cell state change. Thereafter, resulting cell state changes are then propagated across any other affected cells. Thus, the inventive method propagates changes in the attributes of any cell to all observers of that cell.
In accordance with the invention, a monitoring cell is preferably a software agent for implementing a resource monitoring task in conjunction with other software agents. In a preferred implementation, the software agent is a set of instructions that is executed in a separate runtime engine that is dispatched and provisioned at the particular node on which the resource is located. Instances of the runtime engine are deployed where each monitoring cell is implemented to create a distributed runtime environment in the distributed computer network.
Thus, in accordance with another feature of the present invention, a method of resource monitoring in a distributed computer network begins by deploying instances of a runtime engine across a subset of the machines to create a distributed runtime environment in the network. Then, a set of one or more monitoring agents are associated with the subset of the machines. Each monitoring agent is a cell of a distributed cellular monitor or “automaton”. Each cell is associated with a respective one of a set of given computing resources and has a set of one or more attributes whose values collectively define a state of the agent or cell. The automaton includes a control means, effective upon change of a given attribute of a given cell that effects a change in cell state, for propagating the attribute change across each cell directly or indirectly impacted by the cell state change.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention as will be described. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following Detailed Description of the preferred embodiment.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4536791 (1985-08-01), Campbell et al.
patent: 4862268 (1989-08-01), Campbell et al.
patent: 5561803 (1996-10-01), Rilis
patent: 5589892 (1996-12-01), K
Jung Carey L.
McNally Michael
Geckil Mehmet B.
International Business Machines - Corporation
LaBaw Jeffrey S.
Nichols Michael R.
Yee Duke W.
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