Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer network managing – Computer network monitoring
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-13
2003-10-14
Harrell, Robert B. (Department: 2152)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer network managing
Computer network monitoring
Reexamination Certificate
active
06633912
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to wide area networks, and more particularly to systems and methods for creating test to evaluate web sites hosted by web servers coupled to a TCP/IP protocol network.
The Internet is a robust, Wide Area Network (WAN) of networks which permits communication among computers, networks, and other digital devices which adhere to a standard “TCP/IP” protocol. One of the most popular ways of communicating over the Internet is through the World Wide Web (WWW) comprising innumerable “web sites”, which are hosted on suitable digital processing machines such as personal computers, workstation, servers, etc. Users or “clients” use, for example, their personal computers to communicate with a web site via a browser program or, simply, “browser.” Currently, the most commonly used browser is the Internet Explorer™ from Microsoft, Inc.
It has become increasingly easy for companies and individuals to create their own web sites. There are a number of commercially available software applications which generate the necessary HTML code to create “web pages” which can be uploaded to web servers connected to the Internet. There are also web sites that can be used to create content for other web sites. Connections to the Internet and web server hosts are often provided by a company known as an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Since web pages are, essentially, programs written in the HTML language, it is possible that one or more web pages of a web site may contain errors. These errors may only show up intermittently since much of the interaction with the web site can be dynamic, i.e. the interaction can change from session to session. Therefore, a need has arisen for some method to test web sites for errors.
In
FIG. 1
, a system
10
for testing a web site includes a TCP/IP protocol network, such as the Internet
12
, a web server
14
coupled to the Internet
12
by an ISP
16
, any number of user or client machines such as client machines
18
A,
18
B,
18
C, etc. coupled to the Internet
12
by ISP's
20
A,
20
B,
20
C, etc., and a testing computer
22
coupled to the Internet
12
by an ISP
24
.
In the prior art, software running on the testing computer
22
connects with a web site
26
hosted by the web server
14
through the Internet
12
and attempts to download web pages. Upon a failure to download a web page, the testing computer
22
running this prior art software detects an error.
It should be noted that the depiction of
FIG. 1
is logical in nature, and may be implemented in a variety of fashions. For example, the testing computer
22
and the web server
14
can be the same machine. As another example, any of the client machines
18
A,
18
B,
18
C, etc., or the testing computer
22
, or the web server
14
can be connected into the Internet
12
in other fashions, such as into the “backbone” of the Internet. Further the Internet
12
is only one example of a network implementing a TCP/IP protocol. Other examples of TCP/IP protocol networks include Intranets and Extranets, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.
The testing computers
22
of the prior art include testing software which simulate browser software to the extent that they can download web pages. The successful downloading of a web page in the prior art was usually considered sufficient to determine that the web page was error free. In some instances, prior art testing computers
22
may examine or “parse” the HTML of the downloaded web page to make further determination whether there is an error in the downloaded web page. An example of prior art testing software includes the WhatsUp™ software of IpSwitch, Inc. of Lexington, Mass. This software is capable of testing only a single web page.
Unfortunately, the simple downloading of web pages with, perhaps, a cursory examination of the HTML is often insufficient to determine all the errors that a user might encounter when actually interacting with those web pages. This is due, in part, to the complex interactivity permitted under the HTML standards, and is due, in part, to the fact that many interactions with web pages are “dynamic” in that they may change from session to session. It would therefore be desirable to have a method for creating a test for a web site which can test multiple features of web pages, and which can handle dynamic interactions with the web site.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an enterprise portal system and method for testing a web site within a distributed computing system. The invention allows a user to utilize the power of a distributed network while presenting a distributed computer environment in a simplified single interface. The user interface is tailored to the user, either by identifying the user individually, or by association with the user, such as a group or security level, or some other form of classification. This tailoring may be preformed before the first test is preformed, or may be incorporated into the first or latter tests for subsequent use.
A system for testing a web site within a distributed computing system in accordance with the present invention includes a plurality of test computers, a plurality of servers, and a portal. Each test computer includes a processor and a memory and is coupled to a database. Each server is operable to support at least one web site, and each test computer is coupled to at least one server and operable to transmit and receive information from at least one server. The portal is coupled to the test computers and to a portal database. The portal is operable to transmit and receive information from the test computers, and has an interface that allows a user to receive and input data into the portal.
In a preferred embodiment, the test computer is capable of direct HTTP and HTML communication with the servers and the information communicated is test information that relates to the functionality of a web site. The portal is operable to transmit monitor configuration information to the test computers, wherein the test computers then transmit the monitor configuration information to the servers. This allows the functionality of the servers to be controlled by a user through the portal. The portal may also provide the user with the status of a server and a report of server functionality over a period of time.
A method for providing an enterprise portal system in accordance with the present invention provides a plurality of test computers, provides a plurality of servers that are operable to support at least one web site, and provides a portal coupled to the test computers and operable to transmit and receive information from said test computers. Each test computer is coupled to a database and at least one server and is operable to transmit and receive information from at least one said server. The portal has an interface that allows a user to receive and input data.
An advantage of the present invention is that the enterprise portal services is a single interface to the distributed computing system. The distributed computer network may be configured and tested while the distributed nature of the computer system is hidden from the user. The user may take full advantage of the benefits of a distributed computer system without the increased complexity that usually accompanies distributed computing environments
REFERENCES:
patent: 5870559 (1999-02-01), Leshem et al.
patent: 5974572 (1999-10-01), Weinberg et al.
patent: 6003143 (1999-12-01), Kim et al.
patent: 6012087 (2000-01-01), Freivald et al.
patent: 6138157 (2000-10-01), Welter et al.
Gardner Dennis
Meier John R.
Welter Peter J.
Freshwater Software, Inc.
Harrell Robert B.
Perkins Coie LLP
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