# US 10,503,535 B1 · Requirements based performance monitoring for virtual machine networks > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,503,535 B1 - Document ID: US10503535B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 15/649,619 - Filed: 2017-07-13 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2017-07-13 - Assignees: EMC IP Holding Company LLC - Applicants: EMC IP Holding Company LLC - Inventors: Charles Hickey; Manivannan Chithirasen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10503535B1 ## CPC - G06F 9/45558: {Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects} - G06F 3/0613: {in relation to throughput} - G06F 3/0659: {Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling} - G06F 3/067: {Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]} - G06F 11/3006: {where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems (multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50)} - G06F 11/301: {where the computing system is a virtual computing platform, e.g. logically partitioned systems (virtual machines G06F9/45533; logical partitioning of resources G06F9/5077)} - G06F 11/3034: {where the computing system component is a storage system, e.g. DASD based or network based (digital input from or digital output to record carriers G06F3/06; digital recording or reproducing G11B20/18; for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS], H04L67/1097)} - G06F 11/328: {Computer systems status display (G06F11/327 takes precedence)} - G06F 11/3409: {for performance assessment} - G06F 11/3419: {by assessing time} - G06F 11/3485: {for I/O devices} - G06F 11/3476: {Data logging (G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence)} - G06F 2009/45591: {Monitoring or debugging support} - G06F 2201/815: Virtual - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract Embodiments are directed to a requirements-based performance monitor (RBPM) that presents users, through a command line interface or graphical user interface, with a single number in the range of 1-100% and/or a color-coded indicator that allows users to readily tell if the I/O needs of their primary applications in a virtualized computing system are being sufficiently satisfied. The RBPM takes into account both device latency, throughput, IOPS, and slow I/O measurements and primary application requirements. The process uses detailed device latency tables for each device to allow a user to find the particular device and time that performance degradation occurred. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer-implemented method of measuring performance of an application running in a virtual computer network, comprising: receiving, for each device of a plurality of devices in the network, an existing flow of device operating parameters; measuring a performance for each device and the network as a whole over a plurality of durations for a specified time period in terms of the device operating parameters; analyzing a workload of a primary application of a target device of the plurality of devices in terms of data transfer variables of the primary application to determine an envelope of I/O (input/output) requirements of the primary application, wherein the envelope is expressed as a three-dimensional set of n tables; and producing a summary performance score for each device using measured performance and the envelope of I/O requirements to provide an indication of whether or not a required read/write performance of the primary application is satisfied, wherein the performance score is calculated using data variables comprising device throughput, input/output operations (IOPS), device latency, slow I/O counts exceeding one second, average block size, and read-to-write ratio. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the the average block size is calculated by dividing the device throughput by the IOPS, and the read-to-write ratio is calculated by dividing a read throughput by a combined read and write throughput, and wherein the envelope of I/O requirements is a table in the set of n tables that lists, for a given average transfer size and throughput level, an expected latency in microseconds. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 wherein the plurality of durations comprises a five-minute view, a 60-minute view, a 1-day view, and a 7-day view, and wherein the specified time period comprises a time period on the order of one to ten days. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3 further comprising measuring a total amount of data moved in the network for all devices of the plurality of devices over the specified time period. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4 further comprising generating a report containing a current, average, and lowest I/O performance score as a simple percentage within the range of 0 to 100%. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising summarizing the required read/write performance of the primary application in tabular form to produce a requirements table covering a defined range of possible workloads of the primary application. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 further comprising comparing the measured performance for each device against the requirements table to produce a performance score that provides the indication of whether or not a required read/write performance of the primary application is satisfied. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 further comprising: expressing the performance score as a percentage score in the range of 0 to 100 percent; assigning a color code to defined sub-ranges in the range; and displaying the performance score as at least one of a numeric percentage and the color code to a user through a graphical user interface. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8 wherein the color code comprises a green display for a range of 90 to 100 percent, a yellow display for a range of 70 to 90 percent, and a red display for a range of 0 to 70 percent. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 wherein the requirements table comprises a number n of latency tables each having a unique mix of read/write operations. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein each table comprises a number of cells, wherein a row of a cell is selected by average throughput and a column of the cell is selected by average transfer block size, and value in the cell represents a target latency in a unit of time. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the primary application comprises a deduplication backup process executed by a server computer in the network, and which comprises a deduplication backup server running a Data Domain file system (DDFS). ### Claim 13 An apparatus measuring performance of an application running in a virtual computer network, comprising: in interface receiving, for each device of a plurality of devices in the network, an existing flow of device operating parameters, the device operating parameters comprising an input/output operations (IOPS) rate, device throughput, device latency, and slow input/output (I/O) counts representing I/O operations exceeding one second in duration; a processing component measuring a performance for each device and the network as a whole over a plurality of durations for a specified time period in terms of the device operating parameters, analyzing a workload of a primary application of a target device of the plurality of devices in terms of data transfer variables of the primary application to determine an envelope of I/O requirements of the primary application, wherein the envelope is expressed as a three-dimensional set of n tables, and measuring a total amount of data moved in the network for all devices of the plurality of devices over the specified time period; and a reporting component producing a summary performance score for each device using measured performance and the envelope of I/O requirements to provide an indication of whether or not a required read/write performance of the primary application is satisfied, wherein the performance score is calculated using data variables comprising device throughput, input/output operations (IOPS), device latency, slow I/O counts exceeding one second, average block size, and read-to-write ratio. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the average block size is calculated by dividing the device throughput by the IOPS, and the read-to-write ratio is calculated by dividing a read throughput by a combined read and write throughput, and wherein the envelope of I/O requirements is a table in the set of n tables that lists, for a given average transfer size and throughput level, an expected latency in microsecond, and further wherein the plurality of durations comprises a five-minute view, a 60-minute view, a 1-day view, and a 7-day view, and wherein the specified time period comprises a time period on the order of one to ten days. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the processing component generates a report containing a current, average, and lowest I/O performance score as a simple percentage within the range of 0 to 100%, summarizes the required read/write performance of the primary application in tabular form to produce a requirements table covering a defined range of possible workloads of the primary application, and compares the measured performance for each device against the requirements table to produce a performance score that provides the indication of whether or not a required read/write performance of the primary application is satisfied. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising: a first graphical user interface (GUI) component expressing the performance score as a percentage score in the range of 0 to 100 percent and assigning a color code to defined sub-ranges in the range; and a second GUI component displaying the performance score as at least one of a numeric percentage and the color code to a user through a display monitor, wherein the color code comprises a green display for a range of 90 to 100 percent, a yellow display for a range of 70 to 90 percent, and a red display for a range of 0 to 70 percent. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the requirements table comprises a number n of latency tables each having a unique mix of read/write operations, wherein each table comprises a number of cells, wherein a row of a cell is selected by average throughput and a column of the cell is selected by average transfer block size, and value in the cell represents a target latency in a unit of time. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the primary application comprises a deduplication backup process executed by a server computer in the network, and which comprises a deduplication backup server running a Data Domain file system (DDFS). ### Claim 19 A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed by one or more processors to implement a method of measuring performance of an application running in a virtual computer network by: receiving, for each device of a plurality of devices in the network, an existing flow of device operating parameters; measuring a performance for each device and the network as a whole over a plurality of durations for a specified time period in terms of the device operating parameters; analyzing a workload of a primary application of a target device of the plurality of devices in terms of data transfer variables of the primary application to determine an envelope of I/O (input/output) requirements of the primary application, wherein the envelope is expressed as a three-dimensional set of n tables; and producing a summary performance score for each device using measured performance and the envelope of I/O requirements to provide an indication of whether or not a required read/write performance of the primary application is satisfied, wherein the performance score is calculated using data variables comprising device throughput, input/output operations (IOPS), device latency, slow I/O counts exceeding one second, average block size, and read-to-write ratio. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The computer program product of claim 19, the average block size is calculated by dividing the device throughput by the IOPS, and the read-to-write ratio is calculated by dividing a read throughput by a combined read and write throughput, and wherein the envelope of I/O requirements is a table in the set of n tables that lists, for a given average transfer size and throughput level, an expected latency in microsecond.