System, apparatus and method for characterizing messages to discover dependencies of services in service-oriented architectures

A system to identify underlying services of transactions in a service-oriented architecture (“SOA”)-based computer network, the apparatus comprising:

• a network of computing devices implementing a plurality of services exchanging messages to perform transactions;
• a message observer module configured to compute characterization values for messages either entering each service or exiting each service, or both, for a subset of services of said plurality of services;
• and
• a dependency calculator module configured to receive said characterization values and to determine dependency links between services having an equivalent characterization value within said subset of services,
• wherein one or more dependency links describe the cooperation of services that effectuate said transactions.

A computer readable medium including executable instructions to identify underlying services of transactions in a service-oriented architecture (“SOA”)-based computer network, the computer readable medium including executable instructions to manage services by using a user interface executing on a computer device coupled to said SOA-based computer network, the computer readable medium comprising executable instructions to:

• accept a request to determine a first subset of services coupled via dependency links that are used to perform a first transaction;
• display for said first transaction a first service coupled via at least one dependency link to a second service;
• and
• accept a request to modify a property of said at least one dependency link to modify performance of said first transaction, thereby managing operation of said SOA-based computer network.