Fast detection of process outages

An article comprising one or more computer-readable storage media containing computer readable instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs a method for process monitoring with an automation manager, wherein the method comprises:

• obtaining a unique process identifier (pid) of a to be monitored application process;
• calling an operating system using a system call function from a monitoring process;
• wherein the system call function adds the monitoring process to a particular list of interested processes of one or more to be monitored application processes;
• wherein the one or more to be monitored application processes are not child processes of the monitoring process;
• waiting of the monitoring process until the operating system notifies the monitoring process, that the unique pid of the to be monitored process is no longer available;
• wherein in the event the unique pid of the to be monitored process is no longer available:
• notifying the automation manager that the to be monitored application process associated with the unique pid has terminated;
• and
• wherein interested processes are the monitoring processes that have called the system call function.

A system for process monitoring with an automation manager, the system comprising:

• one or more computing and communication devices in communication through a network to one or more computer servers;
• wherein the one or more computer servers are configured to do the following:
• obtain a unique process identifier (pid) of a to be monitored application process;
• call an operating system using a system call function from a monitoring process;
• wherein the system call function adds the monitoring process to a particular list of interested processes of one or more to be monitored application processes;
• wherein the one or more to be monitored application processes are not child processes of the monitoring process;
• waiting of the monitoring process until the operating system notifies the monitoring process, that the unique pid of the to be monitored process is no longer available;
• wherein in the event the unique pid of the to be monitored process is no longer available:
• notifying the automation manager that the to be monitored application process associated with the unique pid has terminated;
• and
• wherein interested processes are the monitoring processes that have called the system call function.