Apparatus and method for supporting actual effect information determination, and machine readable recording medium with actual effect information determination supporting program recorded therein

An apparatus for supporting actual effect information determination comprising:

• an information input unit for receiving, as inputs, cause information and effect information collected in relation to network-components having a multiple hierarchical configuration;
• a storage unit in which hierarchical data for mutually correlating the network-components having the multiple hierarchical configuration in such a manner that a cause component causing the cause information exerts an effect on only a component positioned in a hierarchy identical with or lower than that of the cause component, is previously stored;
• and
• a processing unit for retrieving the hierarchical data from said storage unit based on the cause information inputted into said information input unit, extracting the effect information inputted into the information input unit by using the retrieved hierarchical data and determining actual effect information actually related to the cause information based on the extracted effect information;
• a preprocessing unit for preprocessing the cause information and the effect information inputted into said information input unit;
• and
• said processing unit retrieves the hierarchical data from said storage unit based on the cause information preprocessed in said preprocessing unit, extracts the effect information preprocessed in the preprocessing unit by using the retrieved hierarchical data and determines the actual effect information based on the extracted effect information;
• said preprocessing unit includes a dummy recovery information storage unit in which dummy recovery information defined as information in relation to a component continuously causing the cause information is stored;
• and
• a second filter unit for removing the dummy recovery information stored in said dummy recovery information storage unit from among the cause information and the effect information inputted into said information input unit.

A method for supportively determining, in a network having a hierarchical configuration of a number of interconnected components, a piece of actual effect information which indicates a component actually affected by a cause component in the number of components, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) previously storing hierarchical data, which represents the hierarchical configuration in such a manner that if any one of the number of components is the cause component, the cause component is assumed to affect the components positioned in a rank identical with or lower than the rank of the cause component in the hierarchical configuration;
• (b) inputting a piece of cause information, which indicates the cause component, and one or more pieces of effect information, each of which indicates one of the number of components affected by another one of the number of components, collected from the network in real time;
• (c) retrieving, at predetermined time intervals, data of components which are assumed to be affected by the cause component from the hierarchical data stored in said step (a) based on the piece of cause information inputted in said step (b);
• (d) extracting a piece of effect information which indicates the components assumed to be affected by the cause component from the pieces of effect information inputted in said step (b) based on the data of the components retrieved in said step (c);
• and
• (e) determining the pieces of effect information extracted in said step (d) as the piece of actual effect information.

A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for use in a computer with (i) a storage unit having a hierarchical data which represents hierarchical configuration of a number of components, which are interconnected to form a network, in such a manner that if any one of the components is a cause component, the cause component is assumed to affect components in a rank identical with or lower than the rank of the cause component in the hierarchical configuration and (ii) an information input unit inputting the computer a piece of cause information, which indicates the cause component, and one or more pieces of effect information, each of which indicates one of the number of components affected by another one of the number of the components, collected from the network, said program supportively determining a piece of actual effect information, which indicates a component actually affected by a cause component, and instructing a computer to carry out the following functions of:

• (a) retrieving data of components which are assumed to be affected by the cause component from the hierarchical data in the storage unit of the computer, based on the piece of cause information inputted by the information input unit;
• (b) extracting a piece of effect information which indicates the components assumed to be affected by the cause component from the pieces of effect information inputted by the information input unit based on the data of the components retrieved by said function (a);
• and
• (c) determining the piece of effect information extracted by said function (b) as the piece of actual effect information.