Server monitoring virtual points of presence

A system for monitoring performance of a server system as seen from multiple user locations, including user locations that are geographically remote from one another, the system comprising:

• a plurality of agent computers that are locally interconnected at a central location, the agent computers configured to generate request messages to the server system as simulated users and to monitor responses from the server system to the request messages;
• and
• a plurality of communications links, each communications link connecting one or more of the plurality of agent computers to a respective network access point within a respective user location that is geographically remote from the central location;
• wherein the plurality of agent computers are configured to communicate with the server system via the plurality of communications links to monitor performance of the server system as seen from the multiple user locations;
• whereby the system monitors the performance of the server system as seen from multiple user locations without the need for performance monitoring components local to said user locations.

A method for monitoring access to a server system as experienced from a network access location, comprising:

• at a first location which is remote from the network access location, generating a user request message that is addressed to the server system;
• sending the request message over a communications link to the network access location for transmission over a computer network from the network access location to the server system, to thereby simulate access to the server system by a user who is local to the network access location;
• at the first location, receiving a response to the request message from the server system over the communications link;
• and
• determining a response time to the user request message as experienced at the network access location;
• whereby the performance of the server system as experienced from the network access location is measured without a need for any performance monitoring components at the network access location.

A system for monitoring a web site from multiple geographic locations, the system comprising:

• a data center comprising at least one computer system programmed to access and monitor the web site;
• and
• a plurality of Internet connection points, each of which is located at a different respective one of said multiple geographic locations, at least some of the Internet connection points being geographically remote from others and from the data center;
• wherein the data center sends request messages to the web site, and receives response messages from the web site, through the plurality of Internet connection points to monitor the web site as seen by users in each of the multiple geographic locations.