US 8,301,759 B2 · Monitoring agent programs in a distributed computing platform

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for monitoring information passed from instances of role(s) of a service application installed on a distributed computing platform and for indexing and analyzing the information within a data store are provided. Monitoring involves a monitoring agent that is integrated within an operating system of computing devices that make up the distributed computing platform. In operation, the monitoring agent retrieves information from the role instances and converts the information into parameters that are assembled to documents. Generally, the parameters are assembled to a uniform-structured format in accordance with a schema imposed by the distributed computing platform. Accordingly, each of the documents across the platform have a common format that promotes processing and analysis without a need for reconfiguration. Accordingly, the health of the service application, although dispersed throughout the distributed computing environment, may be observed and evaluated in a consistent manner.

Claims15

Dependent claims

One or more computer-readable storage media excluding signals per se having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for monitoring one or more role instances of a service application propagated throughout a distributed computing platform, the method comprising:

deploying a monitoring agent onto a node of a data center, wherein the node represents a computing device capable of running the one or more role instances of the service application within the distributed computing platform;
utilizing the monitoring agent to listen to data streaming from the one or more role instances, wherein listening to the streaming data comprises:
(a) receiving within the streaming data state information from a fabric agent, wherein the state information describes a state of the one or more role instances and includes a count of predefined events occurring at the one or more role instances;
and
(b) receiving within the streaming data event information from the one or more role instances, wherein the event information is configured to communicate, at least, an alarm and program traces to the monitoring agent;
constructing documents from the streaming data for delivery to a central store, wherein the documents are written to a uniform structured format common to each of the one or more role instances of the service application;
and
at least temporarily storing the documents to the central store in association with the one or more role instances.

5 more elements

A computerized method for monitoring one or more role instances of a service application propagated throughout a distributed computing platform, the method comprising:

placing a monitoring agent at a node within a distributed computing platform, wherein the node represents a computing device capable of underlying the operation of the one or more role instances of the service application within the distributed computing platform;
utilizing the monitoring agent to listen to data streaming from the one or more role instances, wherein listening to the streaming data comprises:
(a) receiving within the streaming data state information from a fabric agent, wherein the state information describes a state of the one or more role instances and includes a count of predefined events occurring at the one or more role, and
(b) receiving within the streaming data event information from the one or more role instances, wherein the event information is configured to communicate, at least, an alarm and program traces to the monitoring agent;
constructing documents from the streaming data for delivery to a central store, wherein the documents are written to a uniform structured format common to each of the one or more role instances of the service application;
and
at least temporarily storing the documents to the central store in association with the one or more role instances.

4 more elements

A computer system for performing a method that monitors one or more role instances of a service application propagated throughout a distributed computing platform, the computer system comprising a processing unit coupled to a computer storage medium, the computer storage medium having stored thereon a plurality of computer software components executable by the processing unit, the computer software components comprising:

a service model that exposes event definitions for invoking the one or more role instances of the service application to submit event information;
the one or more role instances that embody replications of at least one role that comprises a component program of the service application, wherein the one or more role instances are configured to identify at least one event occurring thereon as an alarm event based on event definitions of a service model and to include the alarm within the event information passed in the streaming data upon identifying the alarm event;
and
a monitoring agent deployed onto a node of a data center, wherein the node represents a computing device capable of running the one or more role instances of the service application within the distributed computing platform, wherein the monitoring agent is configured to carry out at least the following operations:
(a) listening to the data streaming from the one or more role instances, wherein listening to the streaming data comprises:
(1) receiving within the streaming data state information from a fabric agent, wherein the state information describes a state of the one or more role instances and includes a count of predefined events occurring at the one or more role, and
(2) receiving within the streaming data the event information from the one or more role instances, wherein the event information is configured to communicate, at least, the alarm and program traces to the monitoring agent;
(b) constructing documents from the streaming data for delivery to a central store, wherein the documents are written to a uniform structured format common to each of the one or more role instances of the service application;
and
(c) at least temporarily storing the documents to the central store in association with the one or more role instances.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Monitoring agent programs in a distributed computing platform

Life of this patent

Monitoring agent programs in a distributed computing platform

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15