US 8,713,154 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.

Claims20

Dependent claims

One or more computer-storage memory devices 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:

utilizing a monitoring agent to listen to data streaming from the one or more role instances, wherein the monitoring agent represents at least one software component deployed onto an operating system of a node;
automatically reading a document pushed from the monitoring agent, wherein the document includes parameters abstracted from the streaming data;
comparing the document's parameters against expected parameters;
when one or more the document's parameters do not comply with the expected parameters upon performing the comparison, attempting to identify a root cause of the one or more noncompliant parameters;
and
reporting the root cause to at least one of a curator of the distributed computing platform, a developer of the service application, or a fabric controller that is responsible for automatically managing the one or more role instances with respect to constraints articulated by a service model associated with the service application.

3 more elements

A computerized method for monitoring data streaming from one or more role instances of a service application, the method comprising:

receiving documents pushed from a monitoring agent running on an operating system of a node within a distributed computing platform, wherein the node represents a computing unit capable of underlying the operation of the one or more role instances of the service application within the distributed computing platform, wherein the documents include parameters abstracted from the streaming data;
accessing expected parameters that are derived from predefined values of a service model associated with the service application;
inspecting the documents' parameters against the expected parameters;
when at least one of the documents' parameters fails to meet one or more of the expected parameters, conducting the processes comprising:
(a) identifying a root cause of unexpected parameters of the documents;
and
(b) identifying an origin of the unexpected parameters;
and
reporting the root cause and the origin to a caller or to a fabric controller, which is responsible for automatically managing execution of the service model.

6 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

Claims20