Metadata merging in agent configuration files

A memory comprising computer readable software embodied thereon for programming a processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

• configuring an agent with a current version of a configuration file;
• using the agent, instrumenting and monitoring an application according to the current version of the configuration file;
• receiving an updated version of the configuration file;
• accessing a rule, the rule indicates whether the current version of the configuration file should be:
• continued without being overwritten or merged, overwritten by the updated version of the configuration file, or merged with the updated version of the configuration file;
• if the rule indicates that the current version of the configuration file should be continued without being overwritten or merged, continuing the instrumenting and monitoring of the application according to the current version of the configuration file;
• if the rule indicates that the current version of the configuration file should be overwritten by the updated version of the configuration file, instrumenting and monitoring the application according to the updated version of the configuration file and discontinuing the instrumenting and monitoring of the application according to the current version of the configuration file;
• and
• if the rule indicates that the current version of the configuration file should be merged with the updated version of the configuration file:
• creating a merged version of the configuration file based on the current version of the configuration file, the updated version of the configuration file and the rule, instrumenting and monitoring the application according to the merged version of the configuration file, and discontinuing the instrumenting and monitoring of the application according to the current version of the configuration file, wherein the creating the merged version of the configuration file comprises:
• identifying an entry in the current version of the configuration file for which there is a corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file;
• selecting the entry in the current version of the configuration file or the corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file, as a selected entry, based on a preference in the rule;
• and
• adding the selected entry to the merged version of the configuration file.

A computer-implemented method, comprising:

• accessing a current version of a configuration file and an updated version of the configuration file;
• accessing rules in one or more files;
• creating and storing a merged version of the configuration file based on the current version of the configuration file, the updated version of the configuration file, and rules;
• and
• using the merged version of the configuration file to control behavior of an agent, including how the agent adds instrumentation to an application and how the agent is configured, the creating the merged version of the configuration file comprises:
• processing entries in the current version of the configuration file;
• and
• for each entry in the current version of the configuration file:
• determining whether there is a corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file, and if there is the corresponding entry, selecting the entry in the current version of the configuration file or the corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file, as a selected entry based on a preference in the rules, adding the selected entry to the merged version of the configuration file, and instrumenting and monitoring the application according to the merged version of the configuration file.