Adaptive metric collection, storage, and alert thresholds

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10498628-B2
Application number	US-201715425905-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2017
Priority date	Nov 13, 2013
Publication date	Dec 3, 2019
Grant date	Dec 3, 2019

Abstract

Techniques for adaptive metric collection, metric storage, and alert thresholds are described. In an approach, a metric collector computer processes metrics as a collection of key/value pairs. The key/value pairs represent the dimensionality of the metrics and allows for semantic queries on the metrics based on keys. In an approach, a storage controller computer maintains a storage system with multiple storage tiers ranked by speed of access. The storage computer stores policy data that specifies the rules by which metric records are stored across the multiple storage tiers. Periodically, the storage computer moves database records to higher or lower tiers based on the policy data. In an approach, a metric collector in response to receiving a new metric, generates a predicted metric value based on previously recorded metric values and measures the deviation from the new metric value to determine whether an alert is appropriate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
a metric collector computer receiving from, a client computer, a first metric record related to a request sent from the client computer to a service computer, wherein the first metric record includes a metric label and a plurality of key-value pairs;
the metric collector computer causing the first metric record to be stored in a metric database containing a plurality of metric records for requests sent to the service computer;
the metric collector computer, a period of time after receiving the first metric record, receiving, from the client computer, a second metric record, wherein the second metric record includes the metric label and one or more key-value pairs of the plurality of key-value pairs whose value has changed during the period of time and not one or more key-value pairs of the plurality of key-value pairs whose value has not changed during the period of time; and
the metric collector computer causing the second metric record to be stored in the metric database by at least automatically filling in the key-value pairs of the plurality of key-value pairs whose value has not changed during the period of time based on the first metric record stored in the metric database.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of key-value pairs relate to any one or more of: user identification number, device identification number, geographical area, latency, bandwidth, success or failure of the request, time to complete the request, device type, a timestamp, or type of request.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metric collector computer causing the first metric record and the second metric record to be stored in the metric database comprises periodically sending collected metric records, including the first metric record and the second metric record, to a storage controller computer for entry into the metric database.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising the storage controller computing receiving, from a metric client computer, a query for particular metric records including one or more key-value pairs which meet one or more particular criteria, identifying the particular metric records, and sending the particular metric records to the metric client computer.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metric database represents one or more of a relational database, a flat file database, or an object-oriented database.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform steps comprising:
a metric collector computer receiving from, a client computer, a first metric record related to a request sent from the client computer to a service computer, wherein the first metric record includes a metric label and a plurality of key-value pairs;
the metric collector computer causing the first metric record to be stored in a metric database containing a plurality of metric records for requests sent to the service computer;
the metric collector computer, a period of time after receiving the first metric record, receiving, from the client computer, a second metric record, wherein the second metric record includes the metric label and one or more key-value pairs of the plurality of key-value pairs whose value has changed during the period of time and not one or more key-value pairs of the plurality of key-value pairs whose value has not changed during the period of time; and
the metric collector computer causing the second metric record to be stored in the metric database by at least automatically filling in the key-value pairs of the plurality of key-value pairs whose value has not changed during the period of time based on the first metric record stored in the metric database.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of key-value pairs relate to any one or more of: user identification number, device identification number, geographical area, latency, bandwidth, success or failure of the request, time to complete the request, device type, a timestamp, or type of request.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6 , wherein the metric collector computer causing the first metric record and the second metric record to be stored in the metric database comprises periodically sending collected metric records, including the first metric record and the second metric record, to a storage controller computer for entry into the metric database.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the steps further comprise the storage controller computing receiving, from a metric client computer, a query for particular metric records including one or more key-value pairs which meet one or more particular criteria, identifying the particular metric records, and sending the particular metric records to the metric client computer.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6 , wherein the metric database represents one or more of a relational database, a flat file database, or an object-oriented database.

Assignees

• Netflix Inc

Inventors

• Rapoport Roy
• Pitman Brent
• Harrington Brian
• Muino Daniel

Classifications

• G06F11/328

  Computer systems status display (G06F11/327 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F11/076

  by exceeding a count or rate limit, e.g. word- or bit count limit · CPC title

• G06F11/3409

  for performance assessment · CPC title

• G06F2201/81

  Threshold · CPC title

• G06F11/3452

  Performance evaluation by statistical analysis · CPC title