Modeling distributed systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9525599-B1
Application number	US-201414313073-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 24, 2014
Priority date	Jun 24, 2014
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

Abstract

A modeling system including a data processing device in communication with a non-transitory memory storing a model modeling interactions of resources of a distributed system. The data processing device executes instructions that cause the data processing device to implement a system monitor that monitors interactions of the resources of the distributed system and builds the model. The system monitor detects a state change of a first resource of the distributed system and identifies an entity causing the state change of the first resource. The system monitor determines whether a second resource of the distributed system changes state within a threshold period of time after the first resource changed state. The system monitor updates the model to indicate a relationship between the first resource, the second resource and the identified entity, in response to the first resource and the second resource changing state within the threshold time period.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A modeling system comprising:
a non-transitory memory storing a model modeling interactions of resources of a distributed system; and
a data processing device in communication with the non-transitory memory and executing instructions that cause the data processing device to implement a system monitor, the system monitor monitoring interactions of the resources of the distributed system and building the model by:
detecting a state change of a first resource of the distributed system;
identifying an entity causing the state change of the first resource;
determining whether a second resource of the distributed system changes state within a threshold period of time after the first resource changed state, wherein at least one of the first resource or the second resource comprises a hardware resource of the distributed system in communication with the data processing device; and
updating the model to indicate a relationship between the first resource, the second resource, and the identified entity in response to the identified entity triggering the first resource and the second resource to change state within the threshold time period,

wherein the system monitor periodically validates the relationship between the first resource, the second resource, and the identified entity by:
retrieving the relationship from the model stored in the non-transitory memory;
varying a property of the identified entity to trigger a state change of the first resource;
determining whether the second resource changes state within the threshold time period after the state change of the first resource; and
validating the relationship between the first resource, the second resource, and the identified entity when the second resource changes state within the threshold time period.

2. The modeling system of claim 1 , wherein the entity comprises a software resource associated with the first and second resources.

3. The modeling system of claim 1 , wherein the entity comprises a hardware resource.

4. The modeling system of claim 1 , wherein the entity comprises an event affecting a measurable characteristic of the first resource.

5. The modeling system of claim 1 , wherein the system monitor:
receives data from the first resource or the second resource indicating the relationship between the first resource and the second resource; and
updates the model to indicate the relationship between the first resource and the second resource.

6. The modeling system of claim 1 , wherein the system monitor receives data indicating the entity causing the change in state of the first resource.

7. The modeling system of claim 1 , wherein the system monitor:
receives a request from a requestor in communication with the data processing device to determine an impact of a first software service on a second software service;
determines a first set of resources of the distributed system associated with the first software service;
determines a second set of resources of the distributed system associated with the second software service;
retrieves relationships between the first set of resources and the second set of resources from the model; and
sends the retrieved relationships to the requestor.

8. The modeling system of claim 1 , wherein the system monitor purges the relationship from the model in response to the second resource not changing state within the threshold period of time.

9. The modeling system of claim 1 , wherein the entity causing the state change of the first resource comprises at least one of a power surge, a power drop, a change in temperature, a change in processing demand, or a change in memory demand.

10. A distributed system comprising:
a plurality of hardware resources;
a plurality of software resources residing in one or more of the hardware resources;
a non-transitory memory residing in one or more of the hardware resources, the memory storing a model modeling relationships among the hardware resources and the software resources;
a model interface implemented on one or more of the hardware resources, the model interface, when executed on the one or more hardware resources, causing the one or more hardware resources to:
in response to a request for a representation of at least a portion of the model, retrieve relationships affecting the organization from the model, the request originating from a requestor of an organization, the organization having a plurality of software applications, the request associated with one of the software applications;
categorize each resource in the retrieved relationships as one of:
an organization resource, when the resource affects all of the software applications of the organization;
an infrastructure resource, when the resource affects some of the software applications of the organization;
an application resource, when the resource affects only the software application of the organization associated with the request; and
a metadata resource, when the resource is available to the software application for storing metadata related to other resources; and

generates a representation of the retrieved and categorized relationships; and

a system monitor implemented on one or more of the hardware resources, the system monitor, when executed on the one or more hardware resources, causing the one or more hardware resources to build the model by:
detecting a state change of a first resource of the distributed system;
identifying an entity causing the state change of the first resource;
determining whether a second resource of the distributed system changes state within a threshold period of time after the first resource changed state, wherein at least one of the first resource or the second resource comprises a hardware resource of the distributed system; and
updating the model to indicate a relationship between the first resource, the second resource, and the identified entity in response to the identified entity triggering the first resource and the second resource to change state within the threshold time period,

wherein the system monitor periodically validates the relationship between the first resource, the second resource, and the identified entity by:
retrieving the relationship from the model stored in the non-transitory memory;
varying a property of the identified entity to trigger a state change of the first resource;
determining whether the second resource changes state within the threshold time period after the state change of the first resource; and
validating the relationship between the first resource, the second resource, and the identified entity when the second resource changes state within the threshold time period.

11. The distributed system of claim 10 , wherein the model interface:
displays a graphical representation of the retrieved and categorized relationships as a directed graph; and
displays indicia indicating the organization resources, the infrastructure resources, the application resources, and the metadata resources.

12. The distributed system of claim 10 , wherein the entity comprises a hardware resource.

13. The distributed system of claim 10 , wherein the system monitor:
receives data from the first resource or the second resource indicating the relationship between the first resource and the second resource; and
updates the model to indicate the relationship between the first resource and the second resource.

14. The distributed system of claim 10 , wherein the system monitor receives data indicating the entity causing the change in state of the first resource.

15. The distributed system of claim 10 ,

Assignees

• Google Inc

Inventors

• Wang Ruiyi
• Retford Brian Paul
• Johnston Emily Jane
• Lovejoy Joshua

Classifications

• G06F30/331

  with hardware acceleration, e.g. by using field programmable gate array [FPGA] or emulation · CPC title

• C23C18/1612

  through irradiation means · CPC title

• C23C18/204

  Radiation, e.g. UV, laser · CPC title

• G06F30/18

  Network design, e.g. design based on topological or interconnect aspects of utility systems, piping, heating ventilation air conditioning [HVAC] or cabling (circuit design at the physical level G06F30/39; network planning tools for wireless communication networks H04W16/18) · CPC title

• C23C18/1641

  Organic substrates, e.g. resin, plastic · CPC title