Inter-Application Communication Mapping for Real-Time Failure Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems fail to provide comprehensive, automated end-to-end mapping and monitoring of inter-application communications and events in complex computing ecosystems, leading to difficulties in managing and identifying single points of failure.
Innovation Solution
A monitoring system that identifies communication paths, generates an ecosystem map, transmits monitoring signals, receives responses, processes the data to generate an active map, and displays it, providing a centralized view with contextual data and identifying potential single points of failure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If manual updating and maintenance methods are used for ecosystem mapping, then device complexity is reduced, but information completeness and measurement precision deteriorate due to inability to capture real-time communications and events
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-installing monitoring agents on host devices before actual monitoring begins. These agents are prepared in advance to capture communications, events, and status information as they occur, eliminating the need for manual data collection and ensuring complete information capture from the outset.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces monitoring agents as intermediary components that sit between the host devices and the central monitoring system. These agents mediate the data collection process by locally capturing communications and events, then transmitting consolidated information to the central system, thereby reducing direct complexity while maintaining information completeness.
2Reliability
If static ecosystem maps are used, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to inability to provide real-time failure analysis and topological analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms static ecosystem maps into dynamic, living representations that automatically update in real-time. The monitoring system continuously captures communications and events, then dynamically updates the ecosystem map to reflect current system state, enabling real-time failure analysis and topological analysis without manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where monitoring agents continuously report status information and events back to the central monitoring system, which then updates the ecosystem map accordingly. This closed-loop feedback ensures the map always reflects the current system state, providing reliable real-time analysis capabilities.
3Measurement precision
If limited discovery methods are used, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates due to inability to provide end-to-end mapping and monitoring
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the discovery and monitoring function into segmented components: monitoring agents deployed on individual host devices, communication path tracking modules, event capture modules, and central ecosystem mapping modules. Each segment handles specific aspects of discovery, collectively achieving precise end-to-end mapping while distributing system complexity across multiple manageable components.
Data Source
AI summary
A monitoring system for mapping and monitoring inter-application communications in a computing ecosystem is described. The monitoring system provides consolidated visibility to computing ecosystems by providing end-to-end mapping and monitoring of inter-application communications and events, changes, incidents, and status information of applications, services, and systems. As described, the monitoring system is configured to (a) identify communication paths linking the host devices, (b) generate an ecosystem map based on the communication paths, (c) transmit a monitoring signal to the network, (d) receive a monitoring response from the host devices in response to the monitoring signal including at least a first status, (e) process the monitoring response with the ecosystem map to generate an active ecosystem map, and (f) display the active ecosystem map including the host devices and at least one status associated with the host devices. As such, the monitoring system provides consolidated visibility to the ecosystem.