Application Reachability Mapping for Network Observability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network monitoring systems lack the ability to provide application-focused observability, making it difficult for support teams to identify which network components support specific applications and assess the impact of infrastructure changes or failures on these applications.
Innovation Solution
A system that monitors network components supporting a specific application by querying databases for identification and status information, using pull or push scenarios to determine reachability status, and generates user interfaces showing this information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If network monitoring is performed at the component level, then detailed status information of individual components is available, but it becomes difficult to assess the impact on applications and identify related components quickly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the monitoring information into two distinct views: component-level details (stored in CMDB and queried by application) and application-level summaries (aggregated and displayed separately). This allows the system to maintain detailed component information while providing simplified application-level oversight, resolving the contradiction between detailed monitoring and ease of impact assessment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer - the application identifier - that mediates between component-level monitoring data and application-level impact assessment. By querying components through their association with application identifiers, the system bridges the gap between detailed component status and application-level context without requiring complete system redesign.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the network supports numerous applications across multiple infrastructure components, then service versatility is improved, but the difficulty of identifying impacted components during failures increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-establishing and maintaining the mapping between applications and infrastructure components in the CMDB before failures occur. This pre-configured relationship enables rapid impact assessment when failures happen, as the system can immediately query which components are associated with affected applications without needing to perform complex real-time analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes feedback mechanisms where the monitoring system continuously queries component status and aggregates this information by application identifier. This feedback loop enables real-time detection of impacts on specific applications, allowing support teams to receive timely notifications and understand which components are affected when failures occur.
3Reliability
If real-time status monitoring of all network components is implemented, then system reliability is improved, but the time and resources required for comprehensive monitoring increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by monitoring all components for reliability, but only aggregating and displaying status information at the application level when needed. The system maintains comprehensive component monitoring (excessive action for reliability) but selectively presents this information (partial action for time consumption) only when users query specific applications, balancing reliability needs with time efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods monitor the reachability status of network components for an application hosted on a computer network. A server system provides a user interface to a user device where the user inputs an application identifier. The server queries a database to retrieve identification data for network components supporting the application and then queries another database for their status information. The server determines the reachability status of each component and the application itself. Finally, the server generates an updated user interface with the status information for each network component and the application's overall reachability status.