Monitoring Agent Event Distribution for Redundant Manager Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing monitoring systems face disruptions when the monitoring computer temporarily stops or loses connectivity with monitoring target apparatuses, leading to loss of control over monitored resources, particularly in critical systems like banks that require continuous 24/7 monitoring.

Innovation Solution

A monitoring target apparatus with a monitoring agent that collects information from resources, judges event issuance based on predefined conditions, and transmits events to multiple manager apparatuses, ensuring continuous monitoring control even if one manager apparatus fails.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a single monitoring manager apparatus is used to centrally manage monitoring target apparatuses, then the system structure is simple and ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates because monitoring control stops if the monitoring manager apparatus fails or loses connectivity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemonitoring control continuityVSAvoidmonitoring system structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by enabling each monitoring target apparatus to independently perform event judgment and issuance functions. Instead of relying on a centralized monitoring manager for all control decisions, each target apparatus has the capability to locally evaluate monitoring information against stored conditions and autonomously issue events when conditions are met. This distributes the critical monitoring control function from a single point of failure to multiple independent nodes, thereby improving reliability while maintaining relatively simple system structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If monitoring information is collected and evaluated by a centralized monitoring manager, then the monitoring target apparatus structure is simplified, but the reliability deteriorates due to loss of control when the monitoring manager stops operating

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemonitoring control stabilityVSAvoidmonitoring target apparatus structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-storing monitoring conditions and judgment logic within each monitoring target apparatus before any monitoring events occur. The target apparatus is configured in advance with the ability to evaluate monitoring information against predefined conditions, so that when the centralized monitoring manager becomes unavailable, the target apparatus can immediately continue monitoring control operations using its pre-configured capabilities without requiring real-time communication with the manager.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If the monitoring computer temporarily stops or loses connectivity, then the system can tolerate brief interruptions, but the reliability deteriorates because monitoring control stops and causes loss of control over monitored resources

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemonitoring control availabilityVSAvoidsystem operation simplicity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies self-service by enabling monitoring target apparatuses to autonomously perform event judgment and issuance without requiring continuous service from the centralized monitoring manager. Each target apparatus independently evaluates its own monitoring information against stored conditions and self-generates events when conditions are satisfied. This self-sufficient capability ensures that monitoring control continues uninterrupted even when the monitoring manager stops operating or connectivity is lost, thereby improving availability while maintaining operational simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS9280440B2Monitoring target apparatus, agent program, and monitoring system
Publication Date: 2016.03.08 HITACHI LTD
  • US9280440B2 patent drawing
  • US9280440B2 patent drawing
  • US9280440B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A monitoring target apparatus connected to a plurality of monitoring manager apparatuses is characterized in that the monitoring target apparatus includes, in a memory, a monitoring agent for collecting monitoring information from monitoring target resources among resources constituting the monitoring target apparatus; and monitoring condition management information that defines an event issuance condition for each type of the monitoring target resources; wherein the monitoring agent judges whether to issue an event or not, based on the monitoring information and the monitoring condition management information; and if the monitoring agent issues the event, it transmits the issued event to all the plurality of monitoring manager apparatuses.