Software Bus Discovery via Intermediary Catalog Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
In complex enterprise networks, discovering and mapping software applications and databases interconnected through a software bus and database manager is challenging due to indirect communication paths and internal data transformations, which existing discovery patterns may not fully capture.
Innovation Solution
A discovery pattern configuration that leverages data stored by the software bus and database manager to correlate communications, track modifications, and map relationships between software applications and secondary databases, allowing for the identification of specific applications and databases through network packet analysis and catalog data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If discovery patterns are used to identify software applications and databases in a managed network, then the ability to detect and classify entities is improved, but the complexity of discovering entities interconnected through software bus and database manager increases due to indirect communication paths and internal data transformations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces intermediary components (software bus application and database manager) that facilitate the discovery process. These intermediaries maintain catalogs and mapping data that bridge the gap between network packets and actual software entities, simplifying the discovery of indirectly connected applications and databases while managing the complexity of indirect communication paths
2Measurement precision
If existing discovery patterns are applied to entities connected through software bus, then basic entity detection is achieved, but the accuracy of mapping relationships between applications and databases deteriorates due to indirect communication paths and internal data transformations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the software bus application and database manager provide mapping data and catalog information back to the discovery process. This feedback loop enables the system to correlate network packets with actual software entities despite indirect communication paths, thereby improving mapping accuracy and preventing loss of relationship information
Solution Approach 2:
Intermediary components maintain detailed catalogs and mapping relationships that serve as reference data for accurately mapping network communications to software entities. These intermediaries preserve relationship information that would otherwise be lost in indirect communication paths
Data Source
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AI summary
A computing system includes a database and a discovery application. The discovery application obtains credentials for accessing a server hosting a software bus application which connects a plurality of applications within a managed network. The discovery application selects, based on a pattern corresponding to the software bus application, one or more files to access, transmits, to the server, instructions to access the one or more files, and receives therefrom data identifying a plurality of attributes of the software bus application. Based on this data, the discovery application transmits, to the server, instructions to identify communicative connections established between the plurality of software applications by way of the software bus application and receives therefrom data identifying the communicative connections. Based on (i) the plurality of attributes and (ii) the communicative connections, the discovery application generates a mapping that represents the communicative connections and stores the mapping in the database.