Virtual Infrastructure Event Correlation Timeline
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Solution Overview
Problem
In complex enterprise networks with virtual infrastructures, detecting and correlating log events, configuration changes, and conditions that produce alerts is challenging due to the sophistication and portability of virtual machines, leading to difficulties in maintaining network integrity and managing alerts effectively.
Innovation Solution
A component is configured to monitor the virtual infrastructure, communicate with the vCenter, and generate a timeline of events, configuration changes, and conditions, allowing for the correlation and display of alerts alongside their causes, enabling system administrators to understand the relationships and potential effects on virtual objects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If virtual machines are made highly portable and virtualized across multiple hosts, then adaptability and resource utilization improve, but difficulty of detecting and measuring events and correlations worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a timeline component as an intermediary that receives and correlates events from multiple sources (log events, configuration changes, alerts) into a unified chronological view. This mediator integrates data from the virtual infrastructure monitoring component, vCenter communication, and alert generation systems, making the complex relationships between portable virtual machines visible and manageable through a centralized timeline interface.
2Measurement precision
If the virtual infrastructure is monitored comprehensively for all events and configuration changes, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system is segmented into distinct functional components: a virtual infrastructure monitoring component that detects events and configuration changes, a vCenter communication component that retrieves additional information, an alert generation component that identifies conditions requiring attention, and a timeline component that correlates and displays all information chronologically. This segmentation allows comprehensive monitoring while managing system complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The timeline component serves multiple functions simultaneously: it displays log events, configuration changes, alert correlations, and causal relationships in a unified chronological interface. This multi-functional component consolidates what would otherwise require separate monitoring tools, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive measurement precision.
3Reliability
If alerts are generated for all conditions in the virtual infrastructure, then reliability of network protection improves, but loss of information increases due to alert overload
Solution Approach 1:
The timeline component provides feedback by displaying the correlation between alerts and their underlying causes (log events and configuration changes) in chronological order. This feedback mechanism allows system administrators to understand the context and sequence of events leading to each alert, preventing information loss that would occur with uncorrelated alert streams. The visual timeline feedback helps prioritize and contextualize multiple alerts simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods and systems for detecting and correlating log events, configuration changes and conditions producing alerts within a virtual infrastructure. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.