JP2008015648A - Application management framework - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the following problem: a personal computer and a controller constituting a control system used to be managed by using SNMP but it is only equipment that can be managed by the SNMP and the application cannot be managed, so that control in accordance with operating situations of the application is incapable. <P>SOLUTION: According to a request of a management tool placed at a remote place, an agent module collects information on, and operates, application by using a probe module, and transmits the result to the management tool; and, by using a communication module placed between the management tool and the agent module, adapts the module to a communication protocol of the management tool. The application can be managed in concentration from the remote place and, by changing the communication module, a variety of management tools, such as a general purpose web browser, can be used. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a framework for managing applications such as a device management application and a data analysis application, and more particularly to an application management framework suitable for use in a control system.

  The control system includes not only an application for process control used in DCS (Distributed Control System) but also various applications such as an application for managing devices, a logger, and a data analysis application. Personal computers and controllers that operate these applications are managed by using SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol).

SNMP is composed of an agent that resides in a managed device and a manager that operates on the managing device (monitoring server). Information exchanged between the manager and the agent is classified into the following three types.
(1) The manager requests information about the device to be managed from the agent, and the agent acquires the requested information and transmits it to the manager.
(2) The manager requests the agent to change the setting of the managed device. The agent performs the requested configuration change and returns the result to the manager.
(3) When the state of the management target device changes, the agent notifies the manager of the change.

  The agent refers to a management database called MIB (Management Information Base), acquires information on the management target device, and transmits it to the manager. The manager determines the status of the managed device from the received information. The MIB exists on both the agent side and the manager side. Various information can be managed by defining in the MIB.

JP 2000-259585 A

  However, such a device management method can manage devices such as a personal computer and a controller on which a control application is operating, but cannot manage whether the application is operating normally. For this reason, there is a problem that control according to the operation status of the application cannot be performed.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a framework for managing applications.

In order to achieve such a problem, the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is:
A probe module that collects and sends information from the application and manipulates the application on demand;
An agent module connected to at least one probe module, requesting the probe module to collect or manipulate information, and receiving the result from the probe module;
A communication module connected to the agent module and notifying the agent module of a request transmitted from a management tool placed outside, and transmitting a result notified from the agent module to the management tool;
Is provided. Applications can be managed from a remote location.

The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1,
The probe module holds a unique ID (identifier), and the agent module manages the probe module using this ID. Management of the probe module becomes easy.

The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or claim 2,
The probe module collects information from the application only when requested. The load on the system can be reduced.

The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The probe module collects information from an application at a predetermined cycle. The latest information is always available.

The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The communication protocol between the communication module and the management tool is described in XML (Extensible Markup Language). Unaffected by system platform and build language.

The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The communication module communicates with the management tool using HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol). A general-purpose web browser can be used as a management tool.

The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The communication module communicates with the management tool using SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol). A conventionally used SNMP can be used.

As is apparent from the above description, the present invention has the following effects.
According to the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh aspects of the invention, the agent module uses the probe module to collect or operate information on the application in accordance with a command from a management tool placed at a remote place. The result was returned to the management tool. The communication module is adapted to the communication protocol of the management tool.

  Using a management tool placed at a remote location, there is an effect that a plurality of applications can be centrally managed and the operation status can be confirmed. The operation status of the application includes the memory usage, the number of threads, the presence / absence of deadlock, application-specific information, and the like. The operations include shutdown, restart, log level change, event notification registration, and the like.

  Further, by replacing the communication module in accordance with the communication protocol used by the management tool, there is an effect that various management tools such as a general-purpose web browser and an SNMP tool can be used.

  Further, by describing the communication protocol between the management tool and the communication module in XML, there is an effect that the application can be managed without being influenced by the system platform and the construction language.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an application management framework according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 11 denotes an application, which includes objects 11a, 11b, and 11c that hold information. Note that 11a, 11b, and 11c may be components.

  A probe module 12 collects information from the objects 11a and 11b. Reference numeral 13 denotes a probe module that collects information from the object 11c. Reference numeral 14 denotes an agent module to which the probe modules 12 and 13 are connected. The agent module 14 notifies the probe modules 12 and 13 of the request, and acquires information output by the probe modules 12 and 13. The agent module 14 is a container for the probe modules 12 and 13. The probe modules 12 and 13 and the agent module 14 are configured as software modules.

  Reference numerals 15, 16, and 17 denote communication modules, which are connected to the agent module 14, respectively. The communication module 15 communicates with the unique protocol management tool 21 using a unique protocol. The communication module 16 communicates with the web browser 22 that operates as a management tool using HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol). The communication module 17 communicates with the SNMP management tool 23 using SNMP. That is, the agent module 14 can communicate with various management tools by changing the communication module. In many cases, the management tools 21 to 23 are installed in a remote place away from the device on which the application 11 operates.

  The application 11, the probe modules 12 and 13, the agent module 14, and the communication modules 15 to 17 constitute a process 10. The probe module, agent module, and communication module constitute an application management framework. Note that the probe modules 12 and 13 may operate the application 11.

  In the case of an application created in an object-oriented language, the information holding method and operation method are different for each application. Therefore, the probe modules 12 and 13 must be built for each application that collects information. However, the interface with the agent module 14 is common. Accordingly, the probe modules 12 and 13 can be connected to an agent module other than the agent module 14.

  The information collected by the probe modules 12 and 13 varies depending on the application. For example, CPU time, memory usage, operation status, number of objects, number of threads, presence or absence of deadlock, operating user name, transaction, log, etc. There is. Examples of operations include shutdown, restart, log level change, processing interruption and interrupt.

  The agent module 14 communicates with the management tools 21 to 23, transmits the information collected by the probe modules 12 and 13 to the management tools 21 to 23, and receives an operation request from the management tools 21 to 23, Send an operation request to the connected probe module.

  The probe modules 12 and 13 hold a unique ID (identifier), and the agent module 14 manages the probe modules 12 and 13 using this ID. The probe modules 12 and 13 are statically created at the time of compilation, and the ID is assigned when the probe modules 12 and 13 are created. Therefore, the management tools 21 to 23 can always access the probe module with the same ID.

  As a method of collecting information by the probe modules 12 and 13, there are a method that is periodically performed and a method that is performed only when requested by the management tools 21 to 23. In this embodiment, it is possible to use either method. However, since there are many applications that operate in real time in the control system, an unnecessary load is often avoided in applications other than control. Therefore, it is better to collect information only when requested by default, and to collect information periodically by setting.

The communication between the agent module 14 and the management tools 21 to 23 is based on a general-purpose language such as XML (Extensible Markup Language) in order to eliminate the difference depending on the language in which the managed application is created and the platform on which it is operating. Protocol. Examples of communication protocols are shown below.
(1) Communication from management tool to agent module
<mng>
<get id = "factory1.area2.asset.mem" key = "usedmemory"/>
<get id = "factory1.area2.asset.cpu" key = "cputimemory"/>
<get id = "factory1.area2.asset.cpu." key = "usertimemory"/>
</ mng>

(2) Communication from agent module to management tool
<mng>
<reply id = "factory1.area2.asset.mem" key = "usedmemory" val = "192" type = "int" unit = "KB"/>
<reply id = "factory1.area2.asset.cpu" key = "cputimeory" val = "89" type = "int" unit = "ms"/>
<reply id = "factory1.area2.asset.cpu." key = "usertimeory" vale = "20" type = "int" unit = "ms"/>
</ mng>

  As shown in FIG. 1, when HTTP is used as a communication protocol with the management tool, a general-purpose web browser 22 can be used as the management tool. When using SNMP, information collected by the probe modules 12 and 13 is converted into a private MIB format for communication. If the communication modules 15 to 17 can be exchanged, various management tools can be used depending on the situation.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 1, only one application for collecting information is used, but information on a plurality of applications may be collected. In this case, the number of probe modules connected to the agent module 14 may be increased. It is also possible to collect information on applications running in another process.

  In this embodiment, three types of management tools, ie, the unique management tool 21, the web browser 22, and the SNMP management tool 23 are used as the management tools, but any one or two of them may be used. For example, a unique protocol may be used as a default, and HTTP and SNMP may be optional. By exchanging the communication module, it is possible to select which protocol is used.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the application management framework shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the management tool is connected to the corresponding communication module in step (P2-1). Then, it is checked whether the management tool has information on the probe module operating in the process (P2-2). If not, the process proceeds to the process (P2-3), and the management tool probes the agent module. Request a list of modules. If it has information, the process (P2-3) is skipped.

  Next, in step (P2-4), the management tool designates the ID of the probe module and sends a request for information collection or operation to the agent module. The communication module notifies the agent module of the request received in step (P2-5). In step (P2-6), the agent module interprets the received content and requests information collection or operation from the probe module having the designated ID.

  The probe module executes the operation requested in step (P2-7), acquires the result (collected information or operation result), and notifies the agent module. The agent module notifies the communication module of the result received in step (P2-8) and instructs a reply to the management tool. The communication module returns to the management tool in step (P2-9). The management tool receives this reply in step (P2-10). In this way, the management tool acquires application information and operates the application.

  FIG. 3 shows an application example of the present invention. In FIG. 3, 30 and 50 are control applications distributed over a wide range, and 40 and 60 are processes arranged in the control applications 30 and 50, respectively. The process 40 includes an application 41, an object 42 that holds information in the application 41, a probe module 43 that acquires information from the object 42, and operates the application 41, an agent module 44 that operates the probe module 43, an external It is comprised with the communication module 45 which communicates. That is, the process 40 has the same configuration as the process 10 of FIG.

  The process 60 has the same configuration as the process 40. That is, the application 61, the object 62, the probe module 63, the agent module 64, and the communication module 65 are configured.

  A management tool 70 is connected to the processes 40 and 60 via a wide area network such as the Internet. The management tool 70 acquires and operates information from the control applications 30 and 50 via the agent modules 44 and 64. In this way, a plurality of control applications can be centrally managed by one management tool 70.

  For example, it is possible to centrally manage a system in which measuring instruments are installed over a wide area, such as AMEDAS (Automated Meteorological Data Acquisition System, AMeDAS). In such a system, the installation locations of the measuring instruments are dispersed, and it is difficult for maintenance personnel to go directly to the measuring instrument and manage whether the operation is normal, such as personnel assignment. Therefore, by applying the present invention and connecting a measuring instrument group and a management tool via a network, a system distributed over a wide area can be centrally managed.

It is a block diagram which shows one Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of one Example of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the application of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10, 40, 60 Process 11, 41, 61 Application 11a, 11b, 11c, 42, 62 Object 12, 13, 43, 63 Probe module 14, 44, 64 Agent module 15-17, 45, 65 Communication module 30, 50 Control application 70 Management tool

Claims (7)

A probe module that collects and sends information from the application and manipulates the application on demand;
An agent module connected to at least one probe module, requesting the probe module to collect or manipulate information, and receiving the result from the probe module;
A communication module connected to the agent module and notifying the agent module of a request transmitted from a management tool placed outside, and transmitting a result notified from the agent module to the management tool;
An application management framework characterized by comprising:   The application management framework according to claim 1, wherein the probe module holds a unique ID (identifier), and the agent module manages the probe module using the ID.   The application management frame according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the probe module collects information from an application only when requested.   4. The application management frame according to claim 1, wherein the probe module collects information from an application at a predetermined cycle.   5. The application management framework according to claim 1, wherein the protocol for communication between the communication module and the management tool is described in XML (Extensible Markup Language).   6. The application management framework according to claim 1, wherein the communication module communicates with a management tool using HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol). 7. The application management framework according to claim 1, wherein the communication module communicates with a management tool using SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol).

Images