Plug-In for Health Monitoring System
A monitoring and management system may use a plugin mechanism to add or update an interface to a managed service or device. The plugin may have capability to interface with the managed service or device, as well as an interface to a status database that may be populated by the managed service or device as well as other services or devices. The plugin may have rules that may be used to determine a status for the monitored service or device based on the statuses of several services or devices, and may also have rules that define a multi level query into the database to determine those services and devices.
1 . A system comprising:
a network connection;
a plugin installer adapted to receive an install a plugin, said plugin being adapted to monitor and control a first service;
a user interface adapted to create a portion of said user interface using said plugin to generate a command for said first service;
a communications engine adapted to receive said command for said service and transmit said command to said first service, said communications engine further adapted to receive a query, send said query to a status database comprising status data from said first service, and receive a query result; and
said user interface being further adapted to display at least a portion of said query result.
2 . The system of claim 1 , said network connection being to a local area network.
3 . The system of claim 2 , said first service being provided by a server connected through said local area network.
4 . The system of claim 2 , said status database being a second service operable within said local area network.
5 . The system of claim 1 , said plugin being obtained through a plugin distribution server.
6 . The system of claim 1 , said portion of said user interface being accessed by a tab control within said user interface.
7 . The system of claim 1 , said status database having a monitoring interface having a second user interface.
8 . The system of claim 1 , said query comprising a status request for said first service and for at least one other service.
9 . The system of claim 1 , said query comprising a status request for said first service and for at least one device.
10 . The system of claim 1 , said communications engine adapted to perform a multilevel query with said status database.
11 . The system of claim 10 , said plugin comprising rules used by said communications engine to perform said multilevel query.
12 . A method comprising:
receiving a plugin adapted to manage a first service;
installing said plugin into a extensible management console;
create a user interface in said extensible management console using said plugin;
receiving an input from said user interface;
creating a command for said first service based on said input;
transferring said command to said first service;
creating a query for a status database using said plugin;
transferring said query to said status database;
receiving a query result from said status database; and
displaying at least a portion of said query result in said user interface.
13 . The method of claim 12 , said plugin being received by a method comprising:
establishing a connection with a plugin distribution server; and
receiving said plugin from said plugin distribution server.
14 . The method of claim 13 , said connection being established by said plugin distribution server.
15 . The method of claim 13 , said connection being established by a method comprising:
contacting said plugin distribution server; and
requesting said plugin from said plugin distribution server.
16 . A computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions adapted to perform the method of claim 12 .
17 . A plugin comprising:
a configuration management interface adapted to create a user interface within an extensible management console, said user interface comprising at least one mechanism adapted to receive user input and create a command for a first service;
an operational data interface adapted to generate a query for a status database comprising status data from said first service;
a communications interface adapted to establish a connection with said first service and transmit said command to said first service, said communications interface being further adapted to establish a connection with said status database, transmit said query, and receive a query result, at least a portion of said query result being displayed using said user interface.
18 . The plugin of claim 17 further comprising rules defining a multilevel query for said status database, said communications interface being adapted to use said rules to perform said multilevel query.
19 . The plugin of claim 17 , said query comprising a query for said first service and a query for a second service.
20 . The plugin of claim 17 , said query comprising a query for said first service and a query for a device.