Netiq Corporation

Mark Eric McCorry

Peter James Schwaller

Christopher David Selvaggi

Steven Thomas Joyce

John Lee Wood

Dana Borger

Mark Clarence Zelek

Joan Marie Bellinghausen

Jeffrey Todd Hicks

Vikas Chandra

David Vi Hien Quan

Methods, systems and computer program products for testing the performance of a communication network including a plurality of endpoint nodes executing application programs which utilize the communications network are provided. A console node is provided on the network which may initiate operations by test agents executing on one or more of the plurality of endpoint nodes. The agents may generate network performance information using passive application monitoring and/or active endpoint pair based network testing responsive to scheduling instructions from the console node. Specific application programs may be designated for passive monitoring and active test protocols may be provided based on an expected type of application communication traffic. In another aspect of the present invention, one of a plurality of types of transaction models defining the beginning and ending reference point for a transaction timing measurement may be provided to the endpoint nodes for use in passive application monitoring. In a further aspect of the present invention, the endpoint nodes may be automatically discovered by the console node.

Methods, systems and computer program products for network performance testing through active endpoint pair based testing and passive application monitoring

Methods, systems and computer program products are provided which test network performance by defining test schedules including test protocols to be implemented and when the protocols should be executed for a plurality of defined connections on a network. A connection may be defined between two endpoint nodes on the network. At times specified in the test schedule, the endpoint node pair executes the test protocol and measures the performance of the network connection between the two nodes without requiring any involvement of application software which may or may not be installed on the computer hardware supporting the endpoint node. The test protocol may define the type of network layer protocol to utilize (for example, TCP), and the test script or scripts to be communicated using the appropriate stack on the computer hardware supporting the endpoint node. The schedule may be provided with an expiration date and a console node is provided for distribution of test schedules, monitoring of availability of endpoint nodes and receipt of measured performance measurements for reporting to a network manager. In further aspects of the present invention, auto-thresholding and coordination of interrelated but asynchronous tasks executing at the console node are provided.

Methods, systems and computer program products for scheduled network performance testing

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Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Mark Eric McCorry