Methods and apparatus to manage monitoring agents

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to manage monitoring agents. A disclosed example involves determining if a virtual machine has a first service installed that corresponds to a service rule, the service rule to specify a service identifier and a configuration for a monitoring agent. The method also involves determining if the virtual machine has the monitoring agent corresponding to the first service. The method also involves, in response to determining if the first service matches the service identifier specified by the service rule and that the monitoring agent is not installed on the virtual machine, initiating installation of the monitoring agent on the virtual machine.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 determining if a first service is installed on a virtual machine that corresponds to a service rule, the service rule to specify a service identifier and configuration for a monitoring agent;   determining if the virtual machine includes the monitoring agent; and   in response to determining that the first service matches the service identifier and determining that the monitoring agent is not installed on the virtual machine, initiating installation of the monitoring agent on the virtual machine.   
     
     
         2 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein installation of the monitoring agent is initiated without user intervention. 
     
     
         3 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining when the first service is no longer installed on the virtual machine; and   in response to determining that the first service is no longer installed on the virtual machine, initiating removal of the monitoring agent corresponding to the first service from the virtual machine without user intervention.   
     
     
         4 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein determining whether the first service is installed on the virtual machine is performed in response to detecting a configuration change of the virtual machine. 
     
     
         5 . A method as defined in  claim 4 , wherein detecting the configuration change of the virtual machine further comprises causing a discovery script to be executed on the virtual machine. 
     
     
         6 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein determining if the virtual machine has the first service installed that corresponds to the service rule is performed by at a service analyzer separate from the virtual machine. 
     
     
         7 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the monitoring agent collects performance data for the first service, tracks events generated by the first service, and allows a user to start and stop the first service from a virtual machine monitor. 
     
     
         8 . A method as define in  claim 1 , further comprising, in response to determining the first service matches the service identifier of the service rule and that the monitoring agent is installed on the virtual machine, configuring the monitoring agent to monitor the first service based on the configuration specified by the service rule. 
     
     
         9 . A system, comprising:
 a service analyzer to determine whether if virtual machine has a first service installed that corresponds to a service rule and to determine if the virtual machine has a monitoring agent corresponding to the first service, the service rule to specify a service identifier and a configuration a configuration for the monitoring agent; and   an agent installer to, in response to the first service matches the service identified specified by the service rule and the monitoring agent not installed on the virtual machine, initiate installation of the monitoring agent on the virtual machine.   
     
     
         10 . A system as defined in  claim 9 , wherein the service analyzer is to determine if the first service is no longer installed on the virtual machine, and the agent installer is to, if the first service is no longer installed on the virtual machine, initiate removal of the monitoring agent corresponding to the first service from the virtual machine without user intervention. 
     
     
         11 . A system as defined in  claim 9 , wherein the service analyzer is to determine whether the first service is installed on the virtual machine is in response to detecting a configuration change of the virtual machine 
     
     
         12 . A system as defined in  claim 11 , wherein the service analyzer is to detect the configuration change of the virtual machine by causing a discovery script to be executed on the virtual machine. 
     
     
         13 . A system as defined in  claim 9 , where the agent installer is to initiate installation of the monitoring agent on the virtual machine without user intervention. 
     
     
         14 . A system as defined in  claim 9 , wherein the service analyzer and the agent installer are separate from the virtual machine. 
     
     
         15 . A system as defined in  claim 9 , further comprising a monitoring agent server to collect performance data for the first service, to track events generated by the first service, and to allow a user to start and stop the first service from a virtual machine monitor. 
     
     
         16 . A system as defined in  claim 9 , wherein, if the first service matches the service identifier specified by the service rule and if the monitoring agent is installed on the virtual machine, the agent installer is to configure the monitoring agent to monitor the first service based on the configuration specified by the service rule. 
     
     
         17 . A tangible computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause a processor to at least:
 determine if a virtual machine has a first service installed that corresponds to a service rule, the service rule to specify a service identifier and a configuration of a monitoring agent;   determine if the virtual machine has the monitoring agent corresponding to the first service; and   in response to determining that the first service matches the service identifier specified by the service rule and that the monitoring agent is not installed on the virtual machine, initiate installation of the monitoring agent on the virtual machine.   
     
     
         18 . A tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in  claim 17 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:
 determine if the first service is no longer installed on the virtual machine; and   in response to determining if the first service is no longer installed on the virtual machine, initiate removal of the monitoring agent corresponding to the first service from the virtual machine without user intervention.   
     
     
         19 . A tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in  claim 17 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:
 in response to determining if the first service matches the service identifier specified by the service rule and the monitoring agent is installed on the virtual machine, configure the monitoring agent to monitor the first service based on the configuration specified by the service rule.   
     
     
         20 . A tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in  claim 17 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to initiate installation of the monitoring agent on the virtual machine without user intervention.