Data service tracker module for a communication system and method of determining a set of data couplings

Abstract

A data service tracker module and a method of determining a set of data couplings in a communication system, includes receiving a transaction communication from a communication mechanism the transaction communication defining access between a transaction source and a transaction destination, and recording the transaction communication data defining the data coupling, to define a set of data couplings authorized for transaction communications in the communication system.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A data service tracker module for a communication system, comprising:
 an interface with a communication mechanism operable to receive transaction communication data between a transaction source and a transaction destination; and   a controller module, configured to receive the transaction communication data, identify transaction communication aspects of the transaction communication data, including at least the transaction source and the transaction destination, and build a set of data couplings of the communication system, each data coupling defining the transaction source and the transaction destination.   
     
     
         2 . The data service tracker module of  claim 1 , wherein the controller module is further configured to identify transaction communication aspects by at interpreting or parsing the transaction communication data. 
     
     
         3 . The data service tracker module of  claim 2 , wherein the controller module is configured to build the set of data couplings utilizing at least a one of a network address, communication transaction data header information, communication transaction data frame information, or communication transaction payload information. 
     
     
         4 . The data service tracker module of  claim 1  wherein the controller module is further configured to identify whether the transaction communication aspects include one of an authorized transaction communication or an unauthorized transaction communication. 
     
     
         5 . The data service tracker module of  claim 4 , further comprising a second interface with a validation module configured to determine whether the transaction communication data is an authorized transaction communication or an unauthorized transaction communication, and communicates the determination to the controller module. 
     
     
         6 . The data service tracker module of  claim 1  wherein the controller module is further configured to timestamp the transaction communication data, and build the set of data couplings, each data coupling further defining the timestamp of the transaction communication data. 
     
     
         7 . The data service tracker module of  claim 1  wherein the communication mechanism is a network interface interconnecting a set of a transaction sources with a set of transaction destinations. 
     
     
         8 . The data service tracker module of  claim 1  wherein the communication mechanism is one of an application programmable interface, a system call, or a programming library call. 
     
     
         9 . A communication system, comprising:
 a shared memory defining at least one data store;   a process having access to the at least one data store by way of a communication mechanism;   a data service tracker module communicatively connected with the communication mechanism, and configured to identify access between the at least one data store and the process, by way of the communication mechanism, and to record transaction communication data related to the access, including at least an access initiator and an access type, to build a set of data couplings between the shared memory and the process.   
     
     
         10 . The communication system of  claim 9 , further comprising a set of processes and a set of data stores, each of the set of processes having access to at least of one the set of data stores, and wherein the data service tracker module is configured to build a set of data couplings by way of identifying and recording transaction communication data related to each access between the set of processes and the set of data stores. 
     
     
         11 . The communication system of  claim 9 , wherein the access type can include one of read access, write access, or read and write access. 
     
     
         12 . The communication system of  claim 11 , further comprising a validation module configured to enforce a predetermined access type for each access between the at least one data store and the process. 
     
     
         13 . The communication system of  claim 9  wherein the transaction communication data includes at least a subset of a network address, communication transaction data header information, communication transaction data frame information, or communication transaction payload information. 
     
     
         14 . The communication system of  claim 9  wherein the data service tracker module is configured to build the set of all data couplings between the shared memory and the process during run-time of the communication system, without knowledge of predetermined data couplings of the communication system. 
     
     
         15 . The communication system of  claim 9  wherein the communication mechanism is one of an application programmable interface, a system call, or a programming library call. 
     
     
         16 . A method of determining a set of data couplings in a communication system, the method comprising:
 receiving, in real-time, by a data service tracker module, a transaction communication, from a communication mechanism, the transaction communication defining access between a transaction source and a transaction destination;   identifying aspects of the transaction communication, by the data service tracker module, to define transaction communication data defining a data coupling between the transaction source and the transaction destination; and   recording the transaction communication data defining the data coupling, by the data service tracker module, to define a set of data couplings authorized for transaction communications in the communication system.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising comparing the set of data couplings authorized for transaction communications with a predetermined set of desired data couplings authorized for transaction communications. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising identifying a real-time timestamp of the transaction communication, and recording the timestamp in the transaction communication data. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the data service tracker module lacks knowledge of predetermined data couplings of the communication system, and wherein the recording the transaction communication data builds in real-time, the set of data couplings authorized for transaction communications in the communication system. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising comparing the set of data couplings authorized for transaction communications with an expected set of desired data couplings authorized for transaction communications.