Abstract: Described is a common cache service for use in a storage system. The common cache service operates between client applications and a command service that provides access to a data store. The client applications, command service, and common cache service may communicate via a communications protocol. A client application issues a request to a communications protocol port to access the data store. The common cache service receives the request for data at the communications protocol port from the client application, and returns requested data to the client application if the requested data is stored by the common cache service. Otherwise, the request is passed by the common cache service to another communications protocol port to the command service to retrieve the data from the data store.

Abstract: To closely simulate the experience of an end user, a software agent executes where the end user would be situated and attempts to exercise a computer resource such as a networked application or a network resource in a simulated transaction in exactly or nearly exactly the same way that the computer resource would be exercised by the end user in non-simulated transaction. The results of the simulated transaction and of other simulated transactions by other software agents are communicated to a central software system for recordation and analysis.

Abstract: To closely simulate the experience of an end user, a software agent executes where the end user would be situated and attempts to exercise a computer resource such as a networked application or a network resource in a simulated transaction in exactly or nearly exactly the same way that the computer resource would be exercised by the end user in non-simulated transaction. The results of the simulated transaction and of other simulated transactions by other software agents are communicated to a central software system for recordation and analysis.