Abstract: The described implementations relate to distributed computing. One implementation provides a system that can include an outlier detection component that is configured to identify an outlier task from a plurality of tasks based on runtimes of the plurality of tasks. The system can also include a cause evaluation component that is configured to evaluate a cause of the outlier task. For example, the cause of the outlier task can be an amount of data processed by the outlier task, contention for resources used to execute the outlier task, or a communication link with congested bandwidth that is used by the outlier task to input or output data. The system can also include one or more processing devices configured to execute one or more of the components.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates managing a network by mining a communication rule. An analysis engine can employ a packet trace within a network in order to provide timing information, wherein the network includes at least one of a host, a protocol, or an application. A traffic evaluator can extract a communication rule for the network based upon an activity matrix generated from the timing information in which the activity matrix includes at least one of a row of a time window for the packet trace and a column for a flow in the packet trace.

Abstract: Described is a visual analytics system for network diagnostics. The visual analytics system obtains network diagnostic-related information from a diagnostic system. The visual analytics system includes an interactive user interface that displays the representations of network components, including network machines and, zero or more links between those components, (e.g., as appropriate based upon selection or dynamic conditions). The user interface includes a main network view that displays representations of network components, a diagnostics view that displays suggested diagnosis results obtained from the diagnostic system, and a performance counter view that displays performance counter data. User interaction with one of the views correspondingly changes the displays in the other views. The system allows effective exploration of multiple levels of detail, e.g.

Abstract: Candidates that are potentially responsible for user-perceptible network problems may be inferred. In an example embodiment, a system includes an inference engine to produce a list of candidates that are potentially responsible for user-perceptible network problems, with the candidates being network components that may include both services and network elements. A response to a service request may be a non response, an incorrect response, an untimely correct response, or a timely correct response. The user-perceptible network problems may include the untimely correct response as well as the non response and the incorrect response. In another example embodiment, a method includes monitoring a network and producing a list of candidates that are potentially responsible for user-perceptible network problems. The candidates of the list may include both services and network elements of the monitored network.

Abstract: Described is a technology by which additional network communications capacity is provided to an oversubscribed base network where needed, through the use of dynamically provisioned communications links referred to as flyways. A controller detects a need for additional network communications capacity between two network machines, e.g., between two racks of servers with top-of-rack switches. The controller configures flyway mechanisms (e.g., one per rack) to carry at least some of the network traffic between the machines of the racks and thereby provide the additional network communications capacity. The flyway mechanisms may be based on any wireless or wired technologies, including 60 GHz technology, optical links, 802.11n or wired commodity switches.

Abstract: Methods, articles, and systems for determining a probable cause of a component's abnormal behavior are described. To determine the probable cause, a computing device computes, for one or more pairs of components having dependency relationships, a likelihood that behavior of one component of a pair is impacting behavior of the other component of the pair. This computing is based on joint historical behavior of the pair of components. The computing device then determines that one of a plurality of components is a probable cause of the abnormal behavior based on the computed likelihoods.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates managing a network by mining a communication rule. An analysis engine can employ a packet trace within a network in order to provide timing information, wherein the network includes at least one of a host, a protocol, or an application. A traffic evaluator can extract a communication rule for the network based upon an activity matrix generated from the timing information in which the activity matrix includes at least one of a row of a time window for the packet trace and a column for a flow in the packet trace.

Abstract: Constructing an inference graph relates to the creation of a graph that reflects dependencies within a network. In an example embodiment, a method includes determining dependencies among components of a network and constructing an inference graph for the network responsive to the dependencies. The components of the network include services and hardware components, and the inference graph reflects cross-layer components including the services and the hardware components. In another example embodiment, a system includes a service dependency analyzer and an inference graph constructor. The service dependency analyzer is to determine dependencies among components of a network, the components including services and hardware components. The inference graph constructor is to construct an inference graph for the network responsive to the dependencies, the inference graph reflecting cross-layer components including the services and the hardware components.

Abstract: Candidates that are potentially responsible for user-perceptible network problems may be inferred. In an example embodiment, a system includes an inference engine to produce a list of candidates that are potentially responsible for user-perceptible network problems, with the candidates being network components that may include both services and network elements. A response to a service request may be a non response, an incorrect response, an untimely correct response, or a timely correct response. The user-perceptible network problems may include the untimely correct response as well as the non response and the incorrect response. In another example embodiment, a method includes monitoring a network and producing a list of candidates that are potentially responsible for user-perceptible network problems. The candidates of the list may include both services and network elements of the monitored network.