METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PUBLISHING AND MONITORING ENTITIES PROVIDING SERVICES IN A DISTRIBUTED DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM

摘要

A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for providing identification and monitoring of entities. A distributed data processing system (100) includes one or more distributed publishing entities (400, 402, 404), which publish computer readable announcements (800) in a standard language. These announcements (800) may contain a description of a monitoring method (802) that may be used to monitor the behavior of one or more distributed monitored entities (400, 402, 404). These announcements also may include information used to identify a monitoring method (802) that may be used by the distributed monitored entity (400) to monitor its own behavior or by a distributed consumer entity to monitor the behavior of the distributed monitored entity (400). The monitoring also may be performed by a third-party distributed monitoring entity (400).