Patent ID: 6934749

Claim:
A method of of tracking distributed statistical data retrieval in a network device including a plurality of cards each executing at least one statistical data gathering process, comprising: a. registering with a central process a data type identifier corresponding to each type of statistical data to be gathered by each statistical data gathering process; b. establishing at the central process a list for each different data type identifier, wherein each list includes a process identification corresponding to each statistical data gathering process that registered the corresponding data type identifier; c. gathering statistical data through each of the statistical data gathering processes, wherein each of the gathered statistical data corresponds to one of the data tape identifiers registered with the central process; d. sending the gathered statistical data and corresponding data type identifier from each statistical data gathering process to the central process; e. combining received statistical data corresponding to each data type identifier into a common data file corresponding to each data type identifier; f. closing the common data file for each data type identifier when each statistical data gathering process in the list corresponding to each data type identifier has sent statistical data corresponding to the data type identifier; g. repeating steps c. through f. periodically; h. starting a timer for each common data file; i. detecting an expiration of one of the timers corresponding to one of the common data files if at least one of the statistical data gathering processes in the list corresponding to the common data file does not send its gathered statistical data; j. closing the common data file; k. incrementing a count corresponding to the common data file and the statistical data gathering process that did not send its gathered statistical data; l. determining whether the count exceeds a predetermined threshold; m. deleting the statistical data gathering process that did not send its gathered statistical data from the list corresponding to the common data file if the count exceeds the predetermined threshold; and wherein repeating steps c. through f. periodically further comprises repeating steps h. through m. periodically.