Testing of lock managers in computing environments

• US 10,061,777 B1
• Filed: 02/01/2018
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Davis, Willard A., Davis, James C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Channavajjala, Srirama
• Application Number:
  US15/885,883
• Time in Patent Office: 208 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1774 Locking methods, e.g. locking methods for file systems allowing shared and concurrent access to files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1858 Parallel file systems, i.e. file systems supporting multiple processors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2343 Locking methods, e.g. distributed locking or locking implementation details
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity

Abstract

A lock manager configured for locking files is tested. As part of the test and based on a lock assignment plan, a process acquires locks on portions of the files. Based on a lock testing plan, a second process performs a lock verification for a portion of the locked portions. A result of this lock verification is compared to its expected result. Based on an updated lock assignment plan, the process transitions from the locks to other locks on other portions of the files. Based on an updated lock testing plan, the second process performs a second lock verification for a portion of the other locked portions. A result of this second lock verification is compared to its expected result. Based at least in part on the two comparisons, the lock manager is evaluated.

Claims

1. A method for integrity testing, through a plurality of testing iterations each incorporating a lock phase followed by a verification phase, a lock manager configured for locking a set of files stored in a computing environment, the method comprising:

establishing, by the lock manager, a lock testing plan;

assigning, for a first testing iteration of the plurality of testing iterations and based on the lock testing plan, responsibility for acquiring a first set of initial locks among a plurality of processes such that upon assignment each process of the plurality of processes is responsible for acquiring at least one initial lock on at least one portion of the set of files;

acquiring, during a first lock phase of the first testing iteration and by the plurality of processes, the assigned first set of initial locks;

assigning, for the first testing iteration and based on the lock testing plan, responsibility for attempting to acquire a first set of test locks among the plurality of processes such that upon assignment each process of the plurality of processes is responsible for attempting to acquire at least one test lock on at least one portion of the set of files that is currently locked by an initial lock of the assigned first set of initial locks that was acquired by another process of the plurality of processes during the first lock phase;

attempting, during a first verification phase of the first testing iteration and by the plurality of processes, to acquire the assigned first set of test locks;

comparing results of the attempted first set of test lock acquisitions to expected results of the attempted first set of test lock acquisitions;

relinquishing, after the comparing results of the attempted first set of test lock acquisitions to expected results of the attempted first set of test lock acquisitions and by the plurality of processes, the assigned first set of initial locks;

assigning, for a second testing iteration of the plurality of testing iterations that occurs after the verification phase of the testing iteration and based on the lock testing plan, responsibility for acquiring a second set of initial locks among the plurality of processes such that upon assignment each process of the plurality of processes is responsible for acquiring at least one initial lock on at least one portion of the set of files for which another process was responsible for acquiring an initial lock during the first lock phase of the first testing iteration;

acquiring, during a second lock phase of the second testing iteration, after the relinquishing the assigned first set of initial locks, and by the plurality of processes, the assigned second set of initial locks;

assigning, for the second testing iteration and based on the lock testing plan, responsibility for attempting to acquire a second set of test locks among the plurality of processes such that upon assignment each process of the plurality of processes is responsible for attempting to acquire at least one test lock on at least one portion of the set of files that is currently locked by an initial lock of the assigned second set of initial locks that was acquired by another process of the plurality of processes during the second lock phase and for which another process was responsible for acquiring a test lock of the first set of test locks during the first verification phase of the first testing iteration;

attempting, during a second verification phase of the second testing iteration and by the plurality of processes, to acquire the assigned second set of test locks;

comparing results of the attempted second set of test lock acquisitions to expected results of the attempted second set of test lock acquisitions; and

evaluating, based on the comparing results of the attempted first set of test lock acquisitions to expected results of the attempted first set of test lock acquisitions and further based on the comparing results of the attempted second set of test lock acquisitions to expected results of the attempted second set of test lock acquisitions, the integrity of the lock manager.