Automatic configuration of a recovery service

• US 10,585,766 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2011
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Taranov, Viktoriya, Blood, Daniel, Hopmann, Alexander, Shah, Siddharth Rajendra, Sevilmis, Tarkan, Voronkov, Nikita, Somasundaram, Ramanathan, Kokhan, Artsiom, Doshi, Bhavesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper, Eliyah S.
• Application Number:
  US13/154,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20120310887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,200 Days
• Field of Search: 707999102, 707705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1658 Data re-synchronization of a redundant component, or initial sync of replacement, additional or spare unit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2028 eliminating a faulty processor or activating a spare
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2046 where the redundant components share persistent storage G06F11/2043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2074 Asynchronous techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups

Abstract

A secondary location is configured as a recovery service for a primary location of the service. The secondary location is maintained in a warm state that is configured to replace the primary location in a case of a failover. During normal operation, the secondary location is automatically updated to reflect a current state of the primary location that is actively servicing user load. Content changes to the primary location are automatically reflected to the secondary location. System changes applied to the primary location are automatically applied to the secondary location. For example, removing/adding machines, updating machine/role assignments, removing adding/database are automatically applied to the secondary location such that the secondary location substantially mirrors the primary location. After a failover to the secondary location, the secondary location becomes the primary location and begins to actively service the user load.

Claims

1. A method for establishing and maintaining a recovery network for a service, comprising:

deploying a secondary location of a service that provides services for users, wherein the secondary location acts as a recovery network for a primary location of the service and substantially mirrors the primary location, wherein the primary location of the service and the secondary location of the service comprise databases and machines performing different operations within at least one network;

executing a first script to apply a first system change to the primary location, wherein the first system change comprises at least one of;

adding and deleting a database;

modifying the first script to create a configuration file for the secondary location;

executing the modified first script to apply the first system change to the secondary location while the primary location is still active;

applying a second system change to the primary location while the primary location is active and without applying the second system change to the secondary location;

automatically applying content changes made to the primary location to the secondary location while the primary location is active to maintain the substantial mirroring, wherein automatically applying the content changes comprises replicating a transaction log from the primary location to the secondary location, updating a retry count when the transaction log is accessed to be replayed, and triggering an alert when the retry count exceeds a predetermined value;

detecting a failure of the primary location of the service; and

setting the secondary location of the service as the primary location in response to detecting the failure of the primary location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically applying content changes and the first system change further comprises creating full backups, incremental backups that are created between the full backups and transaction logs.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically applying content changes and the first system change further comprises determining when at least one of the following operations occur at the primary location:

adding a machine;

removing a machine;

updating a machine;

updating a role;

updating an assignment;

removing a database;

adding a database;

moving a database;

moving content from a database to another database and performing an upgrade; and

in response to the occurrence at the primary location automatically applying the operation to the secondary location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically applying content changes and the first system change further comprises creating the transaction log at the primary location in response to a database being upgraded.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically applying content changes and the first system change to the secondary location further comprises updating a new farm at the primary location and the secondary location before transferring requests to the new farm at the primary location.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying the content changes and the first system change applied to the primary location and the secondary location.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising periodically and automatically updating a site map of the secondary location using data that is stored at the secondary location.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically performing a corresponding job at the secondary network in response to a job being requested at the primary location.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary location comprises multi-tier farms, and wherein automatically applying content changes to the secondary location further comprises applying the content changes in a predetermined order in farms of the multi-tier farms.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, excluding a signal, having computer-executable instructions for establishing and maintaining a recovery network for a service, comprising:

deploying a secondary location of a service in response to a deployment of a primary location, wherein the secondary location acts as a recovery network for the primary location of the service and substantially mirrors the primary location;

wherein the primary location of the service and the secondary location of the service comprises databases and machines performing different operations within at least one network;

executing a first script to apply a first system change to the primary location, wherein the first system change comprises at least one of;

adding and deleting a database;

modifying the first script to create a configuration file for the secondary location;

executing the modified first script to apply the first system change to the secondary location while the primary location is still active;

applying a second system change to the primary location while the primary location is active and without applying the second system change to the secondary location;

automatically applying content changes change made to the primary location to the secondary location while the primary location is active to maintain the substantial mirroring, wherein automatically applying the content changes comprises replicating a transaction log from the primary location to the secondary location, updating a retry count when the transaction log is accessed to be replayed, and triggering an alert when the retry count exceeds a predetermined value;

detecting a failure of the primary location of the service; and

setting the secondary location of the service as the primary location in response to the failure.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein automatically applying content changes and the first system change further comprises determining when at least one of the following operations occur at the primary location:

adding a machine;

removing a machine;

updating a machine;

updating a role;

updating an assignment;

removing a database;

adding a database;

moving a database;

moving content from a database to another database and performing an upgrade; and

in response to the occurrence at the primary location automatically applying the operation to the secondary location.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein automatically applying content changes and the first system change to the secondary location further comprises creating the transaction log at the primary location in response to a database being upgraded and replicating the transaction log to the secondary location to update a corresponding database at the secondary location.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein automatically applying content changes and the first system change to the secondary location further comprises updating a new farm at the primary location and the secondary location before transferring requests to the new farm at the primary location.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising verifying the content changes and the first system change applied to the primary location and the secondary location.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising automatically updating a site map of the secondary location using data that is stored at the secondary location.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising automatically performing a corresponding job at the secondary network in response to a job being requested at the primary location.

16. A system for establishing and maintaining a recovery network for a service, comprising:

a processor and a computer-readable medium;

an operating environment stored on the computer-readable medium and executing on the processor; and

a cloud manager operative to perform actions, comprising;

automatically deploying a secondary location of a service in response to a deployment of a primary location, wherein the secondary location acts as a recovery network for the primary location and substantially mirrors the primary location;

executing a first script to apply a first system change to the primary location,

wherein the first system change comprises at least one of;

adding and deleting a database;

modifying the first script to create a configuration file for the secondary location;

executing the modified first script to apply the first system change to the secondary location while the primary location is still active;

applying a second system change to the primary location while the primary location is active and without applying the second system change to the secondary location;

automatically applying content changes made to the primary location to the secondary location while the primary location is active to maintain the substantial mirroring, wherein automatically applying the content changes comprises replicating a transaction log from the primary location to the secondary location, validating the replicated transaction log at the secondary location, updating a retry count when the transaction log is accessed to be replayed, and triggering an alert when the retry count exceeds a predetermined value;

detecting a failure of the primary location of the service; and

setting the secondary location of the service as the primary location in response to the failure.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein automatically applying content changes and the first system change further comprises determining when at least one of the following operations occur at the primary location:

adding a machine;

removing a machine;

updating a machine;

updating a role;

updating an assignment;

removing a database;

adding a database;

moving a database;

moving content from a database to another database and performing an upgrade; and

in response to the occurrence at the primary location automatically applying the operation to the secondary location.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein automatically applying content changes and the first system change to the secondary location further comprises creating the transaction log at the primary location in response to a database being upgraded and replicating the transaction log to the secondary location to update a corresponding database at the secondary location.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein automatically applying content changes and the first system change to the secondary location further comprises updating a new farm at the primary location and the secondary location before transferring requests to the new farm at the primary location.