Mechanism for reconfiguring a server without incurring server down time

• US 20020120724A1
• Filed: 02/23/2001
• Published: 08/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Swift, Richard C., Kaiser, Christian M.
• Granted Patent: US 6,976,065 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events

Abstract

A mechanism for reconfiguring a server without incurring any server down time is disclosed. At startup time, a server constructs a set of configuration data structures based upon a set of configuration information, and stores the data structures into a portion of the server'"'"'s memory space. The server also updates a current configuration pointer to point to the configuration data structures to establish the data structures as the server'"'"'s current configuration. Then, during normal operation, the server receives a reconfiguration signal. In response to this signal, the server constructs a new set of configuration data structures based upon a modified set of configuration information, and stores the new data structures into another portion of the server'"'"'s memory space. Then, the server updates the current configuration pointer to point to the new configuration data structures to establish the new configuration data structures as the current server configuration. By doing so, the server changes its configuration. This change is implemented without shutting down and restarting the server.

Claims

1. In a computer system in which one or more configuration data structures are consulted at runtime to determine one or more aspects of behavior of the computer system, a method for reconfiguring the computer system, comprising:

receiving, at runtime, a signal to reconfigure the computer system;

constructing a new set of one or more configuration data structures; and

causing the computer system to consult said new set of configuration data structures to determine one or more aspects of the computer system'"'"'s behavior at runtime, thereby reconfiguring the computer system.