Upgrading software on blade servers

• US 20040210888A1
• Filed: 04/18/2003
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Sauermann, Volker, Becker, Wolfgang, Zachmann, Guenter, Bergen, Axel Von, Schwarz, Arne
• Application Number:
  US10/418,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20040210888A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5015 Service provider selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5017 Task decomposition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/461 Saving or restoring of program or task context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/485 Task life-cycle, e.g. stopping, restarting, resuming execution G06F9/4881 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455

Abstract

A method for upgrading a process running on a first processor includes preparing a second processor, copying process context information to the second processor, starting a second process using the context information on the second processor, and terminating a first process running on the first processor.

Claims

1. A method for upgrading a process running on a first processor, the method comprising:

preparing a second processor with upgraded software;

copying process context information to the second processor;

starting a second process on the second processor, the second process using the context information; and

terminating a first process running on the first processor.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first processor is associated with a first blade in a blade server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second processor is associated with a second blade in a blade server.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first processor is associated with a first blade in a first blade server and the second process is associated with a second blade in a second blade server.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein preparing the second processor includes:

installing an operating system; and

installing application software.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the upgraded software is upgraded application software.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the upgraded software is upgraded operating system software.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein preparing the second processor further includes configuring the operating system and the application software.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein preparing the second processor includes activating a cold reserve spare processor.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein copying process context information to the second processor includes copying control data to the second processor.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein copying process context information to the second processor includes copying process data.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the process data includes dynamic data and wherein copying the dynamic data includes:

creating a checkpoint of the dynamic data; and

copying the checkpoint to the second processor.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein starting the second process on the second processor includes notifying a controller that the second process is active.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein starting the second process on the second processor further includes notifying the controller that the first process is inactive.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein copying process context information to the second processor includes:

receiving process context information about the first process; and

reformatting the process context information for use by the second process.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the process provides one or more functions in a distributed fast cache system.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the process provides one or more functions in a distributed data store system.

18. A blade system comprising:

a first blade executing a process providing a service;

a second blade; and

a controller,

wherein the blade system is operable to start an upgraded process on the second blade such that the service is available while the process is upgraded.

19. The blade system of claim 18 wherein the first blade and the second blade are on different blade servers.

20. The blade system of claim 18 wherein the controller manages multiple processes.

21. The blade system of claim 20 wherein the controller receives a client request and forwards the client request to one or more of the multiple processes to satisfy the request.

22. The blade system of claim 21 wherein the controller forwards the client request to the process if the client request is for the service.

23. The blade system of claim 22 wherein the process may be upgraded by starting a new process to provide the service and configuring the controller to forward the client request to the new process if the client request is for the service.