Method of debugging "active" unit using "non-intrusive source-level debugger" on "standby" unit of high availability system

• US 20060075295A1
• Filed: 10/04/2004
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pandharikar, Anand M., Vaidyanathan, Shyam Sundar, Malhotra, Pankaj, Chauhan, Prashant S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,587,635 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3632 of specific synchronisation aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/366 using diagnostics G06F11/0703 takes precedence

Abstract

A method of debugging an active unit in a computer system having an active unit for routing computer connections and a standby unit configured to route computer connections in the event the active unit fails. The method comprises the standby unit receiving synchronization data from the active unit in the form of update messages; storing the received synchronization data in local storage; receiving a request for data to be used to perform debugging on the active unit; searching local storage for the requested data; if the requested data is found on the local storage then returning that data to the source of the request; if the requested data is not found on the local storage then requesting the requested data from the active unit, receiving the requested data from the active unit, and returning the received requested data to the source of the request.

Claims

1. In a computer system having an active unit for routing computer connections and a standby unit configured to route computer connections in the event the active unit fails, a method of debugging an active unit, the method comprising:

the standby unit receiving synchronization data from the active unit in the form of update messages;

the standby unit storing the received synchronization data in local storage;

the standby unit receiving a request for data, the requested data to be used to perform debugging on the active unit;

searching local storage for the requested data;

if the requested data is found on the local storage then returning that data to the source of the request;

if the requested data is not found on the local storage then requesting the requested data from the active unit, receiving the requested data from the active unit, and returning the received requested data to the source of the request.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the requested data comprises values for an IOS queue.

2. The method of claim 2, wherein the request for data is made by a user communicating to the standby unit by a computer connected to the standby unit.

4. In a computer system having an active unit for routing computer connections and a standby unit configured to route computer connections in the event the active unit fails, a method of debugging an active unit, the method comprising:

the active unit receiving a request for data from a standby unit, the data comprising data to be used in a debugging program;

retrieving the requested data from local storage on the active unit; and

sending the retrieved, requested data to a standby unit.

5. A computer readable medium containing instructions which, when executed by a computer system comprising an active unit for routing computer connections and a standby unit configured to route computer connections in the event the active unit fails, perform debugging of an active unit on a standby unit by directing the standby unit to:

receive synchronization data from the active unit in the form of update messages;

storing the received synchronization data in local storage;

receiving a request for data, the requested data to be used to perform debugging on the active unit;

searching the local storage for the requested data;

if the requested data is found on the local storage then returning the found data to the source of the request;

if the requested data is not found on the local storage then requesting the requested data from the active unit, receiving the requested data from the active unit, and returning the received requested data to the source of the request.

6. A network device that routes computer connections across a computer network, the device comprising:

means for receiving synchronization data from an active network routing device in the form of update messages;

storage means for storing the received synchronization data;

means for receiving a request for data, the requested data to be used to perform debugging on the active unit;

searching the local storage for the requested data;

means for determining if the requested data is found on the local storage and returning the found data to the source of the request;

means for determining if the requested data is not found on the local storage and requesting the requested data from the active unit, receiving the requested data from the active unit, and returning the received requested data to the source of the request.