Controlling service failover in clustered storage apparatus networks

• US 20060187906A1
• Filed: 02/09/2006
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Andrew James Stanford-Clark, Bharat Veer Bedi
• Original Assignee: Andrew James Stanford-Clark, Bharat Veer Bedi
• Inventors: Bedi, Bharat Veer, Stanford-Clark, Andrew James
• Application Number:
  US11/351,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20060187906A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2028 eliminating a faulty processor or activating a spare
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2035 without idle spare hardware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A controller for use at a node of a clustered computer apparatus comprises an exception detection component for detecting an exception raised by a service component at the node; a quiesce component responsive to the exception detection component for quiescing lease-governed activity by the service component prior to termination of a lease; a lease control component responsive to the quiesce component for pre-expiry relinquishing of the lease; and a communication component responsive to the lease control component for communicating the pre-expiry relinquishing of the lease to one or more further nodes of said clustered computer apparatus. The controller may further comprise a further communication component for receiving a communication indicating the pre-expiry relinquishing of a lease; a further lease control component responsive to the communication to control failure processing; and a further service component to perform a service in place of the service component at the node.

Claims

1. A controller for use at a node of a clustered computer apparatus, comprising:

an exception detection component for detecting an exception raised by a service component at said node;

a quiesce component responsive to said exception detection component for quiescing lease-governed activity by said service component prior to termination of a lease;

a lease control component responsive to said quiesce component for pre-expiry relinquishing of said lease; and

a communication component responsive to said lease control component for communicating the pre-expiry relinquishing of said lease to one or more further nodes of said clustered computer apparatus.

2. The controller as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a further communication component for receiving a communication indicating the pre-expiry relinquishing of a lease;

a further lease control component responsive to said communication to control failure processing; and

a further service component to perform a service in place of said service component at said node.

3. The controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein said exception detection component, said quiesce component and said lease control component are located in a layer above a clustering layer, and said communication component is located in said clustering layer.

4. The controller as claimed in claim 2, wherein said further communication component is located in a clustering layer, and said further lease control component and said further service component are located in a layer above said clustering layer.

5. The controller as claimed in claim 1, adapted to control a storage apparatus.

6. The controller as claimed in claim 5, further adapted to control virtualization of said storage apparatus.

7. A method of operating a controller for use at a node of a clustered computer apparatus, comprising steps of:

detecting, by an exception detection component, an exception raised by a service component at said node;

quiescing, by a quiesce component responsive to said exception detection component, lease-governed activity by said service component prior to termination of a lease;

pre-expiry relinquishing, by a lease control component responsive to said quiesce component, of said lease; and

communicating, by a communication component responsive to said lease control component, the pre-expiry relinquishing of said lease to one or more further nodes of said clustered computer apparatus.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising steps of:

receiving, by a further communication component, a communication indicating the pre-expiry relinquishing of a lease;

controlling failure processing by a further lease control component responsive to said communication; and

performing, by a further service component, a service in place of said service component at said node.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said steps of detecting, quiescing and pre-expiry relinquishing are performed in a layer above a clustering layer, and said step of communicating is performed in said clustering layer.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said step of receiving is performed in a clustering layer, and said steps of controlling and performing a service are performed in a layer above said clustering layer.

11. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising controlling a storage apparatus.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising controlling virtualization of said storage apparatus.

13. A computer program comprising computer program code to, when loaded into a computer system and executed thereon, cause said computer system to perform the steps of the method as claimed in any of steps 7 to 12.