Method and apparatus for updating application servers

• US 20060190581A1
• Filed: 02/24/2005
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Williamson, Paul Stuart, Rozich, Ryan, Hagale, Anthony Richard, Hasti, Srinivas
• Granted Patent: US 8,140,644 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/505 Clust
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

An improved method, apparatus, and computer instructions for managing a set of servers. Responsive to an indication that an alteration of applications on the set of servers providing a service is to occur, a first group of servers and a second group of servers are created from the set of servers. The first group is designated for handling ongoing sessions with unaltered applications. The applications in the second group are altered. A server from the first group is transitioned to the second group as ongoing sessions handled in the first group decrease in number to form a transitioned server, wherein the alteration of the applications are performed without interrupting the service.

Claims

1. A method for managing a set of servers, the method comprising:

responsive to an indication that an alteration of an application on the set of servers providing a service is to occur, creating a first group of servers and a second group servers from the set of servers, wherein the first group is designated for handling ongoing sessions with an unaltered application;

altering the application on the second group; and

transitioning a server from the first group to the second group as ongoing sessions handled in the first group decrease in number to form a transitioned server, wherein the alteration of the application is performed without interrupting the service.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

directing requests in ongoing sessions to the first group.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

directing requests for new sessions to the second group of servers after the alteration has occurred.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the directing steps are performed by a traffic scheduler.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the traffic scheduler maintains a list identifying users of the unaltered application that is used to direct requests.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the directing steps are performed by a router examining a server identifier located in each request.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the server identifier is located within a session identifier.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the alteration is an upgrade of the application in which a manner in which the application handles session data changes.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of servers forms a server cluster.

10. A data processing system for managing a set of servers, the data processing system comprising:

creating means, responsive to an indication that an alteration of an application on the set of servers providing a service is to occur, for creating a first group of servers and a second group servers from the set of servers, wherein the first group is designated for handling ongoing sessions with an unaltered application;

altering means for altering the application on the second group; and

transitioning means for transitioning a server from the first group to the second group as ongoing sessions handled in the first group decrease in number to form a transitioned server, wherein the alteration of the application is performed without interrupting the service.

11. The data processing system of claim 10 further comprising:

directing means for directing requests in ongoing sessions to the first group.

12. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein the directing means is a first directing means and further comprising:

second directing means for directing requests for new sessions to the second group of servers after the alteration has occurred.

13. The data processing system of claim 12, wherein the first directing means and the second directing means are located in a traffic scheduler.

14. A computer program product for managing a set of servers, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions, responsive to an indication that an alteration of an application on the set of servers providing a service is to occur, for creating a first group of servers and a second group servers from the set of servers, wherein the first group is designated for handling ongoing sessions with an unaltered application;

second instructions for altering the application on the second group; and

third instructions for transitioning a server from the first group to the second group as ongoing sessions handled in the first group decrease in number to form a transitioned server, wherein the alteration of the application is performed without interrupting the service.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 further comprising:

fourth instructions for directing requests in ongoing sessions to the first group.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising:

fifth instructions directing requests for new sessions to the second group of servers after the alteration has occurred.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the fourth instructions and the fifth instructions are executed by a traffic scheduler.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the traffic scheduler maintains a list identifying users of the unaltered application that is used to direct requests.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the fourth instructions and the fifth instructions are executed by a router examining a server identifier located in each request.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the server identifier is located within a session identifier.