Infrastructure for verifying configuration and health of a multi-node computer system

• US 20070044077A1
• Filed: 08/22/2005
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Srivastava, Alok Kumar, Hamadani, Babak, Saggi, Dipak, Mishra, Sambit
• Granted Patent: US 7,434,041 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/126
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44589 Program code verification, e.g. Java bytecode verification, proof-carrying code high-level semantic checks G06F8/43; testing and debugging software G06F11/36

Abstract

A verification infrastructure uses a verification tool with a user interface with which a user may interact to verify an application and/or its platform. The user may enter the same set of commands to verify instances of the application on different platforms. Furthermore, the verification tool is data driven in a way that allows the verification tool to be easily extended to new platforms. Finally, details of a particular configuration are stored persistently and are used by the verification tool to perform verification. Thus, much of the complex work of acquiring knowledge about the configuration and applying the knowledge to the results of various checks made for verification is performed by the verification tool and not a human user.

Claims

1. A method for performing verification of a system that includes an application and a platform for the application, the method comprising:

receiving a request for execution of a verification operation that requires a certain verification of one or more components of the system;

in response to receiving the request, making an examination of metadata that defines;

a topology of the system,

a configuration of multiple components of the system, and

a plurality of verification operations that include said verification operation, and for each of the plurality of verification operations, how to carry out the verification operation; and

based on the examination of the metadata, performing the certain verification.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said verification operation verifies a stage in the deployment of the application.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said verification operation determines whether one or more criteria for initiating said stage is satisfied.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said verification operation determines whether one or more criteria for completing said stage is satisfied.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more components include one or more application components.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more components include one or more platform components.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said metadata defines how to carry out the verification operation based on one or more platforms that include said platform.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more platforms include multiple platforms.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

for each verification operation of the plurality of verification operations, the metadata defines an identifier that identifies said each verification operation; and

receiving a request includes receiving a statement that includes the identifier for said verification operation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said metadata:

defines a first set of verification tasks;

defines said verification operation as a verification procedure comprised of the first set of verification tasks; and

defines one or more other verification procedures comprised of said first set of verification tasks.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said metadata defines how to carry out said first set of verification tasks for multiple platforms for said application.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said metadata defines a second set of verification tasks to execute, in a diagnostic mode, for said verification procedure.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the topology of the system includes a plurality of nodes of a multi-node system; and

wherein performing certain verification includes executing a particular verification operation at each of the plurality of nodes.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

a remote support module resides on each of said plurality of nodes; and

wherein performing certain verification includes transporting a particular remote support module in response to determining that the particular remote support module is needed to perform the particular verification operation of said certain verification.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the plurality of nodes includes one or more remote nodes and a certain node;

a copy of the particular remote support module resides on the one or more remote nodes; and

execution of the copy causes a result of the particular verification operation to be reported to the certain node.

16. The method of claim 1, the method further including performing after the certain verification:

modifying the metadata to reflect a new topology of the system; and

performing another verification based on the new topology.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the new topology includes a new node in a multi-node system.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the new topology includes an application added to a node of the system.

19. The method of claim 1, the method further including performing after the certain verification:

modifying the metadata to reflect a new configuration of a component of said multiple components; and

performing another verification based on the new configuration.

20. The method of claim 1, the method further including performing after the certain verification:

modifying the metadata to reflect one or more new verification operations for verifying a new component of said system; and

performing another verification based on the one or more new verification operations.

21. The method of claim 1, further including:

receiving from a user data that defines a verification profile and one or more particular verification operations to perform for said verification profile;

receiving a request to perform said verification profile; and

in response to receiving said request, executing the one or more particular verification operations to perform for said verification profile.

22. The method claim 21, further including:

receiving data that defines a schedule for performing the verification profile; and

performing the verification profile according to the schedule.

23. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 1.

24. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 2.

25. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 3.

26. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 4.

27. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 5.

28. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 6.

29. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 7.

30. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 8.

31. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 9.

32. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 10.

33. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 11.

34. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 12.

35. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 13.

36. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 14.

37. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 15.

38. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 16.

39. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 17.

40. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 18.

41. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 19.

42. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 20.

43. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 21.

44. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 22.