Restarting method using a snapshot

• US 20070174690A1
• Filed: 07/26/2006
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Masuda, Kouji, Hatasaki, Keisuke, Takamoto, Yoshifumi, Kambara, Yasuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,644,302 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2025 using centralised failover control functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2028 eliminating a faulty processor or activating a spare
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/203 using migration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2046 where the redundant components share persistent storage G06F11/2043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups

Abstract

The active server A101 notifies its own operating status to the administration server 106, and the administration server 106 acquires a snapshot and copies a disk according to the policy established by a user. When the active server A101 or the active disk 113 fails, the administration server 106 chooses a backup server A104 and a status storage disk A114 to be booted and restarts them by using the snapshot according to the policy.

Claims

1. A snapshot-used restarting method for a computing system comprising:

a plurality of active servers which are connected to a disk device including a plurality of disk drives;

at least one backup server connected to the disk device;

means for storing a snapshot containing memory content of said active server in said disk drives; and

disk management storage means for associating and saving a disk drive of a server acquired, said disk drives in which said snapshot is stored and information indicating timing of acquisition, said restarting methods comprising the steps of;

when a failure occurs either in said active servers, extracting a plurality of disk drives in which a snapshot of the server wherein said failure occurred from the disk drive in which said failure occurred and said disk management storage means;

choosing a disk drive associated with predetermined timing among said extracted disk drives from said disk management storage means; and

establishing connection with said backup server to start up the server.

2. The snapshot-used restarting method according to claim 1, wherein the timing for acquiring said snapshot includes timing of shutting down the OS of said active server after the OS is booted.

3. The snapshot-used restarting method according to claim 1, wherein, when a failure occurs in said active server, the disk drive which was connected to said active server in failure is connected to another backup server that is different from the backup server to be started and is the then started.

4. The snapshot-used restarting method according to claim 1, wherein each of said active servers includes policy storage means in which timing of a snapshot to be restarted when a failure occurs is stored;

and

wherein said policy storage means is referred to when said active server fails, and

a disk drive in which timing of a snapshot associated with said server in failure and timing stored in said disk management storage means coincide with each other is chosen and connected to the backup server.

5. The snapshot-used restarting method according to claim 1, wherein said disk device includes a function to copy a disk drive, after acquiring said snapshot, uses said copying function to create a copy of the copied disk drive for which said snapshot was acquired, and adds information of the copied disk drive to said disk management storage means.

6. The snapshot-used restarting method according to claim 4, wherein said policy storage means retains timing of acquiring said snapshot, determines whether or not an alert issued from the active server and said timing of acquiring the snapshot coincide with each other, and if the alert issued from the active server and said timing of acquiring the snapshot coincide with each other, acquires a snapshot for the active server.

7. The snapshot-used restarting method according to claim 3, wherein, when a failure occurs in said active server, the active server in failure acquires a dump, and then, switches the disk drive which acquired said dump over to a backup server.

8. The snapshot-used restarting method according to claim 1, wherein said snapshot is acquired as a snapshot of a virtual server that operates on said active server.

9. The snapshot-used restarting method according to claim 1, wherein said active server and said backup server are connected to a plurality of disk devices each of which is provided with a plurality of disk drives, and said disk device copies the disk drive on a disk drive of a different disk device.

10. The snapshot-used restarting method according to claim 9, wherein said disk device copies a disk drive in which a snapshot of said active server is stored to a disk drive of the disk device to which a backup server is connected, and when said active server fails, said disk device connects the disk drive on which the disk drive that was connected to the active server in failure, and start up the disk drive.

11. The snapshot-used restarting method according to claim 9, wherein each of said active servers includes policy storage means in which timing of a snapshot to be restarted when a failure occurs is stored;

and

wherein said policy storage means is referred to when said active server fails, and

a disk drive in which timing of a snapshot associated with said server in failure and timing stored in said disk management storage means coincide with each other is chosen, and

the disk drive that is connected to the backup server in which said selected disk drive is copied is connected to a backup server.

12. The snapshot-used restarting method according to claim 11, wherein said policy storage means retains timing of acquiring said snapshot, determines whether or not an alert issued from the active server and said timing of acquiring the snapshot coincide with each other, and if the alert issued from the active server and said timing of acquiring the snapshot coincide with each other, acquires a snapshot for the active server.

13. The snapshot-used restarting method using a snapshot according to claim 9, wherein said snapshot is acquired as a snapshot of a virtual server that operates on said active server.

14. A computing system comprising:

a plurality of active servers which are connected to a disk device including a plurality of disk drives;

at least one backup server connected to the disk device;

means for storing a snapshot containing memory content of said active server in said disk drives; and

disk management storage means for associating and saving a disk drive of a server acquired, said disk drives in which said snapshot is stored and information indicating timing of acquisition;

wherein, when a failure occurs either in said active servers, a plurality of disk drives in which a snapshot of the server wherein said failure occurred are extracted from the disk drive in which said failure occurred and said disk management storage means;

a disk drive associated with predetermined timing among said extracted disk drives is chosen from said disk management storage means; and

said chosen disk drive is connected to said backup server for start up.

15. A computing system according to claim 14, wherein, when a failure occurs in said active server, the disk drive which was connected to said failed active server is connected to another backup server that is different from the backup server to be started and is then started.

16. A computing system according to claim 14, wherein said disk device includes:

means for copying a disk drive; and

means, after acquiring said snapshot, for using said copying means to create a copy of the copied disk drive for which said snapshot was acquired, and adding information of the copied disk drive to said disk management storage means.

17. A computing system according to claim 14, wherein said policy storage means retains timing of acquiring said snapshot, determines whether or not an alert issued from the active server and said timing of acquiring the snapshot coincide with each other, and if the alert issued from the active server and said timing of acquiring the snapshot coincide with each other, acquires a snapshot for the active server.

18. A computing system according to claim 14, wherein, an activate server includes means, when being in failure, for switching, after having acquired a dump, a disk drive which acquired said dump over to a backup server.