Method of preventing erroneous take-over in a dual redundant server system

• US 20080148098A1
• Filed: 12/13/2006
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventec Corporation
• Original Assignee: Inventec Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Chih-Wei
• Granted Patent: US 7,617,413 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2028 eliminating a faulty processor or activating a spare
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for preventing erroneous take-over in a redundant server system, and the method is used for a server system having a primary server for continuously producing heartbeat packets and sending the heartbeat packets to a redundant server of the server system. If the redundant server has not received any heartbeat packet, a redundant external transmission unit of the redundant server will send a detecting signal to the primary server. If the redundant external transmission unit has not received an acknowledged signal from the primary server, the redundant server will take over the primary server to continue providing network services.

Claims

1. A method of preventing erroneous take-over in a dual redundant server system, which is applied to a server system, and said server system comprises a primary server and a redundant server, and said method comprising the steps of:

continuously outputting a heartbeat packet to said redundant server by said primary server;

producing a detecting signal by said redundant server when said redundant server has not received said heartbeat packet;

sending said detecting signal to said primary server through a redundant external transmission unit installed at said redundant server; and

taking over said primary server by said redundant server, when said redundant external transmission unit has not received an acknowledged signal sent from said primary server.

2. The method of preventing erroneous take-over in a dual redundant server system of claim 1, wherein after said redundant server sends said detecting signal to said primary server, said primary server processes a procedure comprising the steps of:

producing said acknowledged signal, when a primary external transmission unit installed at said primary server receives said detecting signal; and

sending said acknowledged signal to a redundant external transmission unit of said redundant server through said primary external transmission unit.

3. The method of preventing erroneous take-over in a dual redundant server system of claim 1, wherein when said redundant external transmission unit of said redundant server receives said acknowledged signal, said redundant server will process a procedure comprising the steps of:

producing a notice signal; and

sending said notice signal to a management server installed in said server system.

4. The method of preventing erroneous take-over in a dual redundant server system of claim 2, wherein after said primary server sends said acknowledged signal to said redundant server, said primary server process a procedure comprising the steps of:

continuously producing another heartbeat signal; and

sending said other heartbeat signal to said redundant server through said primary external transmission unit and said redundant external transmission unit.

5. The method of preventing erroneous take-over in a dual redundant server system of claim 4, wherein after said primary server has sent said other heartbeat signal to said redundant server but said redundant external transmission unit of said redundant server has not received said other heartbeat signal, said redundant server takes over said primary server.

6. The method of preventing erroneous take-over in a dual redundant server system of claim 1, wherein after said redundant server has received said heartbeat packet, a live flag stored in said redundant server is set to a live state.

7. The method of preventing erroneous take-over in a dual redundant server system of claim 6, wherein before said redundant server sends said detecting signal to said primary server, and after said redundant server has detected for a detection time, said live flag will be set to a clear state when said live flag is determined to be set to a live state.

8. The method of preventing erroneous take-over in a dual redundant server system of claim 6, wherein before said redundant server sends said detecting signal to said primary server and after said redundant server has detected for a detection time, said detecting signal will be sent to said primary server when said live flag is set to a clear state.

9. The method of preventing erroneous take-over in a dual redundant server system of claim 8, wherein when said redundant server takes over said primary server, said method further comprising the steps of:

reading a configuration data stored in said redundant server;

setting up said redundant external transmission unit according to said configuration data; and

allowing said redundant external transmission unit to take over said primary external transmission unit and obtain a network identity of said primary server for accessing said network packets.

10. The method of preventing erroneous take-over in a dual redundant server system of claim 9, wherein said method used between said master server and said redundant server further comprises the steps of:

changing said configuration data stored in said primary server according to said configuration setup signal, when said primary server reads a configuration setup signal for setting up said configuration data;

sending said configuration data which is changed by said primary server to said redundant server through said primary internal transmission unit; and

saving said changed configuration data which is received by said redundant server into said redundant server.