SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EXACTLY ONCE MESSAGE STORE COMMUNICATION

• US 20080313293A1
• Filed: 08/04/2008
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEA Systems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation), Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Jacobs, Dean Bernard, Halpern, Eric M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,921,169 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1868 Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A system for managing a message store in a network includes an object acting as a message store. In one embodiment, the message store is for Java Message Service. A lead server is selected from several servers. The lead server uses a distributed consensus algorithm to select a host server. The selected host server hosts the message store, providing sole access to the message store. The other servers are notified of the new host by messaging. In one embodiment, servers can send messages to the message store on the host and pick up any messages from the message store.

Claims

1. A method for hosting a Java Message Server message store on a server, comprising:

a lead server selecting a host server from among a plurality of servers using a distributed consensus algorithm;

the lead server contacting the remaining servers in the plurality of servers to determine whether the selected host server is acceptable to the remaining servers in the plurality of servers;

the lead server sending a notification to the plurality of servers to commit the selection of the host server if the plurality of servers agree that the host server is acceptable; and

the lead server assigning the message store to the host server, wherein the host server provides the only access point to the message store;

wherein the plurality of servers can send messages to the message store and the plurality of servers can pick up messages from the message store.

2. A method for hosting a message store on a server, comprising:

selecting a host server from among a plurality of servers using a distributed consensus algorithm;

contacting the remaining servers in the plurality of servers to determine whether the selected host server is acceptable to the remaining servers in the plurality of servers;

sending a notification to the plurality of servers to commit the selection of the host server if the plurality of servers agree that the host server is acceptable; and

assigning the message store to the host server, wherein the host server provides the only access point to the message store.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the message store is a Java Message Service message store.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of servers can send messages to the message store and the plurality of servers can pick up messages from the message store.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein a server in the plurality of servers can access Java Message Service by sending a message to the message store on the host server.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the host server provides the only access point to the message store.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein if the host server becomes unable to host the message store, a new host server can be chosen using the distributed consensus algorithm.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein multicast messaging is used with the consensus algorithm.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the distributed consensus algorithm is a Paxos algorithm.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the host server receives a lease for the message store for a period of time.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein if the host server is cut off from the network, it can no longer host the message store.

12. A computer-readable storage medium, storing instructions for hosting a message store on a server, the instructions comprising:

selecting a host server from among a plurality of servers using a distributed consensus algorithm;

contacting the remaining servers in the plurality of servers to determine whether the selected host server is acceptable to the remaining servers in the plurality of servers;

sending a notification to the plurality of servers to commit the selection of the host server if the plurality of servers agree that the host server is acceptable; and

assigning the message store to the host server, wherein the host server provides the only access point to the message store.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the message store is a Java Message Service message store.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the plurality of servers can send messages to the message store and the plurality of servers can pick up messages from the message store.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein a server in the plurality of servers can access Java Message Service by sending a message to the message store on the host server.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the host server provides the only access point to the message store.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein if the host server becomes unable to host the message store, a new host server can be chosen using the distributed consensus algorithm.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein multicast messaging is used with the consensus algorithm.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the distributed consensus algorithm is a Paxos algorithm.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the host server receives a lease for the message store for a period of time.