Hidden Group Membership in Clustered Computer System

• US 20080313330A1
• Filed: 06/18/2007
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Miller, Robert, Unterholzner, John Christian, Thayib, Kiswanto
• Granted Patent: US 8,230,086 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/505 Clust
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining of resources

Abstract

An apparatus, program product and method utilize hidden group membership to facilitate the processing of originator requests to a group in a clustered computer system. With hidden group membership, a requesting originator is temporarily joined to a group in such a manner that the originator is both hidden and provided with limited access rights., e.g., so that some of the messages sent by the members of a group when processing the request are neither sent to nor received by the originator.

Claims

1. A method of processing a request in a clustered computer system, the method comprising:

in a first node among a plurality of nodes in the clustered computer system, receiving a request from an originator resident on the first node, wherein the request is directed to a group that is resident in the clustered computer system, and wherein the originator is not a member of the group when the request is received;

in response to receiving the request, temporarily joining the originator to the group with limited privileges; and

returning a response to the request to the originator through group communication.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically removing the originator from the group after returning the response to the originator.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising suppressing notification of other members of the group of the removal of the originator from the group.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein temporarily joining the originator to the group includes temporarily joining the originator as a hidden member of the group.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the originator does not receive protocol messages between group members while temporarily joined to the group.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising excluding the originator from protocol messages communicated between members of the group while the originator is temporarily joined to the group.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning an identifier to the request, wherein returning the response to the originator includes returning a response to the originator that includes the identifier.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request, temporarily joining the originator and returning the response are performed in part by a group communication service in a clustering infrastructure resident on the first node.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising suppressing notification of other members of the group of the join of the originator to the group.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising precluding the originator from sending messages to other members of the group while the originator is temporarily joined to the group.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the limited privileges include a restriction against sending messages to other members of the group, a restriction against receiving protocol messages, and a restriction against receiving notification of membership changes.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein returning the response to the request to the originator includes identifying completion of a group protocol in the response.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor resident in a first node among a plurality of nodes in a clustered computer system; and

program code configured to be executed by the at least one processor to receive a request from an originator resident on the first node, wherein the request is directed to a group that is resident in the clustered computer system, and wherein the originator is not a member of the group when the request is received, the program code further configured to temporarily join the originator to the group with limited privileges in response to receiving the request and return a response to the request to the originator through group communication.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the program code is further configured to automatically remove the originator from the group after returning the response to the originator.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the program code is further configured to suppress notification of other members of the group of the removal of the originator from the group.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the program code is configured to temporarily join the originator to the group as a hidden member of the group.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the originator does not receive protocol messages between group members while temporarily joined to the group.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the program code is further configured to exclude the originator from protocol messages communicated between members of the group while the originator is temporarily joined to the group.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the program code is further configured to assign an identifier to the request, and to return the response to the originator by returning a response to the originator that includes the identifier.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the program code comprises a group communication service in a clustering infrastructure resident on the first node.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the program code is further configured to suppress notification of other members of the group of the join of the originator to the group.

22. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the program code is further configured to preclude the originator from sending messages to other members of the group while the originator is temporarily joined to the group.

23. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the limited privileges include a restriction against sending messages to other members of the group, a restriction against receiving protocol messages, and a restriction against receiving notification of membership changes.

24. A clustered computer system, comprising:

a plurality of nodes including a first node; and

program code resident in the first node and configured to receive a request from an originator resident on the first node, wherein the request is directed to a group that is resident in the clustered computer system, and wherein the originator is not a member of the group when the request is received, the program code further configured to temporarily join the originator to the group with limited privileges in response to receiving the request and return a response to the request to the originator through group communication.

25. A program product, comprising:

a computer readable medium; and

program code resident in the computer readable medium and configured to be executed on a first node among a plurality of nodes in a clustered computer system, the program code configured to receive a request from an originator resident on the first node, wherein the request is directed to a group that is resident in the clustered computer system, and wherein the originator is not a member of the group when the request is received, the program code further configured to temporarily join the originator to the group with limited privileges in response to receiving the request and return a response to the request to the originator through group communication.