USE OF EXTERNAL SERVICES WITH CLUSTERS

• US 20090158292A1
• Filed: 12/18/2007
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Solter, Nicholas Aaron, Nguyen, Gia-Khanh, Rattner, Martin Henry, Govindarajan, Hariharan Kolam, Venkatakrishnan, Bharath
• Granted Patent: US 8,196,142 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/106
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/509 Offload
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5005 to service a request

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and system are directed toward managing a system that includes a cluster and an external resource. The external resource may be part of a second cluster that is collocated on the same hardware platforms as the cluster. A proxy resource is used to enforce a dependency relationship between a native resource of the cluster and an external resource, such that a dependency with the proxy resource serves to enforce a dependency with the external resource. The cluster framework may maintain states of the proxy resource, including an offline state, an online-standby state, and an online state. The online-standby indicates that the proxy has been started, but it has not determined that the associated external resource is enabled. The proxy may determine whether the external resource is enabled or disabled and, in response, notify the cluster framework.

Claims

1. A method for managing resources in a cluster, comprising:

receiving a dependency relationship specifying that a first resource of the cluster is dependent on a second resource external to the cluster;

enabling a proxy resource associated with the second resource;

configuring a state representative of the proxy resource being started and the second resource not enabled;

receiving information indicating that the second resource is enabled;

configuring a state representative of the second resource being enabled; and

in response to receiving information that the second resource is enabled, starting the first resource.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving information indicating that the second resource is enabled comprises:

receiving, by the proxy resource, data indicating that the second resource is enabled; and

invoking, by the proxy resource, a cluster command to configure the state representative of the second resource being enabled.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving information indicating that the second resource is enabled comprises periodically performing a query to determine if the second resource is enabled.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second resource is controlled by an external cluster collocated with the first cluster.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second resource is controlled by an external cluster collocated with the first cluster, and receiving information indicating that the second resource is enabled comprises invoking a command of the second cluster.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second resource is controlled by an external cluster collocated with the first cluster, further comprising:

configuring a dependency relationship specifying that the second resource is dependent on a third resource of the cluster;

providing an external proxy associated with the third resource, the external proxy including logic that performs actions including, in response to being started, queries the cluster to determine whether the third resource is enabled and selectively indicating success based on whether the third resource is enabled.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising in response to receiving information that the second resource is disabled, configuring a state representative of the proxy resource being started and the second resource not enabled.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising in response to receiving information that the second resource is disabled, disabling the first resource.

9. A system for managing resources in a native cluster and an external cluster, comprising:

a native cluster framework that controls resource of the native cluster;

a proxy resource corresponding to an external resource controlled by the external cluster;

wherein the native cluster framework includes program logic to perform actions including;

if a native resource is dependent on the external resource,

enabling the proxy resource;

employing the proxy resource to determine whether the external resource has been enabled by the external cluster; and

in response to determining that the external resource has been enabled, activating the native resource.

10. The system of claim 9, the actions further comprising:

determining an ordering to enable a set of resources including the native resource and the external resource, wherein the ordering is based on dependencies of the set of resources and interleaves resources controlled by the native cluster framework and the external resource;

enabling the set of resources by enforcing the dependencies.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising an external proxy resource associated with another native resource, the external proxy resource including program logic to perform actions including:

determining whether the other native resource is enabled;

if the native resource is enabled, notifying an external cluster framework controlling the external cluster that the native resource is enabled; and

in response to a notification that the other native resource is to be disabled, notifying the external cluster framework that the native resource is to be disabled.

12. The system of claim 9, the actions further comprising:

in response to enabling the proxy resource, configuring the proxy resource to a standby state; and

in response to determining that the external resource has been enabled, configuring the proxy resource to an online state.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the proxy resource includes program logic to perform actions including:

if the proxy resource is configured in a standby state, in response to determining that the external resource has been enabled, invoking a native cluster framework command to change the proxy resource state to online.

14. The system of claim 9, the actions further including:

enabling a resource;

in response to enabling a resource, if the resource is a proxy resource, configuring its state to standby, and if the resource is not a proxy resource, configuring its state to online.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the external resource is a database controlled by the external cluster framework, the system further comprising at least one of a disk drive or a file system controlled by the native cluster framework upon which the external resource depends.

16. A system for managing resources in a native cluster, comprising:

a cluster framework that controls starting and stopping a first native resource;

means for enforcing a first dependency of the native resource on an external resource; and

means for enforcing a second dependency of the external resource on a second native resource.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the means for enforcing the first dependency comprises a native proxy associated with the external resource that determines a state of the external resource.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the means for enforcing a second dependency comprises an external proxy that notifies an external cluster when the second native resource is enabled.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the means for enforcing a first dependency comprises program logic that performs actions including:

enabling a third native resource; and

if the third native resource is a proxy, setting a corresponding state to a standby status.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the means for enforcing a first dependency comprises an API that enables a proxy resource to notify the cluster framework when the external resource is enabled.

21. The system of claim 16, further comprising an external cluster framework that controls the external resource, wherein the external resource is a database, and the second native resource is a file system.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the means for enforcing a first dependency comprises an API that enables a proxy resource to transition a state from a state representative of the proxy resource being started and the external resource not enabled to a state representative of the external resource being enabled.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the means for enforcing a first dependency comprises an API that enables a proxy resource to, in response to determining that the external resource is disabled, transitioning a state from an online state to a state representative of the proxy resource being started and the external resource not enabled.