CONTROL METHOD FOR INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, AND PROGRAM

• US 20090271654A1
• Filed: 02/24/2009
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: FUKUYAMA, Masayuki, NAKAYAMA, Jun, MASUDA, Kouji
• Granted Patent: US 8,074,098 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/4
• 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 11/2033 switching over of hardware resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2046 where the redundant components share persistent storage G06F11/2043 takes precedence

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to ensure, in an information processing system including a plurality of server apparatuses coupled to one another, reliability and availability thereof when failover is executed. In an information processing system, which includes a plurality of server apparatuses coupled to one another, and a management server coupled to the server apparatuses, and is configured to, when detecting occurrence of a failure in an active server apparatus of the server apparatuses, execute failover from the active server apparatus to a standby server apparatus of the server apparatuses after turning on a power supply of the standby server apparatus whose power supply having been turned off, the management server is enabled to: acquire information on the standby server apparatus after turning on the power supply of the standby server apparatus; turn off the power supply of the standby server apparatus after acquiring the information; and, based on the acquired information, judge whether or not failover to the standby server apparatus can be executed. Additionally, an acquisition method of the information can be selected in accordance with an allocated status of the standby server apparatus.

Claims

1. A management method of an information processing system including an active server apparatus and a standby server apparatus coupled to one another, and a management server coupled to the active server apparatus and to the standby server apparatus, which after turning on a power supply to the standby server apparatus, performs a failover from the active server apparatus to the standby server apparatus when detecting an occurrence of a failure in the active server apparatus, the management method comprising the steps of:

the management server

turning on the power supply to the standby server apparatus, and acquiring information on the standby server apparatus;

turning off the power supply to the standby server apparatus after acquiring the information; and

judging, based on the acquired information, whether or not failover to the standby server apparatus is possible.

2. The management method of an information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

as a method for acquiring the information from the standby server apparatus there can be selected a first information acquisition method in which the information is acquired from information outputted by a BIOS of the standby server apparatus, and a second information acquisition method in which the information is acquired from a check program which is executed in the standby server apparatus, and

while the management server is acquiring the information on the standby server apparatus, the management server

acquires the information by using the second information acquisition method if failover from the active server apparatus is possible, and

acquires the information by using the first information acquisition method if failover from the active server apparatus is impossible.

3. The management method of an information processing system according to claim 2, wherein

prior to acquisition of the information by using the second information acquisition method, the management server stores the check program in the standby server apparatus.

4. The management method of an information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the management server stores therein specifications required for the standby server apparatus that is set on standby to replace the active server apparatus and,

the management server judges that failover to the standby server is impossible in the step of judging whether or not failover to the standby server apparatus is possible, in a case where the specifications of the standby apparatus which are specified by the information acquired from the standby server apparatus do not satisfy the specifications required for the active server apparatus which the standby apparatus is on standby to replace.

5. The management method of an information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the management server stores therein time when the power supply to the standby server apparatus is turned off, and

the management server executes the step of acquiring the information, and the step of judging whether or not the failover is possible in a case where a predetermined time period has passed since the stored time.

6. The management method of an information processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the management server executes the step of acquiring the information and the step of judging whether or not the failover is possible, when detecting a configuration change in the standby server apparatus.

7. The management method of an information processing system according to claim 6, wherein

the management server executes the step of acquiring the information and the step of judging whether or not the failover is possible, on the active server apparatus to which the standby server apparatus configuration of which is changed is set on standby to replace, and on a different standby server apparatus that is set on standby to replace the active server apparatus.

8. The management method of an information processing system according to claim 1, wherein;

the management server

judges whether or not a different standby server apparatus is further set on standby to replace the active server apparatus,

and with a result of the judgment,

executes the step of acquiring the information and the step of judging whether or not the failover is possible, if the judgment indicates that the different standby server apparatus is set on standby.

9. An information processing system comprising:

a standby server apparatus coupled to an active server apparatus; and

a management server coupled to the active server apparatus and to the standby server apparatus, the management server after turning on a power supply to the standby server apparatus, performing a failover from the active server apparatus to the standby server apparatus when detecting an occurrence of a failure in the active server apparatus, wherein the management server includes

an information acquisition part operable to start operation, of the standby server apparatus, whose operation is at a stop, and then acquire information on the standby server apparatus;

a server control part operable to turn off the power supply of the standby server apparatus after acquiring the information; and

a status judgment part operable to judge, based on the acquired information, whether or not failover to the standby server apparatus is possible.

10. A program executed by a management server in an information processing system including an active server apparatus and a standby server apparatus coupled to one another, and a management server coupled to the active server apparatus and to the standby server apparatus, which after turning on a power supply to the standby server apparatus, performs a failover from the active server apparatus to the standby server apparatus when detecting an occurrence of a failure in the active server apparatus, the program being operable to implement:

a function of turning on the power supply, of the standby server apparatus, whose operation is at a stop, and then acquiring information on the standby server apparatus;

a function of turning off the power supply of the standby server apparatus after acquiring the information; and

a function of judging, based on the acquired information, whether or not failover to the standby server apparatus is possible.