ASSIGNING MONITORING RESPONSIBILITIES IN DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS USING OPTIMISTIC CONCURRENCY

• US 20180246505A1
• Filed: 02/28/2017
• Published: 08/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Reyes, Jose
• Granted Patent: US 10,885,014 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25294 Part, workpiece, code, tool identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3013 where the computing system is an embedded system, i.e. a combination of hardware and software dedicated to perform a certain function in mobile devices, printers, automotive or aircraft systems testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof G05B23/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3093 Configuration details thereof, e.g. installation, enabling, spatial arrangement of the probes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2315 Optimistic concurrency control

Abstract

A method performed by a service management device includes (a) receiving from a plurality of worker machines, a plurality of requests, each request from a worker machine indicating a respective work item to be assigned to that worker machine, (b) in response to receiving each request, performing an assignment attempt operation configured to (i) succeed and insert a reference to the worker machine that issued that request in a database entry associated with the respective work item if no other reference to a worker machine has yet been inserted in the database entry and (ii) otherwise report failure, and (c) returning a reply to the worker machine that issued each request indicating whether the assignment attempt operation succeeded, that worker machine configured to (i) process the respective work item in response to a successful reply and (ii) refrain from processing the respective work item in response to a failed reply.

Claims

1. A method performed by a service management device, the method comprising:

receiving, from a plurality of worker machines, a plurality of requests, each request from a worker machine indicating a respective work item to be assigned to that worker machine;

in response to receiving each request, performing an assignment attempt operation, the assignment attempt operation configured to;

(i) succeed and insert a reference to the worker machine that issued that request in a database entry associated with the respective work item if no other reference to a worker machine has yet been inserted in the database entry and

(ii) otherwise report failure on the assignment attempt operation; and

returning, by the service management device, a reply to the worker machine that issued each request, the reply indicating whether the assignment attempt operation succeeded, that worker machine configured to;

(i) process the respective work item in response to a reply indicating success and

(ii) refrain from processing the respective work item in response to a reply indicating lack of success.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each work item of the plurality of work items represents monitoring an object for an alarm.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein monitoring the object for the alarm includes monitoring a client account of a plurality of client accounts hosted on a cloud computing system for an addition of a new administrator of that client account.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein monitoring the object for the alarm includes calling a pre-defined webhook in response to detecting a monitored event.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the method further comprises sending a set of work item identifiers to each worker machine of the plurality of worker machines, the work item identifiers representing work items that are available for assignment; and

receiving the plurality of requests is performed in response to sending the set of work items to each worker machine.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein sending the set of work item identifiers to each worker machine includes sending, to each worker machine, work item identifiers for all work items that are available for assignment.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein sending the set of work item identifiers to each worker machine includes:

sending, to a first worker machine of the plurality of worker machines, work item identifiers for a first set of work items that are available for assignment, the first set including fewer than all of the work items that are available for assignment; and

sending, to a second worker machine of the plurality of worker machines, work item identifiers for a second set of work items that are available for assignment, the second set including fewer than all of the work items that are available for assignment, the first set being distinct from the second set.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein performing the assignment attempt operation includes:

loading a database record associated with the respective work item from a persistent database into memory;

determining whether a worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is empty;

in response to determining that the worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is empty, inserting the reference to the worker machine that issued that request in the worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record, yielding an updated loaded database record; and

attempting to commit the updated loaded database record to the persistent database using optimistic concurrency control.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein performing the assignment attempt operation further includes, in response to a failure of the attempt to commit the updated loaded database record to the persistent database using optimistic concurrency control:

determining whether another worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is empty;

in response to determining that the other worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is empty, inserting the reference to the worker machine that issued that request in the other worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record, yielding a newly-updated loaded database record; and

attempting to commit the newly-updated loaded database record to the persistent database using optimistic concurrency control.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein performing the assignment attempt operation includes:

loading a database record associated with the respective work item from a persistent database into memory;

determining whether a first worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is empty;

in response to determining that the first worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is not empty, determining whether a second worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is empty;

in response to determining that the second worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is empty, inserting the reference to the worker machine that issued that request in the second worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record, yielding an updated loaded database record; and

attempting to commit the updated loaded database record to the persistent database using optimistic concurrency control.

11. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a set of instructions, which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

receive, from a plurality of worker machines, a plurality of requests, each request from a worker machine indicating a respective work item to be assigned to that worker machine;

in response to receiving each request, perform an assignment attempt operation, the assignment attempt operation configured to;

(i) succeed and insert a reference to the worker machine that issued that request in a database entry associated with the respective work item if no other reference to a worker machine has yet been inserted in the database entry and

(ii) otherwise report failure on the assignment attempt operation; and

return a reply to the worker machine that issued each request, the reply indicating whether the assignment attempt operation succeeded, that worker machine configured to;

(i) process the respective work item in response to a reply indicating success and

(ii) refrain from processing the respective work item in response to a reply indicating lack of success.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein performing the assignment attempt operation includes:

loading a database record associated with the respective work item from a persistent database into memory;

determining whether a worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is empty;

in response to determining that the worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is empty, inserting the reference to the worker machine that issued that request in the worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record, yielding an updated loaded database record; and

attempting to commit the updated loaded database record to the persistent database using optimistic concurrency control.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein performing the assignment attempt operation further includes, in response to a failure of the attempt to commit the updated loaded database record to the persistent database using optimistic concurrency control:

determining whether another worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is empty;

in response to determining that the other worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is empty, inserting the reference to the worker machine that issued that request in the other worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record, yielding a newly-updated loaded database record; and

attempting to commit the newly-updated loaded database record to the persistent database using optimistic concurrency control.

14. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein performing the assignment attempt operation further includes:

in response to determining that the worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is not empty, determining whether another worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is empty; and

in response to determining that the other worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is empty, inserting the reference to the worker machine that issued that request in the other worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record, yielding the updated loaded database record.

15. An apparatus comprising:

network interface circuitry configured to communicate with a plurality of worker machines;

memory coupled to processing circuitry configured to;

receive, from the plurality of worker machines, a plurality of requests, each request from a worker machine indicating a respective work item to be assigned to that worker machine;

in response to receiving each request, perform an assignment attempt operation, the assignment attempt operation configured to;

(i) succeed and insert a reference to the worker machine that issued that request in a database entry associated with the respective work item if no other reference to a worker machine has yet been inserted in the database entry and

(ii) otherwise report failure on the assignment attempt operation; and

return a reply to the worker machine that issued each request, the reply indicating whether the assignment attempt operation succeeded, that worker machine configured to;

(i) process the respective work item in response to a reply indicating success and

(ii) refrain from processing the respective work item in response to a reply indicating lack of success.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein performing the assignment attempt operation includes:

loading a database record associated with the respective work item from a persistent database into memory;

determining whether a worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is empty;

in response to determining that the worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is empty, inserting the reference to the worker machine that issued that request in the worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record, yielding an updated loaded database record; and

attempting to commit the updated loaded database record to the persistent database using optimistic concurrency control.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein performing the assignment attempt operation further includes, in response to a failure of the attempt to commit the updated loaded database record to the persistent database using optimistic concurrency control:

determining whether another worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is empty;

in response to determining that the other worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is empty, inserting the reference to the worker machine that issued that request in the other worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record, yielding a newly-updated loaded database record; and

attempting to commit the newly-updated loaded database record to the persistent database using optimistic concurrency control.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein performing the assignment attempt operation further includes:

in response to determining that the worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is not empty, determining whether another worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is empty; and

in response to determining that the other worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record is empty, inserting the reference to the worker machine that issued that request in the other worker machine assignment entry of the loaded database record, yielding the updated loaded database record.