Recovery method for a high availability data processing system
First Claim
1. A recovery method for a data processing system comprising a first data processing unit, a second data processing unit, a first boot disk, a second boot disk, and a plurality of shared disks, said system having a normal configuration in which said first boot disk is accessible only from said first processing unit, said second boot disk is accessible only from said second processing unit, and said shared disks are accessible from both said first data processing unit and said second data processing unit,the recovery method comprising the steps:
- (a) upon failure of said second boot disk, removing said second boot disk from the system;
(b) temporarily reconfiguring the system into a recovery configuration in which a new boot disk is connected in place of one of said shared disks;
(c) while the system is in said recovery configuration, operating said first processing unit to copy information from said first boot disk to said new boot disk; and
(d) restoring the normal configuration of said system, with said new boot disk in place of said second boot disk.
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Abstract
A method is described for rapidly recovering a multi-processor data processing system from failure of a boot disk. Each data processing unit in the system has a private boot disk, and at least one shared disk. The processing units are interconnected so that each processing unit has access to its own private boot disk and also to the shared disks in all of the processing units. If the boot disk of one of the processing units fails, the system is temporarily reconfigured to connect a new boot disk in place of the shared disk in that processing unit. Another of the processing units is then operated to copy the contents of its own boot disk to the new boot disk.
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Citations
6 Claims
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1. A recovery method for a data processing system comprising a first data processing unit, a second data processing unit, a first boot disk, a second boot disk, and a plurality of shared disks, said system having a normal configuration in which said first boot disk is accessible only from said first processing unit, said second boot disk is accessible only from said second processing unit, and said shared disks are accessible from both said first data processing unit and said second data processing unit,
the recovery method comprising the steps: -
(a) upon failure of said second boot disk, removing said second boot disk from the system; (b) temporarily reconfiguring the system into a recovery configuration in which a new boot disk is connected in place of one of said shared disks; (c) while the system is in said recovery configuration, operating said first processing unit to copy information from said first boot disk to said new boot disk; and (d) restoring the normal configuration of said system, with said new boot disk in place of said second boot disk. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A data processing system comprising:
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(a) a first data processing unit and a second data processing unit; (b) a first boot disk, a second boot disk and a plurality of shared disks; (c) means for configuring the system in a normal configuration in which said first boot disk is accessible only from said first processing unit, said second boot disk is accessible only from said second processing unit, and said shared disks are accessible from both said first data processing unit and said second data processing unit; (d) means for temporarily reconfiguring the system, upon failure of said second boot disk, into a recovery configuration in which said second boot disk is removed from the system and a new boot disk is connected in place of one of said shared disks; (f) means for copying information from said first boot disk to said new boot disk while said system is in said recovery configuration; and (g) means for restoring the normal configuration of said system, with said new boot disk in place of said second boot disk. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6)
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Specification