Provision of continuous database service and scalable query performance using active redundant copies

• US 6,263,433 B1
• Filed: 09/30/1998
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Teradata US, Inc. (Teradata Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: MacDonald, Robert J., Antoun, Selim Zoher, Dempster, Patric B., Ramsey, David Allen, Stellwagen, Richard G. Jr., Blevins, Terence J., Robinson, Irving M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mai, Rijue
• Application Number:
  US09/163,708
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 713/100, 707/100, 707/101, 707/102, 707/103, 707/104, 707/200-206, 707/3, 709/227, 709/220-222, 709/223, 714/4, 714/5, 714/6, 714/7, 714/11, 395/112.04, 712/13
• US Class Current: 713/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2035 without idle spare hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2048 where the redundant components share neither address space nor persistent storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2471 Distributed queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/80 Database-specific techniques

Abstract

A method and apparatus for distributing computer resources in a network environment. A network of computer systems is partitioned into at least one computing system partition, and is configured into at least one redundancy group. The computing system partitions include applications, computing system nodes, and copies of a database schema. The copies of the database schema are replicated at each computing system partition within a network. The computing system partition manages interactions between the instances, the computing system nodes, and the copy of the database schema within the respective computing system partition. The redundancy group comprises at least one computing system and at a plurality of computing system partitions, and manages the replication of the database schema within the computing system and computing system partitions.

Claims

1. A system for use in providing reliable database access comprising:

computing systems connected together through a network, each including at least one computing node;

computing system partitions, each including at least one of the computing nodes and storing at least one copy of a database schema, where each database schema is stored in at least two of the computing system partitions;

at least one redundancy group, each including at least two of the computing system partitions, where all of the computing system partitions in a redundancy group store copies of the same database schema, and where each redundancy group is configured to replicate that database schema across the computing system partitions in the redundancy group.

2. The system of claim 1, where the redundancy group is configured to select one of the computing nodes to send copies of the database schema to all computing system partitions in the redundancy group.

3. The system of claim 2, where the redundancy group is configured to select another computing node to send copies of the database schema to all computing system partitions in the redundancy group when the first selected computing node is unavailable.

4. The system of claim 1, where the redundancy group is reconfigured to include a computing system partition other than those originally included within the redundancy group.

5. The system of claim 1, where the redundancy group is reconfigured to include a computing node other than those originally included in the redundancy group.

6. The system of claim 1, where the redundancy group is reconfigured to exclude a computing system partition originally included in the redundancy group.

7. The system of claim 6, where another redundancy group is reconfigured to include the excluded computing system partition.

8. The system of claim 1, where the redundancy group is configured to monitor the status of each computing system partition in the group.

9. The system of claim 1, where the redundancy group is configured to reassign a task from one computing system partition to another when necessary.

10. A method for use in providing reliable database access comprising:

connecting computing systems together through a network, where each computing system includes at least one computing;

defining computing system partitions, where each includes at least one of the computing nodes, where each stores at least one copy of a database schema, and where each database schema is stored in at least two of the computing system partitions;

defining at least one redundancy group, where each includes at least two of the computing system partitions and where all of the computing system partitions in a redundancy group store copies of the same database schema; and

configuring each redundancy group to replicate that database schema across the computing system partitions in the redundancy group.

11. The method of claim 10, where the redundancy group is configured to select one of the computing nodes to send copies of the database schema to all computing system partitions in the redundancy group.

12. The method of claim 11, where the redundancy group is also configured to select another computing node to send copies of the database schema to all computing system partitions in the redundancy group when the first selected computing node is unavailable.

13. The method of claim 10, where the redundancy group is reconfigured to include a computing system partition other than those originally included within the redundancy group.

14. The method of claim 10, where the redundancy group is reconfigured to include a computing node other than those originally included in the redundancy group.

15. The method of claim 10, where the redundancy group is reconfigured to exclude a computing system partition originally included in the redundancy group.

16. The method of claim 15, where another redundancy group is reconfigured to include the excluded computing system partition.

17. The method of claim 10, where the redundancy group is configured to monitor the status of each computing system partition in the group.

18. The method of claim 10, where the redundancy group is configured to reassign a task from one computing system partition to another when necessary.