Recovery method and system for a resource management system

• US 6,345,281 B1
• Filed: 03/01/1999
• Issued: 02/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ent Services Development Corporation LP (DXC Technology Company)
• Original Assignee: Electronic Data Systems Corporation (Perspecta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kardos, Christopher P., Brandt, Russell A., Xiong, Bin
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, RAMESH B
• Application Number:
  US09/260,858
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: 700/28, 700/99, 700/100, 700/101, 700/102, 700/104, 700/106, 700/107, 705/7, 705/8, 705/9, 707/1, 707/2, 707/202, 707/37, 707/100, 707/102, 707/201, 707/203, 707/204
• US Class Current: N/A
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1474 in transactions G06F16/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A recovery method for a resource management system having a message handler for communicating orders from a plurality of disparate hosts to an order processing system for assignment to remote resources includes shutting down the order processing system and the message handler. A restored order processing system is generated by replacing a current version of the order processing system with a previously saved version. The restored order processing system is restarted, as is the message handler. Each order in the restored processing system is set to pending. Orders in the restored order processing system that were closed subsequent to a time of the previously saved version are identified and deleted from the restored order processing system. Orders in the message handler that were transmitted from the message handler to the order processing system subsequent to the time of the previously saved version are identified. The subsequently transmitted orders that remain open in the message handler are then identified and transmitted to the restored order processing system for assignment to the remote resources.

Claims

1. A recovery method for a resource management system having a message handler for communicating orders from a plurality of disparate hosts to an order processing system for assignment to remote resources, comprising:

shutting down the order processing system;

shutting down the message handler;

generating a restored order processing system by replacing a current version of the order processing system with a previously saved version;

restarting the restored order processing system;

restarting the message handler;

setting each order in the restored order processing system to pending;

identifying orders in the restored order processing system that were closed subsequent to a time of the previously saved version;

deleting the closed orders from the restored order processing system;

identifying orders in the message handler that were transmitted from the message handler to the order processing system subsequent to the time of the previously saved version;

identifying the subsequently transmitted orders that remain open in the message handler; and

transmitting the subsequently transmitted orders that remain open in the message handler to the restored order processing system for assignment to the remote resources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the subsequently transmitted orders that remain open in the message handler are transmitted to the restored order processing system in their original order.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing in a table in the message handler each order transmitted from the message handler to the order processing system; and

identifying from the table the subsequently transmitted orders.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing in the message handler a status of each order transmitted from the message handler to the order processing system; and

using the status of the subsequently transmitted orders to identify those that remain open.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote resources include a mobile workforce.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the order processing system is a computer-aided dispatch system.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in the restored order processing system, receiving from the remote resources a response to an assignment;

determining whether the response is properly associated with an order in the restored order processing system;

if the response is properly associated with an order in the restored order processing system, including with the response a normal transaction ID of the order;

if the response is not properly associated with an order in the restored order processing system, including with the response a predefined orphan ID;

transmitting the response to the message handler;

at the message handler, associating the response with a corresponding order previously sent to the order processing system;

in response to at least the orphan ID, generating a message operable to delete the corresponding order from the restored order processing system; and

transmitting the message to the restored order processing system.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising in response to the orphan ID and a specified type of response, generating the message and transmitting the message to the restored order processing system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the specified type of response is an order complete response.

10. A recovery method for a resource management system having a message handler for communicating scheduling messages from a plurality of disparate hosts to an order scheduling system for assignment, comprising:

shutting down the order scheduling system;

shutting down the message handler;

generating a restored order scheduling system by replacing a current version of the order scheduling system with a previously saved version;

restarting the restored order scheduling system;

restarting the message handler;

identifying scheduling assignments in the message handler that were generated by the order scheduling system subsequent to a time of the previously saved version;

identifying the subsequently generated scheduling assignments that remain open in the message handler; and

transmitting the subsequently generated scheduling assignments that remain open in the message handler to the restored order scheduling system.

11. The method of claim 10, the act of identifying scheduling assignments in the message handler that were generated by the order scheduling system subsequent to a time of the previously saved version comprising:

determining a highest number for a scheduling assignment in the restored order scheduling system; and

determining higher numbered scheduling assignments in the message handler.

12. The method of claim 10, the act of identifying the subsequently generated scheduling assignments that remain open in the message handler comprising identifying the higher numbered scheduling assignments that remain open in the message handler.

13. A method for processing orphan information in a system having a message handler communicating orders from a plurality of disparate hosts to an order processing system for assignment to remote resources, comprising:

receiving at the order processing system and from the remote resources a response to an assignment;

determining whether the response is properly associated with an order in the order processing system;

if the response is properly associated with an order in the order processing system, including with the response a normal transaction ID of the order;

if the response is not properly associated with an order in the order processing system, including with the response a predefined orphan transaction ID;

transmitting the response to the message handler;

at the message handler, associating the response with a corresponding order previously sent to the order processing system;

in response to at least the orphan transaction ID, generating a message operable to delete the corresponding order from the order processing system; and

transmitting the message to the order processing system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the remote resources include a mobile workforce.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the order processing system is a computer-aided dispatch system.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising in response to the orphan transaction ID and a specified type of response, generating the message and transmitting the message to the order processing system.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the specified type of response is an order completed response.

18. A resource management system, comprising:

a plurality of disparate hosts;

an order processing system;

a message handler disposed between the disparate hosts and the order processing system to communicate orders from the hosts to the order processing system for assignment to remote resources; and

a recovery system for the resource management system operable to restore the order processing system by replacing a current version of the order processing system with a previously saved version, set each order in the restored order processing system to pending, identify orders in the restored order processing system that were closed subsequent to a time of the previously saved version, delete the closed orders from the restored order processing system, identify orders in the message handler that were transmitted from the message handler to the order processing system subsequent to the time of the previously saved version, identify the subsequently transmitted orders that remain open in the message handler, and transmit the subsequently transmitted orders that remain open in the message handler to the restored order processing system for assignment to the remote resources.

19. The resource management system of claim 18, wherein the recovery system is operable to transmit the subsequently transmitted orders that remain open in the message handler to the restored order processing system in their original order.

20. The resource management system of claim 18, further comprising:

a table in the message handler operable to store a status of each order transmitted from the message handler to the order processing system; and

the recovery system operable to use the status of the subsequently transmitted orders to identify those that remain open.

21. A resource management system, comprising:

a plurality of disparate hosts;

an order scheduling system;

a message handler disposed between the disparate hosts and the order scheduling system to communicate scheduling messages from the hosts to the order scheduling system for assignment; and

a recovery system for the resource management system operable to generate a restored order scheduling system by replacing a current version of the order scheduling system with a previously saved version, identify scheduling assignments in the message handler that were generated by the order scheduling system subsequent to a time of the previously saved version, identify the subsequently generated scheduling assignments that remain open in the message handler, and transmit the subsequently generated scheduling assignments that remain open in the message handler to the restored order scheduling system.

22. The resource management system of claim 21, wherein the recovery system is further operable to identify scheduling assignments in the message handler that were generated by the order scheduling system subsequent to a time of the previously saved version by determining a highest number for a scheduling assignment in the restored order scheduling system and determining higher numbered scheduling assignments in the message handler.