Cluster node distress signal

• US 6,442,713 B1
• Filed: 03/30/1999
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Block, Timothy Roy, Rabe, Rodney Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Iqbal, Nadeem
• Application Number:
  US09/281,026
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• Field of Search: 714/43, 714/44, 714/45, 714/47, 714/48, 714/6, 714/7, 714/13, 714/39, 714/41, 714/46, 714/25, 714/30, 709/203, 709/220, 709/221
• US Class Current: 714/43
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2023 Failover techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

The preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a cluster node distress system and method that improves the reliability of a cluster. The cluster node distress system provides a cluster node distress signal when a node on the cluster is about to fail. This allows the cluster to better to determine whether a non-communicating node has failed or has merely been partitioned from the cluster. The preferred cluster node distress system is embedded deeply into the operating system and provides a pre-built node distress signal that can be quickly sent to other nodes in the cluster when an imminent failure of that node is detected, improving the probability that the node distress signal will get out before the node totally fails. When the node distress signal is effectively sent to other nodes in the cluster, the cluster can accurately determine that the node has failed and has not just partitioned from the cluster. This allows the cluster to respond correctly, i.e., by assigning other nodes primary responsibility, with less intervention needed by administrators.

Claims

1. A node in a cluster of nodes, the node comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory coupled to at least one processor;

a cluster node distress signaler residing in said memory, the cluster node distress signaler including a prebuilt distress message indicating failure of the node on a cluster, the cluster node distress signaler sending the prebuilt distress message to the other nodes in the cluster when a failure event is detected.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cluster node distress signaler includes a dedicated distress signal execution task waiting to send the prebuilt distress message when a failure event is detected.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cluster distress signaler includes a method for sending the prebuilt distress message asynchronously and a method for sending the prebuilt distress message synchronously.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the method for sending the prebuilt distress message asynchronously uses a current execution task to send to the prebuilt distress message and wherein the method for sending the prebuilt distress message synchronously uses a waiting dedicated distress signal execution task.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said cluster distress node signaler uses the method for sending the prebuilt distress message asynchronously to allow for more orderly shutdown procedures when sufficient time before the failure event exists, and uses the method for sending the prebuilt distress message synchronously otherwise.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cluster distress node signaler includes a mechanism for assuring the node removes itself from the cluster after the cluster distress signal has been sent to the other nodes in the cluster.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cluster distress node signaler comprises an integrated part of an operating system residing in the memory.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the prebuilt distress message comprises a previously instantiated message object.

9. A cluster node apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory coupled to at least one processor;

a cluster node distress signaler residing in said memory, the cluster node distress signaler including a prebuilt distress message indicating failure of the cluster node apparatus, wherein the cluster node distress signaler includes a method for sending the prebuilt distress message asynchronously that uses a current execution task and a method for sending the prebuilt distress message synchronously method uses a waiting dedicated distress signal execution task, and wherein the cluster node distress signaler sends the prebuilt distress message to the other nodes in the cluster when a failure event is detected.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said cluster distress node signaler uses the method for sending the prebuilt distress message asynchronously to allow for more orderly shutdown procedures when sufficient time before the failure event exists, and uses the method for sending the prebuilt distress message synchronously otherwise.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the cluster distress node signaler includes a mechanism for assuring the cluster node apparatus removes itself from the cluster after the cluster distress signal has been sent to the other nodes in the cluster.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the cluster distress node signaler is part of an operating system residing in memory.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the prebuilt distress message comprises a previously instantiated message object.

14. A method comprising the steps of:

providing a prebuilt distress message indicating a node on a cluster is experiencing a failure event; and

sending the prebuilt distress message when an impending failure event is detected within the node.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of providing a dedicated distress signal task to process and send the prebuilt distress message.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of sending the prebuilt distress message comprises sending the prebuilt distress message asynchronously to allow for more orderly shutdown procedures when sufficient time before the impending failure event exists and sending the prebuilt distress message synchronously otherwise.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of assuring the node removes itself from the cluster after the cluster distress signal has been sent to the other nodes in the cluster.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of determining the type of impending failure event.

19. A method comprising the steps of:

providing a prebuilt distress message indicating a node on a cluster is experiencing a failure event;

providing a dedicated distress signal task to process and send the prebuilt distress message;

detecting an impending failure event within the node;

asynchronously sending the prebuilt distress message to other nodes in the cluster when sufficient time before the detected impending failure event exists and otherwise sending the prebuilt distress message to the other nodes in the synchronously; and

assuring the node removes itself from the cluster after the cluster distress signal has been sent to the other nodes in the cluster.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of asynchronously sending the prebuilt distress message uses the dedicated distress signal task and wherein the step of synchronously sending the prebuilt distress message uses a current execution task.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the prebuilt distress message comprises a previously instantiated message object.

22. A program product comprising:

(A) a cluster node distress signaler including a prebuilt distress message indicating failure of a node on a cluster, the cluster node distress signaler sending the prebuilt distress message from the node to the other nodes in the cluster when a failure event is detected; and

(B) signal bearing media bearing said cluster node distress signaler.

23. The program product of claim 22 wherein said signal bearing media comprises transmission media.

24. The program product of claim 22 wherein said signal bearing media comprises recordable media.

25. The program product of claim 22 wherein the cluster node distress signaler includes a dedicated distress signal execution task waiting to send the prebuilt distress message when a failure event is detected.

26. The program product of claim 22 wherein the cluster distress signaler includes a method for sending the prebuilt distress message asynchronously and a method for sending the prebuilt distress message synchronously.

27. The program product of claim 26 wherein the method for sending the prebuilt distress message asynchronously uses a current execution task to send to the prebuilt distress message and wherein the method for sending the prebuilt distress message synchronously uses a waiting dedicated distress signal execution task.

28. The program product of claim 27 wherein said cluster distress node signaler uses the method for sending the prebuilt distress message asynchronously to allow for more orderly shutdown procedures when sufficient time before the failure event exists, and uses the method for sending the prebuilt distress message synchronously otherwise.

29. The program product of claim 22 wherein the cluster distress node signaler includes a mechanism for assuring the node removes itself from the cluster after the cluster distress signal has been sent to the other nodes in the cluster.

30. The program product of claim 22 wherein the cluster distress node signaler comprises an integrated part of an operating system residing in the memory.

31. The program product of claim 22 wherein the prebuilt distress message comprises a previously instantiated message object.

32. A program product comprising:

(A) a cluster node distress signaler including a prebuilt distress message indicating failure of a cluster node apparatus, wherein the cluster node distress signaler includes a method for sending the prebuilt distress message asynchronously that uses a current execution task and a method for sending the prebuilt distress message synchronously method uses a waiting dedicated distress signal execution task, and wherein the cluster node distress signaler sends the prebuilt distress message from the cluster node apparatus to the other nodes in the cluster when a failure event is detected; and

(B) signal bearing media bearing the cluster node distress signaler.

33. The program product of claim 32 wherein said signal bearing media comprises transmission media.

34. The program product of claim 32 wherein said signal bearing media comprises recordable media.

35. The program product of claim 32 wherein said cluster distress node signaler uses the method for sending the prebuilt distress message asynchronously to allow for more orderly shutdown procedures when sufficient time before the failure event exists, and uses the method for sending the prebuilt distress message synchronously otherwise.

36. The program product of claim 32 wherein the cluster distress node signaler includes a mechanism for assuring the cluster node apparatus removes itself from the cluster after the cluster distress signal has been sent to the other nodes in the cluster.

37. The program product of claim 32 wherein the cluster distress node signaler is part of an operating system residing on the signal bearing media.

38. The program product of claim 32 wherein the prebuilt distress message comprises a previously instantiated message object.