Disaster recovery for processing resources using configurable deployment platform

• US 7,178,059 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2003
• Issued: 02/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Egenera Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Egenera Incorporated
• Inventors: Greenspan, Alan, Johnson, Michael, Keswani, Claude, Liu, Siping, Goodman-Mace, Borne
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel; Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUNCAN, MARC M
• Application Number:
  US10/431,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20040236987A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: 714/3, 714/4, 714/10, 714/13, 709/221
• US Class Current: 714/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2028 eliminating a faulty processor or activating a spare
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method for disaster recovery for processing resources using configurable deployment platform. A primary site has a configuration of processing resources. A specification of the configuration of processing resources of the primary site is generated. The specification is provided to a fail-over site that has a configurable processing platform capable of deploying processing area networks in response to software commands. Using the specification, software commands are generated to the configurable platform to deploy processing area network corresponding to the specifications.

Claims

1. A method of providing processing resources to respond to a fail-over condition in which a primary site includes a configuration of processing resources, comprising:

generating a specification that describes a configuration of processing resources of the primary site;

providing the specification to a fail-over site having a configurable processing platform capable of deploying processing area networks in response to software commands;

using the specification to generate software commands to the configurable platform to deploy processing resources corresponding to the specification;

wherein the processing resources at the primary site include a plurality of independent processing area networks and wherein the specification describes only a subset of the plurality of independent processing area networks.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of using the specification to generate commands to deploy processing resources is in response to the receipt of a fail-over condition.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of generating includes specifying data specific to device configuration at the primary site.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of generating includes specifying management information relevant to the primary site.

5. A method of providing processing resources to respond to a fail-over condition in which a primary site includes a configuration of processing resources, comprising:

generating a specification that describes a configuration of processing resources of the primary site;

providing the specification to a fail-over site having a configurable processing platform capable of deploying processing area networks in response to software commands;

using the specification to generate software commands to the configurable platform to deploy processing resources corresponding to the specification;

wherein the processing resources at the primary site include a plurality of independent processing area networks and wherein the specification describes all of the independent processing area networks.

6. A method of providing processing resources to respond to a fail-over condition in which a primary site includes a configuration of processing resources, comprising:

generating a specification that describes a configuration of processing resources of the primary site;

providing the specification to a fail-over site having a configurable processing platform capable of deploying processing area networks in response to software commands;

using the specification to generate software commands to the configurable platform to deploy processing resources corresponding to the specification;

wherein the specification describes a minimum configuration of processing resources at the primary site.

7. A method of providing processing resources to respond to a fail-over condition in which a primary site includes a configuration of processing resources, comprising:

generating a specification that describes a configuration of processing resources of the primary site;

providing the specification to a fail-over site having a configurable processing platform capable of deploying processing area networks in response to software commands;

using the specification to generate software commands to the configurable platform to deploy processing resources corresponding to the specification;

wherein the primary site includes a configurable processing platform having a pool of processors and wherein the act of generating includes specifying information descriptive of how the processors are pooled at the primary site.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the act of generating includes specifying data to describe logical partitioning of processors and interconnectivity into logical processing networks.

9. A system of providing processing resources to respond to a fail-over condition in which a primary site includes a configuration of processing resources, comprising;

a computer-readable specification that describes a configuration of processing resources of the primary site;

a configurable processing platform capable of deploying processing area networks in response to software commands;

logic to generate software commands to the configurable platform to deploy processing resources corresponding to the specification;

wherein the processing resources at the primary site include a plurality of independent processing area networks and wherein the specification describes only a subset of the plurality of independent processing area networks.

10. A system of providing processing resources to respond to a fail-over condition in which a primary site includes a configuration of processing resources, comprising:

a computer-readable specification that describes a configuration of processing resources of the primary site;

a configurable processing platform capable of deploying processing area networks in response to software commands;

logic to generate software commands to the configurable platform to deploy processing resources corresponding to the specification;

wherein the processing resources at the primary site include a plurality of independent processing area networks and wherein the specification describes all of the independent processing area networks.