System and method to automate replication in a clustered environment

• US 7,320,088 B1
• Filed: 12/28/2004
• Issued: 01/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Veritas Operating Corporation (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Gawali, Ashish L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Iqbal; Nadeem
• Application Number:
  US11/023,729
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 714/6, 714/5, 714/13, 714/15, 709/219, 709/244, 707/203, 707/204, 707/205
• US Class Current: 714/6.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1482 by means of middleware or OS functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1662 the resynchronized component or unit being a persistent storage device re-synchronization of failed mirror storage G06F11/2082; rebuild or reconstruction of parity RAID storage G06F11/1008
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/202 where processing functionality is redundant redundant communication control functionality G06F11/2005, redundant storage control functionality G06F11/2089

Abstract

Replication of application files in a clustered environment may be automated based on the state and/or configuration of the application in the cluster. A clustering engine executing on one or more clustered computing nodes may notify one or more replication agents regarding changes in a clustered application'"'"'s state and/or configuration. An application'"'"'s status may include information indicating one or more cluster nodes on which the application is currently executing and also may include information indicating one or more cluster nodes on which the application is configured to execute. Replication agents executing on cluster nodes may, either individually or through collective coordination, modify a replication policy for replicating one or more application files based on the received status information. Subsequently, the replication agents may replicate the application files from one of the clustered computing nodes to one or more other nodes, according to the modified replication policy.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving from a clustering engine status information regarding a clustered application configured to execute on two or more clustered computing nodes, and wherein the clustering engine is configured to manage the availability of the clustered application across the clustered computing nodes;

modifying a replication policy for replicating one or more application files of the clustered application based on the received status information; and

replicating, according to the modified replication policy, the application files from one of the clustered computing nodes to one or more others of the clustered computing nodes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the received status information comprises state change information indicating a source node of the clustered computing nodes on which the clustered application is active and wherein said replicating comprises replicating the application files from the source node to one or more others of the clustered computing nodes.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

monitoring the application files on the indicated source node;

detecting a change in one or more of the monitored application files; and

in response to said detecting, performing said replicating.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the received status information indicates one or more target nodes of the clustered computing nodes on which the clustered application is configured to execute and wherein said replicating comprises replicating the application files to the indicated target nodes.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to said receiving, registering with the clustering engine through a clustering API to receive the status information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a replication agent configured to execute on one or more of the clustered computing nodes performs said registering, said receiving, said modifying, and said replicating.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the received status information comprises information indicating a replication frequency and wherein said modifying comprises modifying the replication policy according to the received replication frequency.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the received status information comprises information indicating the one or more application files to be replicated.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving is in response to the clustering engine migrating the clustered application to a new one of the clustered computing nodes;

wherein the status information includes state change information indicating a source node corresponding to the new one of the clustered computing nodes to which the clustered application was migrated.

10. A system, comprising:

a plurality of clustered computing nodes;

a clustered application, configured to execute on each of the clustered computing nodes;

one or more application files for the clustered application;

a clustering engine configured to managing the availability of the clustered application on the clustered computing nodes; and

a replication agent configured to;

receive from the clustering information regarding the clustered application;

modify a replication policy for replicating the application files based on the received a status information; and

replicate, according to the modified replication policy, the application files from one of the clustered computing nodes to one or more others of the clustered computing nodes.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the received status information comprises state change information indicating a source node of the clustered computing nodes on which the clustered application is active and wherein in said replicating the replication agent is configured to replicate the application files from the source node to one or more others of the clustered computing nodes.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the replication agent is further configured to:

monitor the one or more application files on the indicated source node;

detect a change in one or more of the monitored application files; and

in response to said detecting, perform said replicating.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the received status information indicates one or more target nodes of the clustered computing nodes on which the clustered application is configured to execute and wherein in said replicating the replication agent is configured to replicate the application files to the indicated target nodes.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the replication agent is further configured to, prior to said receiving, register with the clustering engine through a clustering API to receive the status information.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the received status information comprises information indicating a replication frequency and wherein in said modifying the replication agent is configured to modify the replication policy according to the indicated replication frequency.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the received status information comprises information indicating the one or more application files to be replicated.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein said receiving is in response the clustering engine migrating the clustered application to a new one of the clustered computing nodes;

wherein the status information includes state change information indicating a source node corresponding to the new one of the clustered computing nodes to which the clustered application was migrated.

18. A computer accessible medium, comprising program instructions configured to implement:

receiving from a clustering engine status information regarding a clustered application configured to execute on two or more clustered computing nodes, and wherein the clustering engine is configured to manage the availability of the clustered application across the clustered computing nodes;

modifying a replication policy for replicating one or more application files of the clustered application based on the received status information; and

replicating, according to the modified replication policy, the application files from one of the clustered computing nodes to one or more others of the clustered computing nodes.

19. The computer accessible medium of claim 18, wherein the received status information comprises state change information indicating a source node of the clustered computing nodes on which the clustered application is active and wherein in said replicating the program instructions are further configured to implement replicating the application files from the source node to one or more others of the clustered computing nodes.

20. The computer accessible medium of claim 19, wherein the program instructions are further configured to implement:

monitoring the one or more application files on the indicated source node;

detecting a change in one or more of the monitored application files; and

in response to said detecting, performing said replicating.

21. The computer accessible medium of claim 18, wherein the received status information indicates one or more target nodes of the clustered computing nodes on which the clustered application is configured to execute and wherein in said replicating the program instructions are further configured to implement replicating the application files to the indicated target nodes.