Data collection in a computer cluster

• US 7,546,366 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2003
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vringo Infrastructure, Inc. (XpresSpa Group, Inc. (f/k/a FORM Holdings Corp.))
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Jalonen, Teemu V., Vainio, Jukka A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Donaghue, Larry D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swearingen, Jeffrey R
• Application Number:
  US10/630,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20040243702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,140 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers

Abstract

A mechanism for transferring state information in a computer cluster having a plurality of computer nodes is disclosed. In the method, heartbeat messages are sent periodically from a first computer node of the computer cluster to other computer nodes of the cluster. Each of the other nodes includes at least one resource for performing at least one cluster-specific task. In order that up-to-date state information may be collected even in large clusters about the ability of the resources to perform the cluster-specific tasks, without excessively loading the computer nodes and the network, current state information is returned in a heartbeat acknowledgment message to the node that sent the heartbeat message.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, in a second computer node of a computer network, periodic heartbeat messages from a first computer node of the computer network, the second computer node including at least one resource for performing at least one network-specific task;

transmitting heartbeat acknowledgement messages from the second computer node to the first computer node as responses to the heartbeat messages, wherein each heartbeat acknowledgement message indicates to the first computer node that the second computer node is operative within the computer network and wherein the heartbeat acknowledgement messages form a sequence of heartbeat acknowledgement messages transmitted from the second computer node to the first computer node;

examining, in the second computer node, whether state information is to be retrieved for a heartbeat acknowledgement message to be transmitted to the first computer node, the heartbeat acknowledgement message belonging to the sequence of heartbeat acknowledgement messages and the state information being indicative of current ability of the at least one resource to perform the at least one network-specific task;

retrieving the state information for the heartbeat acknowledgement message when the examining indicates that the state information is to be retrieved; and

sending the retrieved state information in the heartbeat acknowledgement messages to the first computer node for storing the state information in the first computer node,

wherein the examining is performed for each heartbeat acknowledgement message to be transmitted to the first computer node, thereby transferring a sequence of the state information within the sequence of heartbeat acknowledgement messages.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the examining includes examining whether a predetermined condition is fulfilled.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein

the retrieving state information and the sending of the retrieved state information are performed when the examining indicates that the predetermined condition is fulfilled, and

the transmitting comprises transmitting a heartbeat acknowledgement message without state information when the examining indicates that the predetermined condition fails to be fulfilled, wherein the heartbeat acknowledgement message is any of the heartbeat acknowledgement messages.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a type of state information to be retrieved for a heartbeat acknowledgement message.

5. An apparatus comprising:

at least one resource configured to perform at least one network-specific task;

a receiver configured to receive periodic heartbeat messages from another computer node; and

a transmitter configured to transmit heartbeat acknowledgement messages to the other computer node as responses to the periodic heartbeat messages, wherein each heartbeat acknowledgement message indicates to the other node that the computer node is operative within the computer network and wherein the heartbeat acknowledgement messages form a sequence of heartbeat acknowledgement messages,

wherein the transmitter comprises an examining unit configured to examine whether state information is to be retrieved for a heartbeat acknowledgement message to be transmitted to the other computer node, the heartbeat acknowledgement message belonging to the sequence of heartbeat acknowledgement messages and the state information being indicative of current ability of the at least one resource to perform the at least one network-specific task;

the transmitter further comprises a retrieving unit configured to retrieve, upon indication by the examining unit, state information for the heartbeat acknowledgement message and a sending unit, responsive to the retrieving unit, configured to send the retrieved state information in the heartbeat acknowledgement message to said other computer node,

wherein the examining unit is configured to operate for each heartbeat acknowledgement message to be transmitted to said other computer node, thereby transferring a sequence of the state information within the sequence of heartbeat acknowledgement messages to the other computer node.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein retrieval of the state information and the sending of the retrieved state information are performed when the examining unit indicates that the predetermined condition is fulfilled, and

wherein the transmission of each heartbeat acknowledgement message comprises a transmission of a heartbeat acknowledgement message without state information when the examining indicates that the predetermined condition fails to be fulfilled, wherein the heartbeat acknowledgement message is any of the heartbeat acknowledgement messages.

7. A method comprising:

transmitting periodic heartbeat messages from a first computer node of a computer network to a second computer node of the computer network, the second computer node including at least one resource for performing at least one network-specific task;

receiving, in the first computer node, heartbeat acknowledgement messages from the second computer node as responses to the heartbeat messages, wherein the heartbeat acknowledgement messages form a sequence of heartbeat acknowledgement messages and wherein each heartbeat acknowledgement message of the sequence indicates to the first computer node that the second computer node is operative within the computer network;

examining, in the first computer node, whether a heartbeat acknowledgement message comprises state information indicative of current ability of said at least one resource to perform said at least one network-specific task, wherein the heartbeat acknowledgement message is any of the heartbeat acknowledgement messages of the sequence; and

storing the state information for managing the computer network.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising storing the state information in a management information base.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising transferring data from the management information base to an entity external to the computer network.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein receiving the heartbeat acknowledgement message further comprises removing the second computer node from the network when no heartbeat acknowledgement message is received within a predetermined period of time.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit periodic heartbeat messages to a second computer node of a computer network, the second computer node including at least one resource configured to perform at least one network-specific task;

a receiver configured to receive heartbeat acknowledgement messages from the second computer node as responses to the heartbeat messages, wherein the heartbeat acknowledgement messages form a sequence of heartbeat acknowledgement messages and wherein each heartbeat acknowledgement message of the sequence indicates that the second computer node is operative within the computer network;

an examining unit configured to examine whether a heartbeat acknowledgement message comprises state information indicative of current ability of the at least one resource to perform said at least one network-specific task, wherein the heartbeat acknowledgement message is any of the heartbeat acknowledgement messages of the sequence; and

a storing unit configured to store the state information for managing the computer network.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the computer node is operably connected to a management information base for storing the state information sent to the first computer node.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a network interface configured to communicate with an access unit configured to access the management information base.

14. An apparatus comprising:

at least one resource means for performing at least one network-specific task;

receiving means for receiving periodic heartbeat messages from another computer node; and

transmission means for transmitting heartbeat acknowledgement messages to the other computer node as responses to the periodic heartbeat messages, wherein each heartbeat acknowledgement message indicates to the other computer node that the computer node is operative within a computer network and wherein the heartbeat acknowledgement messages form a sequence of heartbeat acknowledgement messages,

wherein the transmission means comprises examining means for examining whether state information is to be retrieved for a heartbeat acknowledgement message to be transmitted to the other computer node, wherein the heartbeat acknowledgement message belongs to the sequence of heartbeat acknowledgement messages and wherein the state information is indicative of current ability of the at least one resource to perform the at least one network-specific task,

wherein the transmission means also comprises retrieving means for retrieving, upon indicating by the examining means, the state information for the heartbeat acknowledgement message and sending means, responsive to the retrieving means, for sending the retrieved state information in the heartbeat acknowledgement message to said other computer node,

wherein the examining means are configured to operate for each heartbeat acknowledgement message to be transmitted to the other computer node, thereby transferring a sequence of the state information within the sequence of heartbeat acknowledgment messages.

15. An apparatus comprising:

transmitting means for transmitting periodic heartbeat messages to at least one second computer node of a computer network, the second computer node including at least one resource for performing at least one network-specific task;

reception means for receiving heartbeat acknowledgement messages from the at least one second computer node as responses to the heartbeat messages, wherein the heartbeat acknowledgement messages form a sequence of heartbeat acknowledgement messages and wherein each heartbeat acknowledgement message indicates that the second computer node is operative within the computer network;

examining means for examining whether a heartbeat acknowledgement message comprises state information indicative of current ability of the at least one resource to perform said at least one network-specific task, wherein the heartbeat acknowledgement message is any of the heartbeat acknowledgement messages of the sequence; and

storing means for storing the state information for managing the computer network.