Heartbeat mechanism for cluster systems

• US 7,590,898 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Coekaerts, Wim A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Puente; Emerson C
• Application Number:
  US12/286,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20090043887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 350 Days
• Field of Search: 714/48
• US Class Current: 714/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3072 where the reporting involves data filtering, e.g. pattern matching, time or event triggered, adaptive or policy-based reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route

Abstract

A heartbeat system and method is provided for a cluster system. In one embodiment, a heartbeat mechanism includes a quorum file for receiving heartbeat messages from the plurality of nodes. A network controller connects the quorum file to the plurality of nodes with a serial bus that establishes peer-to-peer and point-to-point device communication. A node map maintained by the network controller identifies active nodes based on signals from the serial bus. A status logic for determining a status of a node from the plurality of nodes by comparing heartbeat messages in the quorum file written by the node and the node map.

Claims

1. A heartbeat mechanism for a clustered system including a plurality of nodes, comprising:

a quorum file for receiving heartbeat messages from the plurality of nodes;

a network controller for connecting the quorum file to the plurality of nodes with a serial bus that establishes peer-to-peer and point-to-point device communication;

a node map maintained by the network controller for identifying active nodes based on signals from the serial bus; and

a status logic for determining a status of a node from the plurality of nodes by comparing heartbeat messages in the quorum file written by the node and the node map.

2. The heartbeat mechanism of claim 1 where the serial bus is a self-monitoring and self-configuring serial bus.

3. A method of monitoring nodes in a cluster of computing nodes, the method comprising:

connecting the nodes with a communication bus that establishes peer-to-peer and point-to-point device communication;

allocating a quorum file for storing status messages received from nodes in the cluster;

periodically receiving a status message from a node in the cluster indicating that the node is active, the status message being received based on signals generated from the serial bus;

maintaining a node map of active nodes in the cluster based on signal changes from the serial bus; and

determining whether a node is active by comparing status messages in the quorum file and the node map.

4. The method of claim 3 where connecting the nodes includes connecting a self-monitoring and self-configuring serial bus.

5. A clustered computing system comprising:

a plurality of nodes;

a quorum file for receiving heartbeat messages from the plurality of nodes;

a serial bus connected between the plurality of nodes and the quorum file, where the serial bus establishes a peer-to-peer network with point-to-point node communication;

a node map for identifying active nodes based on signal changes from the serial bus; and

a status logic for determining a status of a node from the plurality of nodes by comparing heartbeat messages in the quorum file written by the node and the node map.

6. The clustered computing system of claim 5 where the serial bus is a self-monitoring and self-configuring serial bus connected between the plurality of nodes and the quorum file.