Transport high availability

• US 7,681,074 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2005
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Warman, Leon, Pearson, Malcolm, Tribble, Eric D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chu; Gabriel L
• Application Number:
  US11/118,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20060248373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,782 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 714/13
• 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 69/40 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

Failover systems and methods for providing redundant backup of data transmitted over a network to provide transport high availability of electronic data. The present invention relates to creating redundant backup copies of electronic data as well as transmission of the backup copies over a network in the event of a failure of a network component.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for redundantly saving electronic data transported from a source computing device to a target computing device over a computer network, the method comprising:

receiving the data from the source computing device at a primary computing device at an intermediate location, wherein the primary computing device is independent of the source computing device and the target computing device;

saving the data on the primary computing device;

after saving the data, saving secondary backup data corresponding to the saved data on a secondary computing device, wherein the secondary computing device is independent of the source computing device, the target computing device and the primary computing device, said secondary computing device being remote from the intermediate location such that a failure of the primary computing device does not cause a failure of the secondary computing device;

determining if the secondary backup data is stored on the secondary computing device;

if the secondary backup data is stored on the secondary computing device;

confirming to the source computing device that the data has been received; and

in response to confirming the data has been received, transferring data from the primary computing device to the target computing device;

if the secondary backup data is not stored on the secondary computing device;

identifying a failure of the secondary computing device; and

refusing confirmation of receipt of the data from the source computing device;

in response to receiving a confirmation from the target computing device that the data has been received by the target computing device;

deleting the saved data from the primary computing device; and

deleting the secondary backup data from the secondary computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a failure of the primary computing device; and

transferring the secondary backup data to a target computing device when the primary computing device has failed.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein when the secondary backup data is not saved to the secondary computing device,

transferring previously confirmed data to the target computing device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

identifying operability of the secondary computing device subsequent to its failure;

confirming receipt of new data from the source computing device; and

saving new secondary backup corresponding to the new data to the secondary computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data comprise electronic mail.

6. A system for providing recovery of electronic data transported from a source server to a target server over a computer network, said system comprising:

a primary server, said primary server being at an intermediate location, for receiving data from the source server and storing the received data in a primary server memory area,

wherein the primary server is independent of the source server and the target server;

a secondary server remote from the primary server such that a failure of the primary server does not cause a failure of the secondary server, wherein the secondary server is independent of the source server, a target server and the primary server;

wherein said primary server is configured to execute computer-executable instructions for;

receiving data from the source server;

saving the received data to the primary server memory area;

after saving the received data to the primary server memory area, determining if the secondary server has failed;

in response to determining the secondary server has not failed;

sending secondary backup data corresponding to the received data to the secondary server;

in response to determining the secondary server has failed;

refusing confirmation of receipt of the data from the source server;

wherein said secondary server is configured to execute computer-executable instructions for;

receiving secondary backup data from the primary server;

saving the received secondary backup data to a secondary server memory area; and

providing confirmation to the primary server when the secondary backup data has been saved.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said primary server is further configured to execute computer-executable instructions for:

confirming receipt of the data received from the source server; and

sending the data to the target server.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said remote secondary server is configured to execute computer-executable instructions for transferring secondary backup data to the target server upon failure of the primary server.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein said primary server is further configured to execute computer-executable instructions for transferring previously confirmed data from the primary server to the target server.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the data comprise electronic mail.

11. One or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-executable components for providing high availability transport of electronic data, said components comprising a primary component and a secondary component, wherein:

said primary component;

receiving data from a source computing device and storing the received data in primary storage, wherein the primary storage is independent of the source computing device and a target computing device;

determining whether there is a failure of the secondary component; and

in response to determining there is a failure of the secondary component;

refusing to confirm receipt of the data from the source computing device;

in response to determining there is not a failure of the secondary component;

confirming to the source computing device that the data has been received;

said secondary component;

saving secondary backup data corresponding to the data stored in primary storage to a remote computing device independent of the source computing device, the target computing device, and the primary storage, such that a failure of the primary storage does not cause a failure of the remote computing device;

confirming the secondary backup data has been saved to the remote computing device;

determining a failure of the remote computing device;

in response to determining the failure of the remote computing device, acquiring an alternative remote backup computing device;

saving secondary backup data to the alternative remote backup computing device; and

receiving confirmation when the secondary backup data has been saved by the alternative remote backup computing device.

12. The computer-readable storage media of claim 11, further comprising a target component sending data to the target computing device from primary storage and receiving confirmation from the target computing device that the sent data has been received by the target computing device.

13. The computer-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the primary component deletes stored data from primary storage and wherein the secondary component deletes the secondary backup data after the target computing device confirms that data has been received by the target computing device.

14. The computer-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the data comprise electronic mail.

15. A primary server for use with a system for transporting electronic data from a source server to a target server over a computer network via a primary server, said primary server configured to execute computer-executable instructions comprising:

receiving data from the source server;

saving the received data to a primary server memory area;

after saving the received data to the primary server memory area, sending secondary backup data corresponding to the received data from the source server to a secondary server, the secondary server and the primary server being independent of each other;

after sending, determining whether the secondary server has failed;

in response to determining the secondary server has not failed;

confirming receipt of the data received from the source server;

sending the data to the target server;

receiving confirmation from the target server that the data has been received;

sending instructions to the secondary server to delete the secondary backup data from the secondary server;

deleting the saved data from the primary server;

in response to determining the secondary server has failed;

refusing to confirm receipt of the data from the source server;

sending the data to the target server;

in response to receiving a confirmation from the target server that the data has been received by the target server, deleting the saved data from the primary server and confirming receipt of the data from the source server.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the data comprise electronic mail.