Updateable fan-out replication with reconfigurable master association

• US 7,734,585 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2005
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Sharma, Amit, Zhou, Quan, Shih, Daniel, Venkatasamy, Satishkumar, Srinivasan, Uppili
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US11/292,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20060155778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,649 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 707200-206
• US Class Current: 707/623
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2246 Trees, e.g. B+trees
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor

Abstract

A system, method, computer program and article of manufacture for updateable fan-out replication with reconfigurable master association in a large, multi-node LDAP environment. A replication ring supports the addition of fan-out nodes as children to each primary node that sits on a replication ring. The fan-out nodes can be cascaded in multiple parent/child relationships and can support full replication or a subset of the parent data. Each child/parent relationship is defined by an agreement. Each fan-out node replicates changes to their immediate children and parent based upon the change details and the configured agreement, distributing the replication load.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for replicating LDAP directories in a distributed database system, the distributed database system comprising a plurality of nodes communicating via a replication network comprising at least one replication ring, the method comprising:

implementing a change to the LDAP directory received at a node of the replication network, the replication network comprises a fan-out node, wherein implementing the change comprises creating one or more logs, the one or more logs further comprising a change log, the one or more logs comprising change information detailing operation information to implement the change and origin information detailing the node at which the change originated;

replicating, by using a processor, the change at one or more other nodes in the replication network based at least in part upon one or more relationship agreements between the one or more other nodes and the node, wherein the one or more relationship agreements specify the types of changes that pass between the node and the one or more other nodes in the replication network and are configured to control whether to propagate the change to a child node or a parent node based at least in part upon comparing the operation information with an relationship agreement; and

storing the change in a storage area of a volatile or non-volatile computer-usable medium or displaying the change on a display device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the relationship agreement comprises:

a relationship type, the type being uni-directional or bi-directional;

a set of data included in the child replication set; and

a set of rules describing the operations permitted to be propagated between child and parent.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein implementing the change further comprises:

modifying a database based at least in part upon the change log.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein replicating the change comprises:

determining when the change is to be propagated to one or more fan-out nodes; and

regenerating the change log when the change is to be propagated to one or more fan-out nodes.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining when the change is to be propagated to one or more fan-out nodes comprises:

determining when the change is to be propagated to one or more child nodes; and

determining when the change is to be propagated to a parent node.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining when the change is to be propagated to one or more child nodes comprises:

comparing origin information of the change log to a node under consideration;

comparing operation information of the change log to a relationship agreement of the node under consideration and a parent of the node under consideration to determine when the operation is permitted;

propagating the change to the node under consideration when the origin information indicates that the change did not come from the child and when the operation is permitted.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein determining when the change is to be propagated to the parent node comprises:

determining that the relationship to the parent is bi-directional; and

determining that the operation information of the change log is permitted by the relationship agreement.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

when the change is to be propagated to the parent node, replaying the change at the parent.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

re-associating a child node to a new master.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein re-associating a child node to a new master comprises:

when the child'"'"'s original master is a primary node, re-associating the child node to another primary node; and

when the child'"'"'s original master is not a primary node, re-associating the child node to the parent of the child'"'"'s original master.

11. A volatile or non-volatile computer-usable storage medium containing instructions thereon, the instructions being executable by a processor to cause the computer to perform a computer-implemented method for replicating LDAP directories in a distributed database system, the distributed database system comprising a plurality of nodes communicating via a replication network comprising at least one replication ring, the method comprising:

implementing a change to the LDAP directory received at a node of the replication network, the replication network comprises a fan-out node, wherein implementing the change comprises creating one or more logs, the one or more logs comprises a change log, the one or more logs further comprising change information detailing operation information to implement the change and origin information detailing the node at which the change originated;

replicating, by using the processor, the change at one or more other nodes in the replication network based at least in part upon one or more relationship agreements between the one or more other nodes and the node, wherein the one or more relationship agreements specify the types of changes that pass between the node and the one or more other nodes in the replication network and are configured to control whether to propagate the change to a child node or a parent node based at least in part upon comparing the operation information with an relationship agreement; and

displaying the change on a display device or storing the change.

12. The medium of claim 11, wherein the relationship agreement comprises:

a relationship type, the type being uni-directional or bi-directional;

a set of data included in the child replication set; and

a set of rules describing the operations permitted to be propagated between child and parent.

13. The medium of claim 11, wherein implementing the change further comprises:

modifying a database based at least in part upon the change log.

14. The medium of claim 13, wherein replicating the change comprises:

determining when the change is to be propagated to one or more fan-out nodes; and

regenerating the change log when the change is to be propagated to one or more fan-out nodes.

15. The medium of claim 14, wherein determining when the change is to be propagated to one or more fan-out nodes comprises:

determining when the change is to be propagated to one or more child nodes; and

determining when the change is to be propagated to a parent node.

16. The medium of claim 15, wherein determining when the change is to be propagated to one or more child nodes comprises:

comparing origin information of the change log to a node under consideration;

comparing operation information of the change log to a relationship agreement of the node under consideration and a parent of the node under consideration to determine when the operation is permitted;

propagating the change to the node under consideration when the origin information indicates that the change did not come from the child and when the operation is permitted.

17. The medium of claim 15, wherein determining when the change is to be propagated to the parent node comprises:

determining that the relationship to the parent is bi-directional; and

determining that the operation information of the change log is permitted by the relationship agreement.

18. The medium of claim 15, further comprising:

when the change is to be propagated to the parent node, replaying the change at the parent.

19. The medium of claim 11 further comprising:

re-associating a child node to a new master.

20. The medium of claim 19, wherein re-associating a child node to a new master comprises:

when the child'"'"'s original master is a primary node, re-associating the child node to another primary node; and

when the child'"'"'s original master is not a primary node, re-associating the child node to the parent of the child'"'"'s original master.

21. A distributed database system comprising:

one or more nodes communicating via a replication network comprising at least one replication ring and a fan-out node, wherein the system further comprising;

a processor for;

implementing a change to the LDAP directory received at a node of the replication network, wherein implementing the change comprises creating one or more logs, the one or more logs comprising a change log, the one or more logs further comprising change information detailing operation information to implement the change and origin information detailing the node at which the change originated; and

replicating the change at one or more other nodes in the replication network based at least in part upon one or more relationship agreements between the one or more other nodes and the node, wherein the one or more relationship agreements specify the types of changes that pass between the node and the one or more other nodes in the replication network and are configured to control whether to propagate the change to a child node or a parent node based at least in part upon comparing the operation information with an relationship agreement; and

a volatile or non-volatile computer-usable medium for storing the change in a storage area or a display device for displaying the change.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the relationship agreement comprises:

a relationship type, the type being uni-directional or bi-directional;

a set of data included in the child replication set; and

a set of rules describing the operations permitted to be propagated between child and parent.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the act of implementing the change further comprises:

modifying a database based at least in part upon the change log.

24. The system of claim 21, the processor further configured for:

re-associating a child node to a new master, wherein the re-associating a child node to a new master comprises;

when the child'"'"'s original master is a primary node, re-associating the child node to another primary node; and

when the child'"'"'s original master is not a primary node, re-associating the child node to the parent of the child'"'"'s original master.