Method and apparatus for dynamic resource discovery and information distribution in a data network

• US 7,747,741 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2008
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Karge, Leroy R., Revsin, Vitaly S., Basani, Vijay R., Crovella, Mark E., LaRosa, Domenic J., Mangipudi, Krishna, Bestavros, Azer, Murach, Lynne M.
• Primary Examiner(s): LUU, LE HIEN
• Application Number:
  US12/046,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20080177861A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/244, 709/238, 709/219, 709/231, 709/233, 709/227, 709/214, 709/226, 709/224, 718/102, 718/105, 714/4, 707/10, 726/14
• US Class Current: 709/224
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method for distributing information to a plurality of servers is described. The information is transmitted from a control manager server to a first group leader server. The first group leader server transmits the information to a second group leader server. The second group leader server requests instructions from the control manager server. The second group leader server then transmits, in response to the instructions, the information to a further group leader server. The first group leader server transmits the information to back end servers belonging to a group of the first group leader server. The second group leader server transmits the information to back end servers belonging to a group of the second group leader server. The further group leader server transmits the information to back end servers belonging to a group of the further group leader server.

Claims

1. A method for distributing information to a plurality of servers, comprising:

maintaining, by a control manager server, a list of group leader servers;

sorting, by a processor, the list of group leader servers in an order to receive the information in accordance with selected factors;

transmitting the information from the control manager server to a first group leader server, the information comprising first instructions to the first group leader server for transmitting the information to a second group leader server;

transmitting by the first group leader server, in response to the first instructions, the information to the second group leader server;

requesting by the second group leader server second instructions from the control manager server;

transmitting by the second group leader server, in response to the second instructions, the information to a further group leader server; and

transmitting by the first group leader server the information to back end servers belonging to a group of the first group leader server, and transmitting by the second group leader server the information to back end servers belonging to a group of the second group leader server, and transmitting by the further group leader server the information to back end servers belonging to a group of the further group leader server.

2. A system of servers to distribute information, comprising:

a control manager server configured to maintain a list of group leader servers;

a processor executing on the system configured to sort the list of group leader servers in an order to receive the information in accordance with selected factors;

the control manager server further configured to transmit the information to a first group leader server, the information comprising first instructions to the first group leader server for transmitting the information to a second group leader server;

the first group leader server configured to transmit, in response to the first instructions, the information to the second group leader server;

the second group leader server configured to request second instructions from the control manager server;

the second group leader server further configured to transmit, in response to the second instructions, the information to a further group leader server; and

the first group leader server further configured to transmit the information to back end servers belonging to a group of the first group leader server, and the second group leader server further configured to transmit the information to back end servers belonging to a group of the second group leader server, and the further group leader server configured to transmit the information to back end servers belonging to a group of the further group leader server.

3. A computer readable storage media containing executable program instructions executed by a processor, comprising:

program instructions that maintain, by a control manager server, a list of group leader servers;

program instructions that sort the list of group leader servers in an order to receive information in accordance with selected factors;

program instructions that transmit the information from the control manager server to a first group leader server, the information comprising first instructions to the first group leader server for transmitting the information to a second group leader server;

program instructions that transmit by the first group leader server, in response to the first instructions, the information to the second group leader server;

program instructions that request by the second group leader server second instructions from the control manager server;

program instructions that transmit by the second group leader server, in response to the second instructions, the information to a further group leader server; and

program instructions that transmit by the first group leader server the information to back end servers belonging to a group of the first group leader server, and program instructions that transmit by the second group leader server the information to back end servers belonging to a group of the second group leader server, and program instructions that transmit by the further group leader server the information to back end servers belonging to a group of the further group leader server.

4. A method for distributing information to a plurality of servers, comprising:

maintaining, by a control manager server, a list of group leader servers;

sorting, by a processor, the list of group leader servers in an order to receive the information in accordance with selected factors;

transmitting the information from the control manager server to a first group leader server;

transmitting, by the first group leader server, the information to a second group leader server;

requesting, by the second group leader server, instructions from the control manager server; and

transmitting by the second group leader server, in response to the instructions, the information to a further group leader server.

5. The method as in claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting by the first group leader server the information to back end servers belonging to a group of the first group leader server, and transmitting by the second group leader server the information to back end servers belonging to a group of the second group leader server, and transmitting by the further group leader server the information to back end servers belonging to a group of the further group leader server.

6. The method as in claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting instructions by the control manager server to the first group leader server.

7. The method as in claim 6, further comprising:

including the instructions with the information transmitted to the first group leader server.

8. A system of servers to distribute information, comprising:

a control manager server configured to maintain a list of group leader servers;

a processor executing on the system configured to sort the list of group leader servers in an order to receive the information in accordance with selected factors;

the control manager server further configured to transmit the information to a first group leader server;

the first group leader server configured to transmit the information to a second group leader server;

the second group leader server configured to request instructions from the control manager server; and

the second group leader server further configured to transmit, in response to the instructions, the information to a further group leader server.

9. The system of servers of claim 8, further comprising:

the first group leader server further configured to transmit the information to back end servers belonging to a group of the first group leader server, and the second group leader server further configured to transmit the information to back end servers belonging to a group of the second group leader server, and the further group leader server configured to transmit the information to back end servers belonging to a group of the further group leader server.

10. The system of servers of claim 8, further comprising:

the control manager server further configured to transmit instructions to the first group leader server.

11. The system of servers of claim 10, wherein the instructions comprise the information transmitted to the first group leader server.

12. A computer readable storage media containing executable program instructions executed by a processor, comprising:

program instructions that maintain, by a control manager server, a list of group leader servers;

program instructions that sort the list of group leader servers in an order to receive information in accordance with selected factors;

program instructions that transmit the information from the control manager server to a first group leader server;

program instructions that transmit the information from the first group leader server to a second group leader server;

program instructions that request, by the second group leader server, instructions from the control manager server; and

program instructions that transmit the information from the second group leader server, in response to the instructions, to a further group leader server.