Method and system for migrating content on a network

• US 7,765,272 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: McKernan, James, Moshiri, Nojan
• Primary Examiner(s): EL CHANTI, HUSSEIN A
• Application Number:
  US10/676,696
• Time in Patent Office: 2,492 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272

Abstract

A method and system for migrating content on a network. In one method embodiment, the present invention accesses a directory having a network address. A business rule is created and a directory is scripted based on the business rule. Next, a content switch automatically directs future access to the directory to a new environment based on the scripting, wherein the future access to the directory uses the same network address. In so doing, the migration of content on a network is greatly simplified.

Claims

1. A method for migrating content on a network comprising:

receiving a first request to access data at a current network address;

directing the first request for access to a current network address based on switching instructions provided in a first switch compliant file;

accessing a migration file comprising a plurality of network entries, wherein each of the network entries comprises one or more network addresses;

reformatting the migration file using a switch compliant file language to reformat the plurality of network entries;

updating the first switch compliant file with the reformatted plurality of network entries to generate a second switch compliant file corresponding to a new network address associated with the current network address;

wherein the current network address and a new network address are associated with one entry of the reformatted plurality of network entries;

redirect a second request to access the current network address to the new network address based on switching instructions provided in the second switch compliant file;

determine that the new network address is not ready for migration;

restore the first switch compliant file responsive to determining the new network address is not ready for migration;

redirect a third request to access the current network address based on switching instructions provided in the first switch compliant file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the redirection occurs transparently to a user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the migration file is parsed with scripts compatible with one or more of Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) data connectivity model layers 4 to 7.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the switch compliant file language used for reformatting the migration file is extensible markup language (XML).

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising uploading the first or the second switch compliant file to a content switch via scripts.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the content switch operates using OSI data connectivity model layers 4 to 7.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the new network address is associated with a first server, wherein the current network address is associated with a second server, and wherein the data is accessible from both the first and second servers.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the new network address and the current network address are both associated with a same server, and wherein the data is accessible from the same server.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the data partially resides on the first and second servers.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein the switch compliant language complies with one or more of Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) data connectivity model layers 4 to 7.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

reading OSI layer 4 to 7 application-level information in a packet header of the first, second and third requests, wherein the first, second and third requests are directed or redirected to a current or new server based on the application-level information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the new server is selected according to a type of information read in the packet header, and wherein requests associated with different types of information are directed or redirected to different servers to provide server load balancing.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of network entries indicate that other data is not ready for migration, and wherein a request for the other data is not redirected based on the analysis of the migration file.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the other data is directed to a network address included in the request for the other data.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein data associated with a future request resides concurrently at both the requested network address and the new network address.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the data associated with the future request is identical to data associated with the request.

17. A system for data migration comprising:

means for directing a first request to access data at a current network address based on switching instructions provided in a first switch compliant file, wherein the first request is directed to the current network address;

means for accessing a migration file comprising a database including a plurality of network addresses;

means for reformatting the migration file using a switch compliant file language for reformatting the plurality of network addresses;

means for updating the first switch compliant file comprising;

scripting the database to generate a second switch compliant file; and

reformatting the plurality of network addresses, wherein the second switch compliant file comprises the plurality of reformatted network addresses including a new network address associated with the current network address;

wherein the new network address is different than the current network address, and wherein the data resides concurrently at both the current network address and the new network address;

means for receiving a second request to access the data at the current network address;

means for automatically redirecting the second request to access the data at the current network address to the new network address based on the second switch compliant file, wherein the new network address is different than the current network address;

means for receiving a third request to access the data at the current network address, wherein the third request is received after the second request;

means for restoring the first switch compliant file responsive to identifying an error associated with the data migration; and

means for redirecting the third request to access the data at the current network address based on switching instructions provided in the first switch compliant file.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first and second switch compliant files comprise an extensible markup language (XML) format.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the new network address is associated with a new server distinct from a server associated with the current network address.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the new network address is associated with a same server as the current network address.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the new network address is associated with data that is partially stored on a new server distinct from a server associated with the current network address.

22. The system of claim 17 wherein the data resides at both the current network address and the new network address at the same time.