High availability for event forwarding

• US 7,840,611 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2007
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Upton, Mitch, Potter, Timothy A., Golding, Christa
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu; Kuen S
• Application Number:
  US11/685,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20070156884A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,352 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/102, 707/6, 707/100, 707/7, 707/809, 705/7
• US Class Current: 707/809
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1438 Restarting or rejuvenating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1036 Load balancing of requests to servers for services different from user content provisioning, e.g. load balancing across domain name servers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

High availability event forwarding can be obtained utilizing distributed queues in a server cluster. Each server can receive an event from a data system, such as a database or SAP™ system. Event queues exist on servers in the cluster can store an event until, for example, the event is delivered to a user or retrieved for processing. An event processor examines the load of each event queue and selects the event queue with the lightest load. The event processor generates an alias for the selected queue, such that a user, integration system, or client application does not need to know the identity of the physical queue storing the event, but only needs to refer to the ‘distributed queue’ or alias. After a physical queue is selected and an alias assigned, the event is forwarded to the selected queue.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a cluster of servers;

a database connected to said cluster of servers, wherein an event occurring within the database is propagated by an adapter out to the cluster of servers; and

a message store and forward unit residing a server in the cluster of servers, wherein the message store and forward unit receives a message generated by the event occurring within the database system, stores the message and forwards the message to a recipient;

wherein the message is stored using a distributed destination that includes multiple physical locations in the cluster associated with a single alias, such that said single alias identifies the distributed destination;

wherein the message addressed to the alias is received by said server, such that the server receiving the message determines one of the multiple physical locations in the cluster associated with the alias and causes the message to be stored in said one of the multiple physical locations prior to the message being forwarded;

wherein the server examines a load on each of the multiple physical locations and selects said one of the multiple physical locations for storing the message according to said load being examined; and

wherein, in case of a failure of said server, the message store and forward unit is migrated to another server of the cluster.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the store and forward unit includes a message queue.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the store and forward unit includes a message processor.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a list of registered event destinations for receiving said message, wherein the list of registered event destinations is configured by posting a message on a notification topic.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

a message driven bean that listens on the distributed destination and delivers the message to at least one of the list of registered event destinations.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein if delivery of the message fails, the message is rolled back to the distributed destination, such that the roll back uses a same alias but forwards the message to a different physical location in the cluster.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the message is published to a distributed event topic that handles delivery of events to remote clients.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the server receiving the message determines the physical location with the lightest load and creates the alias for the physical location and assigns the alias.

9. A method, comprising:

maintaining a cluster of servers connected to a database, wherein an event occurring within the database is propagated by an adapter out to the cluster of servers;

maintaining a message store and forward unit on at least one of the servers in the cluster;

receiving a message generated by the event occurring within the database system by the message store and forward unit on the server, wherein the message store and forward unit stores the message and forwards the message to a recipient;

wherein the message is stored using a distributed destination that includes multiple physical destinations in the cluster associated with a single alias, such that said single alias identifies the distributed destination;

wherein the message addressed to the alias is received by said server, such that the server receiving the message determines one of the multiple physical locations in the cluster associated with the alias and causes the message to be stored in said one of the multiple physical locations prior to the message being forwarded;

wherein the server examines a load of each of the multiple physical destinations and selects said one of the multiple physical locations for storing the message containing according to said load examined;

wherein employing the message store and forward unit causes exactly one copy of each message to be delivered while simultaneously using the distributed destination with multiple physical locations to store the message; and

wherein, in case of a failure of said server, the message store and forward unit is migrated to another server of the cluster.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the store and forward unit includes a message queue.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the store and forward unit includes a message processor.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

a list of registered event destinations for receiving said message, wherein the list of registered event destinations is configured by posting a message on a notification topic.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

a message driven bean that listens on the distributed destination and delivers the message to at least one of the list of registered event destinations.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein if delivery of the message fails, the message is rolled back to the distributed destination, such that the roll back uses a same alias but forwards the message to a different physical location in the cluster.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the message is published to a distributed event topic that handles delivery of events to remote clients.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the server receiving the message determines the physical location with the lightest load and creates the alias for the physical location and assigns the alias.

17. A system comprising:

a cluster of servers;

a database connected to said cluster of servers, wherein an event occurring within the database is propagated by an adapter out to the cluster of servers; and

a message store and forward unit residing on a server in the cluster of servers, wherein the message store and forward unit receives a message generated by the event occurring within the database system, stores the message and forwards the message to a recipient;

wherein the message is stored using a distributed destination that includes multiple physical locations in the cluster associated with a single alias, such that said single alias identifies the distributed destination;

wherein the message addressed to the alias is received by said server, such that the server receiving the message determines one of the multiple physical locations in the cluster associated with the alias and causes the message to be stored in said one of the multiple physical locations prior to the message being forwarded;

wherein employing the message store and forward unit causes exactly one copy of each message to be delivered while simultaneously using the distributed destination with multiple physical locations;

wherein, in case of a failure of said server, the message store and forward unit is migrated to another server of the cluster.