Automatic and dynamic provisioning of databases

• US 7,873,684 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2003
• Issued: 01/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Lakshminath, Anand, Wong, Lik, Souder, Benny, Downing, Alan, Ciminski, John, Stamos, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleurantin; Jean B
• Application Number:
  US10/718,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20050038831A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,615 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 707200-206, 707600-831, 709/225, 709/223, 713/182, 711/161, 711/162
• US Class Current: 707/825
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2386 Bulk updating operations data conversion details G06F16/258

Abstract

Approaches described herein may be used for provisioning of databases that requires a bulk transfer of data within a distributed computing environment, such as a grid. The approaches do not require the manual intervention of a DBA to, for example, transfer a tablespace between the file systems of operating systems. Instead, the tablespaces may be provisioned automatically and dynamically by a grid computing system whenever it determines the need to dynamically provision a database. In addition, as copies of tablespaces are provisioned, synchronization mechanisms can also be automatically provisioned to keep the tablespaces and their copies in sync.

Claims

1. A method for automatically provisioning data in a distributed database system, the method comprising computer-implemented steps of:

a database server running under control of a first operating system that manages resources of a first computing element, wherein said database server comprises database server code separate from said first operating system;

said database server transporting a tablespace from a second file system to a first file system, wherein said first file system is managed by said first operating system, wherein transporting a tablespace from a second file system to a first file system is performed pursuant execution of one or more routines of said database server code; and

after transporting said tablespace to said first file system, said database server importing said tablespace into a local database managed by said database server.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein a database server transporting a tablespace and the step of said database server importing said tablespace are both performed in response to invocation of a routine of said database server code;

and

wherein said routine is written in code that conforms to a database language and that may be executed by a database server.

3. A computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 2.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of importing includes attaching said tablespace to said local database.

5. A computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 4.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the tablespace is attached to another database before and during performance of the step of said database server causing a tablespace to be transported.

7. A computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 6.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the tablespace is offline before and during performance of the step of said database server causing a tablespace to be transported.

9. A computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 8.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of importing the tablespace includes attaching a copy of the tablespace, wherein the copy is different than said tablespace; and

said database server provisions a synchronization mechanism that applies changes made to the tablespace to the copy.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the synchronization mechanism applies changes made to the copy to the tablespace.

12. A computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 11.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the steps further include:

the synchronization mechanism determining which changes to the tablespace to propagate to the copy based on the results of an evaluation of a set of rules by a rules engine; and

wherein the step of provisioning the synchronization mechanism includes configuring said set of rules.

14. A computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 13.

15. A computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 10.

16. A computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 1.

17. A method for automatically instantiating database data in a distributed database system, the method comprising computer-implemented steps of:

a database server running under control of a first operating system that manages resources of a first computing element, wherein said database server comprises database server code separate from said first operating system;

said database server transporting a set of one or more files from a second file system to a first file system, wherein said first file system is managed by said first operating system, wherein transporting said set of one or more files from a second file system to a first file system is performed pursuant execution of one or more routines of said database server code;

wherein said set of one or more files store said database data; and

after transporting said set of one or more files to said first file system, said database server provisioning said database data as at least part of a database managed by said database server.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the set of files is a tablespace, wherein the step of provisioning includes:

attaching said tablespace to said database managed by said database server.

19. A computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 18.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said set of one or more files includes metadata describing database objects and commands for inserting data into the database objects, wherein the step of provisioning includes importing said database data into said database by executing said commands.

21. A computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 20.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein said set of one or more files includes backup files created by a recovery manager, wherein the step of provisioning includes causing said recovery manager to create said database managed by said database server from said backup files.

23. A computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 22.

24. A computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 17.