Method and system for a network management framework with redundant failover methodology

• US 8,032,625 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Benfield, Jason, Hsu, Oliver Yehung, Yarsa, Julianne, Ullmann, Lorin Evan
• Primary Examiner(s): OSMAN, RAMY M
• Application Number:
  US09/895,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20030009551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,749 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/223, 709/224, 709/230, 718/1, 718/100, 718/2, 714/4.1
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0661 by reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies

Abstract

A method, system, apparatus, and computer program product is presented for management of a distributed data processing system. Resources within the distributed data processing system are dynamically discovered, and the discovered resources are adaptively monitored using the network management framework. When the network management framework detects that certain components within the network management framework may have failed, new instances of these components are started. If duplicate components are later determined to be active concurrently, then a duplicate component is shutdown, thereby ensuring that at least one instance of these components is active at any given time. After certain failover events, a resource rediscovery process may occur, and a topology database containing previously stored information about discovered resources is resynchronized with resource information about rediscovered resources.

Claims

1. A method for management of a distributed data processing system, the method comprising:

representing the distributed data processing system as a set of scopes, wherein a scope comprises a logical organization of network-related objects;

monitoring, by a computer, resources within the distributed data processing system using a set of distributed monitor controllers, wherein each distributed monitor controller is uniquely responsible for monitoring resources within different scopes;

in response to monitoring a set of resources, generating topology information associated with the set of resources by a first instance of a distributed monitor controller in the set of distributed monitor controllers;

in response to detecting a potential failure of the first instance of the distributed monitor controller, starting a second instance of the distributed monitor controller;

in response to monitoring the set of resources, generating topology information associated with the set of resources by the second instance of the distributed monitor controller; and

in response to a determination that generated topology information indicates assignment of overlapping scopes between the first instance of the distributed monitor controller and the second instance of the distributed monitor controller, determining a failure of the first instance of the distributed monitor controller based on a communication test.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

attempting the communication test with the first instance of the distributed monitor controller;

in response to detecting a communication failure with the first instance of the distributed monitor controller, determining that the first instance of the distributed monitor controller is inactive; and

in response to detecting a communication success with the first instance of the distributed monitor controller, determining that the first instance of the distributed monitor controller is active.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

in response to a determination that the first instance of the distributed monitor controller is active, requesting a shutdown of the second instance of the distributed monitor controller.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

updating the topology information that was generated by the second instance of the distributed monitor controller.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

in response to a determination that the first instance of the distributed monitor controller is inactive, updating the topology information that was generated by the first instance of the distributed monitor controller.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

discovering a status associated with each resource in the set of resources via the second distributed monitor controller; and

rewriting topology information associated with each resource in the set of resources in accordance with the discovered status associated with each resource in the set of resources.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

resynchronizing a resource status database with the topology information using the second distributed monitor controller.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

determining a portion of the resource status database that is necessary for resynchronizing the topology information; and

retrieving only the determined portion of the resource status database.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

attempting the communication test with an object request broker (ORB) that supports the first instance of the distributed monitor controller;

in response to detecting a communication failure with the ORB that supports the first instance of the distributed monitor controller, determining that the first instance of the distributed monitor controller is inactive; and

requesting a shutdown of the first instance of the distributed monitor controller.

10. An apparatus for management of a distributed data processing system, the apparatus comprising:

means for representing the distributed data processing system as a set of scopes, wherein a scope comprises a logical organization of network-related objects;

means for monitoring resources within the distributed data processing system using a set of distributed monitor controllers, wherein each distributed monitor controller is uniquely responsible for monitoring resources within different scopes;

means for generating topology information associated with a set of resources by a first instance of a distributed monitor controller in the set of distributed monitor controllers in response to monitoring the set of resources;

means for starting a second instance of the distributed monitor controller in response to detecting a potential failure of the first instance of the distributed monitor controller;

means for generating topology information associated with the set of resources by the second instance of the distributed monitor controller in response to monitoring the set of resources; and

means for determining a failure of the first instance of the distributed monitor controller based on a communication test in response to a determination that generated topology information indicates assignment of overlapping scopes between the first instance of the distributed monitor controller and the second instance of the distributed monitor controller.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:

means for attempting the communication test with the first instance of the distributed monitor controller;

means for determining that the first instance of the distributed monitor controller is inactive in response to detecting a communication failure with the first instance of the distributed monitor controller; and

means for determining that the first instance of the distributed monitor controller is active in response to detecting a communication success with the first instance of the distributed monitor controller.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising:

means for requesting a shutdown of the second instance of the distributed monitor controller in response to a determination that the first instance of the distributed monitor controller is active.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising:

means for updating the topology information that was generated by the second instance of the distributed monitor controller.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising:

means for updating the topology information that was generated by the first instance of the distributed monitor controller in response to a determination that the first instance of the distributed monitor controller is inactive.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising:

means for discovering a status associated with each resource in the set of resources via the second distributed monitor controller; and

means for rewriting topology information associated with each resource in the set of resources in accordance with the discovered status associated with each resource in the set of resources.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising:

means for resynchronizing a resource status database with the topology information using the second distributed monitor controller.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising:

means for determining a portion of the resource status database that is necessary for resynchronizing the topology information; and

means for retrieving only the determined portion of the resource status database.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:

mean for attempting the communication test with an object request broker (ORB) that supports the first instance of the distributed monitor controller; and

means for determining that the first instance of the distributed monitor controller is inactive in response to detecting a communication failure with the ORB that supports the first instance of the distributed monitor controller.

19. A computer program product on a non-transitory computer readable medium for use in managing a distributed data processing system, the computer program product comprising:

instructions for representing the distributed data processing system as a set of scopes, wherein a scope comprises a logical organization of network-related objects;

instructions for monitoring resources within the distributed data processing system using a set of distributed monitor controllers, wherein each distributed monitor controller is uniquely responsible for monitoring resources within different scopes;

instructions for generating topology information associated with a set of resources by a first instance of a distributed monitor controller in the set of distributed monitor controllers in response to monitoring the set of resources;

instructions for starting a second instance of the distributed monitor controller in response to detecting a potential failure of the first instance of the distributed monitor controller;

instructions for generating topology information associated with the set of resources by the second instance of the distributed monitor controller in response to monitoring the set of resources; and

instructions for determining a failure of the first instance of the distributed monitor controller based response to a determination that generated topology information indicates assignment of overlapping scopes between the first instance of the distributed monitor controller and the second instance of the distributed monitor controller.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 further comprising:

instructions for attempting the communication test with the first instance of the distributed monitor controller;

instructions for determining that the first instance of the distributed monitor controller is inactive in response to detecting a communication failure with the first instance of the distributed monitor controller; and

instructions for determining that the first instance of the distributed monitor controller is active in response to detecting a communication success with the first instance of the distributed monitor controller.

21. The computer program product of claim 20 further comprising:

instructions for requesting a the shutdown of the second instance of the distributed monitor controller in response to a determination that the first instance of the distributed monitor controller is active.

22. The computer program product of claim 21 further comprising:

instructions for updating the topology information that was generated by the second instance of the distributed monitor controller.

23. The computer program product of claim 22 further comprising:

instructions for discovering a status associated with each resource in the set of resources via the second distributed monitor controller; and

instructions for rewriting topology information associated with each resource in the set of resources in accordance with the discovered status associated with each resource in the set of resources.

24. The computer program product of claim 22 further comprising:

instructions for resynchronizing a resource status database with the topology information using the second distributed monitor controller.

25. The computer program product of claim 24 further comprising:

instructions for determining a portion of the resource status database that is necessary for resynchronizing the topology information; and

instructions for retrieving only the determined portion of the resource status database.

26. The computer program product of claim 20 further comprising:

instructions for updating the topology information that was generated by the first instance of the distributed monitor controller in response to a determination that the first instance of the distributed monitor controller is inactive.

27. The computer program product of claim 26 further comprising:

instructions for attempting the communication test with an object request broker (ORB) that supports the first instance of the distributed monitor controller; and

instructions for determining that the first instance of the distributed monitor controller is inactive in response to detecting a communication failure with the ORB that supports the first instance of the distributed monitor controller.