Dynamic addition of redundant network in distributed system communications

• US 8,107,360 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2009
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Patel, Atit D., Jones, Michael J., Mahajan, Ajay K., Sofjan, Iwan P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Chuong T
• Application Number:
  US12/409,230
• Publication Number:
  US 20100241894A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 370216-225
• US Class Current: 370/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1482 by means of middleware or OS functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1497 Details of time redundant execution on a single processing unit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2007 using redundant communication media

Abstract

Disclosed is a computer implemented method and apparatus for establishing a redundant channel from an application to a peer data processing system. The interrupt-driven hot standby program receives, through the operation of a data processing system, a communication channel status corresponding to an application. The application has a first channel using local access across a first physical conduit to a first switch. In addition the communication channel status is, in part, an interrupt. The interrupt-driven hot standby program determines whether the redundant channel is present. The redundant channel is configured to use a second physical conduit distinct from the first physical conduit for traffic of the application. Responding to a determination that the redundant channel is present, the interrupt-driven hot standby program determines whether the redundant channel is configured to use the second physical conduit as local access to a redundant switch, wherein the redundant switch is not the first switch. The interrupt-driven hot standby program responds to a determination that the redundant channel is configured to use the second physical conduit by updating a communication channel list to include at least one attribute of the redundant channel, wherein the communication channel list is resident in the data processing system.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for establishing a redundant channel from an application to a peer data processing system, the computer implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a data processing system, a communication channel status corresponding to an application, wherein the application has a first channel using local access across a first physical conduit to a first switch, wherein the communication channel status is, in part, an interrupt;

determining whether the redundant channel is present, wherein the redundant channel is configured to use a second physical conduit distinct from the first physical conduit for traffic of the application;

responsive to a determination that the redundant channel is present, determining whether the redundant channel is configured to use the second physical conduit as local access to a redundant switch, wherein the redundant switch is not the first switch;

responsive to a determination that the redundant channel is configured to use the second physical conduit, updating a communication channel list to include at least one attribute of the redundant channel, wherein the communication channel list is resident in the data processing system;

responsive to a determination that the redundant channel is present, determining that the first channel is timed-out based on an acknowledgment message failing to arrive within a time-out period, wherein such a determination is performed by the data processing system at a kernel level; and

responsive to a determination that the first channel is timed-out, routing traffic of the application over the second physical conduit based on the communication channel list.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing the first channel used by the application using a first physical conduit as a local access conduit to a first switch, wherein the communication channel status corresponds to the first channel.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein routing traffic of the application comprises retrying a message on the redundant channel.

4. The computer implemented method for of claim 1, wherein the at least one attribute of the redundant channel is an identifier of the redundant switch.

5. The computer implemented method for of claim 1, wherein the first switch is a primary virtual local area network (VLAN) switch, and the redundant switch is a secondary virtual local area network switch.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

initializing a kernel having a stream control transmission protocol kernel extension.

7. A computer program product for establishing a redundant channel from an application to a peer data processing system, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-usable medium having computer-usable program code embodied therewith, said computer-usable program, when executed by a data processing system, causes said data processing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving, by said data processing system, a communication channel status corresponding to an application, wherein the application has a first channel using local access across a first physical conduit to a first switch, wherein the communication channel status is, in part, an interrupt;

determining whether the redundant channel is present, wherein the redundant channel is configured to use a second physical conduit distinct from the first physical conduit for traffic of the application;

determining whether the redundant channel is configured to use the second physical conduit as local access to a redundant switch, wherein the redundant switch is not the first switch, responsive to a determination that the redundant channel is present;

updating a communication channel list to include at least one attribute of the redundant channel, wherein the communication channel list is resident in the data processing system, responsive to a determination that the redundant channel is configured to use the second physical conduit;

determining that the first channel is timed-out based on an acknowledgment message failing to arrive within a time-out period, wherein such a determination is performed by the data processing system at a kernel level, responsive to a determination that the redundant channel is present; and

routing traffic of the application over the second physical conduit based on the communication channel list, responsive to a determination that the first channel is timed-out.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, said method further comprising:

establishing the first channel used by the application using a first physical conduit as a local access conduit to a first switch, wherein the communication channel status corresponds to the first channel.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein routing traffic of the application comprises retrying a message on the redundant channel.

10. The computer program product for of claim 7, wherein the at least one attribute of the redundant channel is an identifier of the redundant switch.

11. The computer program product for of claim 7, wherein the first switch is a primary virtual local area network (VLAN) switch, and the redundant switch is a secondary virtual local area network switch.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, said method further comprising:

initializing a kernel having a stream control transmission protocol kernel extension.

13. A data processing system comprising:

a bus;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein computer usable code is located in the storage device;

a communication unit connected to the bus; and

a processing unit connected to the bus, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable code for establishing a redundant channel from an application to a peer data processing system, wherein the processor executes computer usable code to receive, by a data processing system, a communication channel status corresponding to an application, wherein the application has a first channel using local access across a first physical conduit to a first switch, wherein the communication channel status is, in part, an interrupt;

determine whether the redundant channel is present, wherein the redundant channel is configured to use a second physical conduit distinct from the first physical conduit for traffic of the application;

determine whether the redundant channel is configured to use the second physical conduit as local access to a redundant switch, wherein the redundant switch is not the first switch, responsive to a determination that the redundant channel is present;

update a communication channel list to include at least one attribute of the redundant channel, wherein the communication channel list is resident in the data processing system, responsive to a determination that the redundant channel is configured to use the second physical conduit;

wherein the processor further executes computer usable code to determine that the first channel is timed-out based on an acknowledgment message failing to arrive within a time-out period, wherein such a determination is performed by the data processing system at a kernel level, responsive to a determination that the redundant channel is present; and

rout traffic of the application over the second physical conduit based on the communication channel list, responsive to a determination that the first channel is timed-out.

14. The data processing system claim 13, wherein the processor further executes computer usable code to establish the first channel used by the application using a first physical conduit as a local access conduit to a first switch, wherein the communication channel status corresponds to the first channel.

15. The data processing system claim 13, wherein routing traffic of the application comprises retrying a message on the redundant channel.

16. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the at least one attribute of the redundant channel is an identifier of the redundant switch.

17. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the first switch is a primary virtual local area network (VLAN) switch, and the redundant switch is a secondary virtual local area network switch.

18. The data processing system claim 13, wherein the processor further executes computer usable code to initialize a kernel having a stream control transmission protocol kernel extension.