Redundant systems management frameworks for network environments

• US 8,112,518 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Underhill, William Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Whipple, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US12/242,796
• Publication Number:
  US 20090164565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-226
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/042 comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0661 by reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A redundant systems management framework and method for managing a target system includes an active agent configured to receive instructions from an active central server to perform management tasks on the target system and a plurality of meta-agents provided on the target system. Each meta-agent is an endpoint on the target system and is configured to monitor a corresponding central server, and to reassign the active agent to another central server upon failure of the active central server. The central servers may also monitor each other for proper operation. Each meta-agent also is configured to monitor the active agent and to revive or restart the active agent upon detecting a failure of the active agent.

Claims

1. A method for managing a target system, said method comprising:

providing a systems management framework of a data processing system, wherein the systems management framework comprises;

said target system that includes an active agent and a plurality of meta-agents,

a plurality of central servers that includes an active central server into which the active agent is logged, and

a redirection layer configured to connect the active agent to the plurality of central servers, wherein each central server comprises an endpoint specific to each other central server in a one-to-one relationship for monitoring each other central server, wherein each meta-agent is configured to monitor the active agent for failure of the active agent, and wherein each meta-agent corresponds to and is connected to a unique central server of the plurality of central servers;

said active agent receiving instructions from the active central server to perform management tasks on the target system, wherein the instructions are received by the active agent are from the active central server over a connection path through the redirection layer, and wherein said receiving instructions is implemented by a processor of the data processing system;

a first meta-agent of the plurality of meta-agents monitoring the active agent;

said first meta-agent detecting, from said monitoring the active agent, a failure of operation of the active agent; and

in response to said detecting the failure of operation of the active agent, said first meta-agent reviving or restarting the active agent.

2. A method for managing a target system, said method comprising:

providing a systems management framework of a data processing system, wherein the systems management framework comprises;

said target system that includes an active agent and a plurality of meta-agents,

a plurality of central servers that includes an active central server into which the active agent is logged, and

a redirection layer configured to connect the active agent to the plurality of central servers, wherein each central server comprises an endpoint specific to each other central server in a one-to-one relationship for monitoring each other central server, wherein each meta-agent is configured to monitor the active agent for failure of the active agent, and

wherein each meta-agent corresponds to and is connected to a unique central server of the plurality of central servers;

said active agent receiving instructions from the active central server to perform management tasks on the target system, wherein the instructions are received by the active agent are from the active central server over a connection path through the redirection layer, and wherein said receiving instructions is implemented by a processor of the data processing system;

a first central server of the plurality of central servers monitoring the active central server,

said first central server detecting, from said monitoring the active central server, a failure of operation of the active central server; and

in response to said detecting the failure of the active central server, replacing the active server with a newly active central server of the plurality of central servers, wherein the active central server is a different central server than the first central server and the newly active central server.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said replacing comprises:

said first central server directing the meta-agent corresponding to the first central server to reconfigure the active agent to receive instructions from the newly active central server to perform said management tasks on the target system; and

in response to the meta-agent corresponding to the first central server being directed to reconfigure the active agent to receive instructions from the newly active central server to perform said management tasks on the target system, said meta-agent corresponding to the first central server reconfiguring the active agent to receive instructions from the newly active central server to perform said management tasks on the target system.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the newly active central server and the first central server are different central servers.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the newly active central server consists of the first central server.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of central servers comprises at least three central servers.

7. A data processing system, comprising a systems management framework, a processor, and a computer readable memory unit containing computer readable program code configured to be executed by the processor to implement a method for managing a target system via use of the systems management framework,

wherein the systems management framework comprises:

a target system that includes an active agent and a plurality of meta-agents;

a plurality of central servers that includes an active central server into which the active agent is logged; and

a redirection layer configured to connect the active agent to the plurality of central servers, wherein each central server comprises an endpoint specific to each other central server in a one-to-one relationship for monitoring each other central server, wherein each meta-agent is configured to monitor the active agent for failure of the active agent, and wherein each meta-agent corresponds to and is connected to a unique central server of the plurality of central servers, and wherein the method comprises;

said active agent receiving instructions from the active central server to perform management tasks on the target system, wherein the instructions are received by the active agent are from the active central server over a connection path through the redirection layer;

a first meta-agent of the plurality of meta-agents monitoring the active agent;

said first meta-agent detecting, from said monitoring the active agent, a failure of operation of the active agent; and

in response to said detecting the failure of operation of the active agent, said first meta-agent reviving or restarting the active agent.

8. A data processing system, comprising a systems management framework, a processor, and a computer readable memory unit containing computer readable program code configured to be executed by the processor to implement a method for managing a target system via use of the systems management framework,

wherein the systems management framework comprises:

a target system that includes an active agent and a plurality of meta-agents;

a plurality of central servers that includes an active central server into which the active agent is logged; and

a redirection layer configured to connect the active agent to the plurality of central servers, wherein each central server comprises an endpoint specific to each other central server in a one-to-one relationship for monitoring each other central server, wherein each meta-agent is configured to monitor the active agent for failure of the active agent, and wherein each meta-agent corresponds to and is connected to a unique central server of the plurality of central servers, and wherein the method comprises;

said active agent receiving instructions from the active central server to perform management tasks on the target system, wherein the instructions are received by the active agent are from the active central server over a connection path through the redirection layer;

a first central server of the plurality of central servers monitoring the active central server;

said first central server detecting, from said monitoring the active central server, a failure of operation of the active central server; and

in response to said detecting the failure of the active central server, replacing the active server with a newly active central server of the plurality of central servers, wherein the active central server is a different central server than the first central server and the newly active central server.

9. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein said replacing comprises:

said first central server directing the meta-agent corresponding to the first central server to reconfigure the active agent to receive instructions from the newly active central server to perform said management tasks on the target system; and

in response to the meta-agent corresponding to the first central server being directed to reconfigure the active agent to receive instructions from the newly active central server to perform said management tasks on the target system, said meta-agent corresponding to the first central server reconfiguring the active agent to receive instructions from the newly active central server to perform said management tasks on the target system.

10. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the newly active central server and the first central server are different central servers.

11. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the newly active central server consists of the first central server.

12. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of central servers comprises at least three central servers.

13. A tangible storage device, comprising computer readable program code configured to be executed by a processor of a data processing system to implement a method for managing a target system via use of the systems management framework,

wherein the systems management framework comprises:

a target system that includes an active agent and a plurality of meta-agents;

a plurality of central servers that includes an active central server into which the active agent is logged; and

a redirection layer configured to connect the active agent to the plurality of central servers, wherein each central server comprises an endpoint specific to each other central server in a one-to-one relationship for monitoring each other central server, wherein each meta-agent is configured to monitor the active agent for failure of the active agent, and wherein each meta-agent corresponds to and is connected to a unique central server of the plurality of central servers, and wherein the method comprises;

said active agent receiving instructions from the active central server to perform management tasks on the target system, wherein the instructions are received by the active agent are from the active central server over a connection path through the redirection layer;

a first meta-agent of the plurality of meta-agents monitoring the active agent;

said first meta-agent detecting, from said monitoring the active agent, a failure of operation of the active agent; and

in response to said detecting the failure of operation of the active agent, said first meta-agent reviving or restarting the active agent.

14. A tangible storage device, comprising computer readable program code configured to be executed by a processor of a data processing system to implement a method for managing a target system via use of the systems management framework,

wherein the systems management framework comprises:

a target system that includes an active agent and a plurality of meta-agents;

a plurality of central servers that includes an active central server into which the active agent is logged; and

a redirection layer configured to connect the active agent to the plurality of central servers, wherein each central server comprises an endpoint specific to each other central server in a one-to-one relationship for monitoring each other central server, wherein each meta-agent is configured to monitor the active agent for failure of the active agent, and wherein each meta-agent corresponds to and is connected to a unique central server of the plurality of central servers, and wherein the method comprises;

said active agent receiving instructions from the active central server to perform management tasks on the target system, wherein the instructions are received by the active agent are from the active central server over a connection path through the redirection layer;

a first central server of the plurality of central servers monitoring the active central server;

said first central server detecting, from said monitoring the active central server, a failure of operation of the active central server; and

in response to said detecting the failure of the active central server, replacing the active server with a newly active central server of the plurality of central servers, wherein the active central server is a different central server than the first central server and the newly active central server.

15. The storage device of claim 14, wherein said replacing comprises:

said first central server directing the meta-agent corresponding to the first central server to reconfigure the active agent to receive instructions from the newly active central server to perform said management tasks on the target system; and

in response to the meta-agent corresponding to the first central server being directed to reconfigure the active agent to receive instructions from the newly active central server to perform said management tasks on the target system, said meta-agent corresponding to the first central server reconfiguring the active agent to receive instructions from the newly active central server to perform said management tasks on the target system.

16. The storage device of claim 14, wherein the newly active central server and the first central server are different central servers.

17. The storage device of claim 14, wherein the newly active central server consists of the first central server.

18. The storage device of claim 14, wherein the plurality of central servers comprises at least three central servers.