Self-healing failover using a repository and dependency management system

• US 8,448,014 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2010
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gawor, Jaroslaw, Sun, Lin, McMahan, Paul Franklin
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, KAMINI B
• Application Number:
  US12/766,123
• Publication Number:
  US 20110264953A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 714/4.11
• US Class Current: 714/4.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component

Abstract

Systems, devices, methods, and articles of manufacture employing repair modules are provided. The modules may be automatically deployed in conjunction with dependency mechanisms upon identifying a malfunctioning application. The modules may be specifically tailored for certain diagnosis or repair and may be selected for deployment to a second application using information regarding the malfunction of a first application.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a processor; and

system memory containing instructions to be executed by the processor, the system memory coupled to the processor,

wherein, when running instructions contained in system memory, the processor, upon receiving notification that a first application provided over a network is malfunctioning, specifies and deploys a second application to be provided over the network,

the second application running on a backup server,

the second application being deployed with one or more manifest dependencies to a first medic module, the first medic module serving to at least diagnose or repair the first application,

wherein an identified malfunction of the first application is used to select the first medic module for deployment with the second application, and

wherein the first medic module is specific to the specific malfunction identified.

2. The device of claim 1,

wherein the first medic module is specified prior to setting the dependency by the processor for a category of repair or diagnosis, and

wherein the second application is on standby on the backup server.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein, the first medic module gathers data from a utility previously monitoring the first application, and the first medic module using the data to diagnose or repair the first application.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the second application is deployed with a manifest dependency to a second medic module and with a manifest dependency to a third medic module, the first medic module, the second medic module, and the third medic module each configured to diagnose and repair separate malfunctions of a first application.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the medic module is a plug-in, and

wherein the first application is running on a first server and the second application is running on a second server, and

wherein the device stores a plurality of medic modules and nonmedic module plug-ins.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the second application is also deployed with a manifest dependency to a plug-in.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the processor considers a malfunction identification from a monitoring utility prior to selecting the first medic module.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein the medic module is selected to diagnose or repair the malfunction identified by the malfunctioning utility.

9. The device of claim 5 wherein

the first application runs on a server accessible over a network, and

the second application runs on a server accessible over a network, and

wherein the medic module is stored in system memory with other plug-ins including one or more of the following plug-ins:

language support, portlets, an editor, or documentation for how to use a product.

17. The method of claim 6 wherein the medic module is selected to diagnose or repair the malfunction identified by the malfunctioning utility.

10. A method comprising:

loading instructions from system memory to a processor, the instructions to be executed by the processor, the system memory coupled to the processor, and

upon receiving notification that a first application provided over a network is malfunctioning, specifying and deploying a second application to be provided over the network,

the second application being deployed with one or more dependencies to a first medic module, the first medic module serving to at least diagnose or repair the first application,

wherein an identified malfunction of the first application is used to select the first medic module for deployment with the second application, and

wherein the second application is on standby on a backup server prior to deployment.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first medic module is specified prior to setting the dependency by the processor, for a category of repair or diagnosis,

and wherein the first medic module is applicable to the specific malfunction identified.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the first medic module gathers data from a utility previously monitoring the first application, and the first medic module using the data to diagnose or repair the first application.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein

the second application is deployed with a manifest dependency to a second medic module and with a manifest dependency to a third medic module,

the first medic module, the second medic module, and the third medic module each configured to diagnose and repair separate malfunctions of a first application.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the medic module is a plug-in, and

wherein the first application is running on a first server and the second application is running on a second server, and

wherein the device stores a plurality of plug-ins, the plug-ins including medic modules and nonmedic modules.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the second application is also deployed with a manifest dependency to a plug-in.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the processor considers a malfunction identification from a monitoring utility prior to selecting the first medic module.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the second application being deployed is deployed with one or more manifest dependencies to the first medic module.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein

the first application runs on a server accessible over a network, and

the second application runs on a server accessible over a network, and

wherein the medic module is stored in system memory with other plug-ins including one or more of the following plug-ins:

language support, portlets, an editor, or documentation for how to use a product.