Method and apparatus for providing in-memory checkpoint services within a distributed transaction

• US 8,504,873 B1
• Filed: 01/09/2012
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Operating Corporation (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Deolasee, Pavan Vijaykumar
• Primary Examiner(s): CHU, GABRIEL L
• Application Number:
  US13/346,391
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 714/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/466 Transaction processing

Abstract

A method and apparatus for performing in-memory checkpoint services as a callable resource within a distributed transaction. As such, in-memory checkpoint processes can be utilized by an application as the application would use any resource available to the computer network via a distributed transaction.

Claims

1. A method for performing distributed transactions, comprising:

sending a first resource call from an application to a transaction manager, wherein

the first resource call requests a first resource,

the first resource comprises a database,

the application executes on a server, and

the first resource call is part of a first distributed transaction; and

sending a second resource call from the application to the transaction manager, wherein

the second resource call requests a second resource,

the second resource comprises an in-memory checkpoint subsystem,

the in-memory checkpoint subsystem is configured to store checkpoint data of the application,

the checkpoint data comprises memory information of the application at a particular instant in time, and

the second resource call is part of the first distributed transaction.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a report from the transaction manager, wherein

the report indicates whether the first distributed transaction can complete without failure.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a resource session between the transaction manager and a resource manager, in response to the first resource call, wherein

the resource manager is associated with the first resource.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein

the first resource call comprises a request to perform a database update, and

the resource manager supplies a database service to the application.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the checkpoint data reflects the request to perform the database update.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the resource session is established via an interface supported by at least one of J2EE, CORBA and X/Open.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a resource session between the transaction manager and a resource manager, in response to the second resource call, wherein

the resource manager is associated with the second resource,

the second resource call comprises a request to perform an in-memory checkpoint process, and

the resource manager supplies an in-memory checkpoint service to the application.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein

the in-memory checkpoint subsystem is configured to execute on the server, and

the in-memory checkpoint subsystem is further configured to send the checkpoint data of the application to a backup server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first distributed transaction is sent to the transaction manager via a TX interface.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

committing the first distributed transaction to the database and the in-memory checkpoint subsystem, in response to a determination that the first distributed transaction can complete without failure; and

rolling back the first distributed transaction, in response to a determination that the first distributed transaction cannot complete without failure.

11. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media that store computer executable instructions, wherein one or more computer systems implement a method for performing distributed transactions in response to executing the instructions, the method comprising:

sending a first resource call from an application to a transaction manager, wherein

the first resource call requests a first resource,

the first resource comprises a database,

the application executes on a server, and

the first resource call is part of a first distributed transaction; and

sending a second resource call from the application to the transaction manager, wherein

the second resource call requests a second resource,

the second resource comprises an in-memory checkpoint subsystem,

the in-memory checkpoint subsystem is configured to store checkpoint data of the application,

the checkpoint data comprises memory information of the application at a particular instant in time, and

the second resource call is part of the first distributed transaction.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a report from the transaction manager, wherein

the report indicates whether the first distributed transaction can complete without failure.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

establishing a resource session between the transaction manager and a resource manager, in response to the first resource call, wherein

the resource manager is associated with the first resource.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein

the first resource call comprises a request to perform a database update, and

the resource manager supplies a database service to the application.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the checkpoint data reflects the request to perform the database update.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the resource session is established via an interface supported by at least one of J2EE, CORBA and X/Open.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

establishing a resource session between the transaction manager and a resource manager, in response to the second resource call, wherein

the resource manager is associated with the second resource,

the second resource call comprises a request to perform an in-memory checkpoint process, and

the resource manager supplies an in-memory checkpoint service to the application.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the first distributed transaction is sent to the transaction manager via a TX interface.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

committing the first distributed transaction to the database and the in-memory checkpoint subsystem, in response to a determination that the first distributed transaction can complete without failure; and

rolling back the first distributed transaction, in response to a determination that the first distributed transaction cannot complete without failure.

20. A system for performing distributed transactions, comprising:

an application program executing on a server, wherein the application program is configured to

send a first resource call to a transaction manager, wherein

the first resource call requests a first resource,

the first resource comprises a database, and

the first resource call is part of a first distributed transaction; and

send a second resource call to the transaction manager, wherein

the second resource call requests a second resource,

the second resource comprises an in-memory checkpoint subsystem,

the in-memory checkpoint subsystem is configured to store checkpoint data of the application program,

the checkpoint data comprises memory information of the application program at a particular instant in time,

the second resource call is part of the first distributed transaction, and

the application program is non-transitory; and

the transaction manager, wherein the transaction manager is coupled to the application program by a first interface, and wherein the application program is configured to send the first distributed transaction to the transaction manager.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein

the application program is configured to receive a report from the transaction manager, wherein

the report indicates whether the first distributed transaction can complete without failure.