Systems and methods for providing high availability to instance-bound databases

• US 8,595,192 B1
• Filed: 12/01/2010
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Manmohan, Sarin Sumit
• Primary Examiner(s): Mamillapalli, Pavan
• Application Number:
  US12/957,581
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 707/809, 707/678, 718/101
• US Class Current: 707/678
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for providing high availability to instance-bound databases may include (1) identifying a first instance of a database server, the first instance hosting a plurality of databases, (2) identifying a second instance of the database server, (3) identifying at least one user database within the plurality of databases to fail over, and (4) migrating the user database to the second instance without migrating every database in the plurality of databases to the second instance. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing high availability to instance-bound databases, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

configuring a first instance of a database server to host a plurality of databases by;

storing at least one system database within the plurality of databases on a local storage system of the first instance, wherein the system database contains data necessary to manage the first instance;

storing at least one user database within the plurality of databases on a shared storage system that is accessible by the first instance;

identifying a second instance of the database server;

identifying a need to fail over the user database from the first instance to the second instance;

migrating the user database from the first instance to the second instance without migrating every database in the plurality of databases from the first instance to the second instance at least in part by binding a virtual network address corresponding to the user database to the second instance.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first instance is located on a first computing system and the second instance is located on a second computing system.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the first computing system comprises a first node in a cluster of nodes and the second computing system comprises a second node in the cluster of nodes.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a service group that includes the user database.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein migrating the user database comprises migrating each database within the service group.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein binding the virtual network address to the second instance comprises:

determining that the second instance is running;

quiescing the second instance before binding the virtual network address to the second instance;

resuming the second instance after binding the virtual network address to the second instance.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein migrating the user database from the first instance to the second instance comprises creating an alias for the second instance to correspond to a name of the first instance.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein creating the alias for the second instance comprises:

determining that the second instance is running;

quiescing the second instance before creating the alias for the second instance;

resuming the second instance after creating the alias for the second instance.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein migrating the user database from the first instance to the second instance comprises attaching the user database to the second instance.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the need to fail over the user database comprises at least one of:

identifying an operator-initiated request to migrate the user database;

identifying a failure of a resource used by the user database.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein migrating the user database from the first instance to the second instance comprises updating a system database on the second instance with information relating to the user database.

12. A system for providing high availability to instance-bound databases, the system comprising:

an identification module programmed to;

configure a first instance of a database server to host a plurality of databases by;

storing at least one system database within the plurality of databases on a local storage system of the first instance, wherein the system database contains data necessary to manage the first instance;

storing at least one user database within the plurality of databases on a shared storage system that is accessible by the first instance;

identify a second instance of the database server;

identify a need to fail over the user database from the first instance to the second instance;

a migration module programmed to migrate the user database from the first instance to the second instance without migrating every database in the plurality of databases from the first instance to the second instance at least in part by binding a virtual network address corresponding to the user database to the second instance;

at least one hardware processor configured to execute the identification module and the migration module.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first instance is located on a first computing system and the second instance is located on a second computing system.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first computing system comprises a first node in a cluster of nodes and the second computing system comprises a second node in the cluster of nodes.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the identification module is further programmed to identify a service group that includes the user database.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the migration module is programmed to migrate the user database by migrating each database within the service group.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable-storage medium comprising one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to:

configure a first instance of a database server to host a plurality of databases by;

storing at least one system database within the plurality of databases on a local storage system of the first instance, wherein the system database contains data necessary to manage the first instance;

storing at least one user database within the plurality of databases on a shared storage system that is accessible by the first instance;

identify a second instance of the database server;

identify a need to fail over the user database from the first instance to the second instance;

migrate the user database from the first instance to the second instance without migrating every database in the plurality of databases from the first instance to the second instance at least in part by binding a virtual network address corresponding to the user database to the second instance.