Synchronizing an active feed adapter and a backup feed adapter in a high speed, low latency data communications environment

• US 8,676,876 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2006
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dekel, Eliezer, Duigenan, John J., Gershinsky, Gidon, Krits, Alexander, Naaman, Nir, Okunseinde, Foluso O., Pike, Hilary A., Wright, Cornell G. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thai
• Application Number:
  US11/426,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20080010487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,821 Days
• Field of Search: 714/4, 7141001- 42, 709217-219, 709227-229, 719313-317
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for synchronizing an active feed adapter and a backup feed adapter in a high speed, low latency data communications environment that include brokering, by a stream administration server, establishment of an active message stream to a subscribing client device from an active feed adapter, the active message stream capable of communicating active application messages; brokering, by the server, establishment of a backup message stream to the client device from a backup feed adapter, the backup message stream capable of communicating backup application messages; receiving an active feed adapter state in backup messaging middleware of the backup adapter from active messaging middleware of the active adapter; determining, by the backup feed adapter, whether a backup feed adapter state is synchronized with the active feed adapter state; and administering, by the backup feed adapter, operation of the backup adapter in dependence upon the determining.

Claims

1. A method of synchronizing an active feed adapter and a backup feed adapter, the method comprising:

brokering, by a stream administration server, establishment of an active message stream to a subscribing client device from an active feed adapter;

brokering, by the stream administration server, establishment of a backup message stream to the subscribing client device from a backup feed adapter;

converting, by the active feed adapter, messages received from a feed source to generate the active message stream;

converting, by the backup feed adapter, messages received from the feed source to generate the backup message stream;

while the active feed adapter transmits the active message stream to the subscribing client device and the backup feed adapter transmits the backup message stream to the subscribing client device, the active feed adapter sending state data of the active feed adapter to the backup feed adapter, wherein the state data of the active feed adapter comprises an active message stream state characterized by an active message sequence number and an active source stream sequence number of the next message in the active message stream for transmission to the subscribing client device;

determining, by the backup feed adapter, whether the backup message stream is synchronized with the active message stream based, at least in part, on whether the state data of the active feed adapter corresponds to state data for the backup feed adapter, wherein the state data of the backup feed adapter comprises a backup message stream state characterized by a backup message sequence number and a backup source stream sequence number of the next message in the backup message stream for transmission to the subscribing client device,

wherein said determining, by the backup feed adapter, whether the backup message stream is synchronized with the active message stream based, at least in part, on whether the state data of the active feed adapter corresponds to state data for the backup feed adapter comprises determining, by the backup feed adapter, whether a combination of the active message sequence number and the active source stream sequence number of the next message in the active message stream for transmission to the subscribing client device corresponds to the backup message sequence number and the backup source stream sequence number of the next message in the backup message stream for transmission to the subscribing client device; and

administering, by the backup feed adapter, operation of the backup feed adapter in dependence upon whether the backup message stream is synchronized with the active message stream.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein,

wherein said converting, by the active feed adapter, messages received from the feed source to generate the active message stream comprises the active adapter converting the messages received from the feed source from a first format into a second format;

wherein said converting, by the backup feed adapter, messages received from the feed source to generate the backup message stream comprises converting the messages received from the feed source from the first format to the second format.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said administering operation of the backup feed adapter comprises reducing a backup stream transmission rate of the backup feed adapter if the backup feed adapter has previously transmitted a message in the backup message stream having a value for the backup source sequence number that matches the value for the active source sequence number of the active message stream state data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the state data of the active feed adapter also comprises an active message conversion application state of an active message conversion application of the active feed adapter;

the state data of the backup feed adapter also comprises a backup message conversion application state of a backup message conversion application of the backup feed adapter;

said determining whether the state data of the backup feed adapter corresponds to the state data of the active feed adapter state further comprises determining whether the active message conversion application state matches the backup message conversion application state; and

said administering operation of the backup feed adapter comprises setting the backup message conversion application state to match the active message conversion application state if the state data of the backup feed adapter state does not correspond to the state data of the active feed adapter.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

brokering, by the stream administration server, establishment of a set of one or more additional backup message streams to the subscribing client device from a set of one or more additional backup feed adapters;

receiving, from each backup feed adapter, a backup message conversion application health state of each other backup feed adapter;

wherein said administering operation of the backup feed adapter further comprises failing one of the backup feed adapters in dependence upon the backup message conversion application health state of each backup feed adapter if the state data of the backup feed adapter does not correspond to the state data of the active feed adapter.

6. Apparatus for synchronizing an active feed adapter and a backup feed adapter, the apparatus comprising one or more computer processors, one or more computer memories operatively coupled to the one or more computer processors, the one or more computer memories having disposed within them computer program instructions executable by the one or more computer processors to cause the apparatus to:

broker establishment of an active message stream to a subscribing client device from an active feed adapter;

broker establishment of a backup message stream to the subscribing client device from a backup feed adapter;

while the active feed adapter transmits the active message stream to the subscribing client device and the backup feed adapter transmits the backup message stream to the subscribing client device, cause the active feed adapter to send an active feed adapter state to the backup feed adapter, and the backup feed adapter to determine whether the backup message stream is synchronized with the active message stream based, at least in part, on the active feed adapter state and a backup feed adapter state,

wherein the state data of the active feed adapter comprises an active message stream state characterized by an active message sequence number and an active source stream sequence number of the next message in the active message stream for transmission to the subscribing client device,

wherein the state data of the backup feed adapter comprises a backup message stream state characterized by a backup message sequence number and a backup source stream sequence number of the next message in the backup message stream for transmission to the subscribing client device,

wherein the computer program instructions executable to cause the apparatus to cause the backup feed adapter to determine whether the backup message stream is synchronized with the active message stream based, at least in part, on the state data of the active feed adapter and the state data for the backup feed adapter comprises the computer program instructions executable to cause the apparatus to cause the backup feed adapter to determine whether a combination of the active message sequence number and the active source stream sequence number of the next message in the active message stream for transmission to the subscribing client device corresponds to the backup message sequence number and the backup source stream sequence number of the next message in the backup message stream for transmission to the subscribing client device; and

administer operation of the backup feed adapter in dependence upon whether the backup message stream is synchronized with the active message stream.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein:

the computer program instructions executable to cause the apparatus to administer operations of the backup feed adapter comprises the computer program instructions executable to cause the apparatus to set the backup message stream state to match the active message stream state if the backup feed adapter state does not correspond to the active feed adapter state.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the computer program instructions executable to cause the apparatus to administer operation of the backup feed adapter comprises the computer program instructions executable to cause the apparatus to reduce a backup stream transmission rate of the backup feed adapter if the backup feed adapter has previously transmitted a backup application message having a value for the backup source sequence number that matches the value for an active source sequence number of the active message stream state.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein:

the active feed adapter state further comprises an active message conversion application state of an active message conversion application of the active feed adapter;

the backup feed adapter state further comprises an backup message conversion application state of an backup message conversion application of the backup feed adapter;

determine whether the backup feed adapter state corresponds to the active feed adapter state comprises the computer program instructions executable to cause the apparatus to determine whether the active message conversion application state matches the backup message conversion application state; and

the computer program instructions executable to cause the apparatus to administer operation of the backup feed adapter comprises computer program instructions executable to cause the apparatus to set the backup message conversion application state to match the active message conversion application state if the backup feed adapter state does not correspond to the active feed adapter state.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the computer program instructions further comprising computer program instructions executable to cause the apparatus to:

broker establishment of a set of one or more additional backup message streams to the subscribing client device from a set of one or more additional backup feed adapters;

direct the backup feed adapters to communicate their backup message conversion application health state to each other;

wherein the computer program instructions executable to cause the apparatus to administering operation of the backup feed adapter further comprises the computer program instructions executable to cause the apparatus to fail one of the backup feed adapters in dependence upon the backup message conversion application health state of each backup feed adapter if the backup feed adapter state does not correspond to the active feed adapter state.

11. A computer program product for synchronizing an active feed adapter and a backup feed adapter, the computer program product disposed upon a non-transitory machine-readable, recordable medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions to:

broker establishment of an active message stream to a subscribing client device from an active feed adapter;

broker establishment of a backup message stream to the subscribing client device from a backup feed adapter;

while the active feed adapter transmits the active message stream to the subscribing client device and the backup feed adapter transmits the backup message stream to the subscribing client device, cause the active feed adapter to send an active feed adapter state to the backup feed adapter, and the backup feed adapter to determine whether the backup message stream is synchronized with the active message stream based, at least in part, on the active feed adapter state and a backup feed adapter state,

wherein the state data of the active feed adapter comprises an active message stream state characterized by an active message sequence number and an active source stream sequence number of the next message in the active message stream for transmission to the subscribing client device,

wherein the state data of the backup feed adapter comprises a backup message stream state characterized by a backup message sequence number and a backup source stream sequence number of the next message in the backup message stream for transmission to the subscribing client device,

wherein the computer program instructions to cause the backup feed adapter to determine whether the backup message stream is synchronized with the active message stream based, at least in part, on the state data of the active feed adapter and the state data for the backup feed adapter comprises computer program instructions to cause the backup feed adapter to determine whether a combination of the active message sequence number and the active source stream sequence number of the next message in the active message stream for transmission to the subscribing client device corresponds to the backup message sequence number and the backup source stream sequence number of the next message in the backup message stream for transmission to the subscribing client device; and

administer operation of the backup feed adapter in dependence upon whether the backup message stream is synchronized with the active message stream.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein:

the computer program instructions to administer operations of the backup feed adapter comprises computer program instructions to set the backup message stream state to match the active message stream state if the backup feed adapter state does not correspond to the active feed adapter state.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the computer program instructions to administer operation of the backup feed adapter comprises computer program instructions to reduce a backup stream transmission rate of the backup feed adapter if the backup feed adapter has previously transmitted a backup application message having a value for the backup source sequence number that matches the value for an active source sequence number of the active message stream state.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein:

the active feed adapter state further comprises an active message conversion application state of an active message conversion application of the active feed adapter;

the backup feed adapter state further comprises an backup message conversion application state of an backup message conversion application of the backup feed adapter;

the computer program instructions to determine whether the backup feed adapter state corresponds to the active feed adapter state comprises computer program instructions to determine whether the active message conversion application state matches the backup message conversion application state; and

the computer program instructions to administer operation of the backup feed adapter comprises computer program instructions to set the backup message conversion application state to match the active message conversion application state if the backup feed adapter state does not correspond to the active feed adapter state.

15. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the computer program instructions further comprise computer program instructions to:

broker establishment of a set of one or more additional backup message streams to the subscribing client device from a set of one or more additional backup feed adapters;

direct the backup feed adapters to communicate their backup message conversion application health state to each other;

wherein the computer program instructions to administer operation of the backup feed adapter further comprises the computer program instructions to fail one of the backup feed adapters in dependence upon the backup message conversion application health state of each backup feed adapter if the backup feed adapter state does not correspond to the active feed adapter state.