Method and system for minimizing or eliminating downtime when updating a website

• US 8,701,103 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Hsu, Jack P., Milman, Ilya, Deshmukh, Sonali, Blank, Izrail
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Qing
• Application Number:
  US11/932,226
• Time in Patent Office: 2,358 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178, 709217-219, 709238-244
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3696 Methods or tools to render software testable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs

Abstract

Websites, including supporting databases, are updated with little or no downtime. In one aspect, a database is replicated prior to updating, so that updates can be performed on one copy while the other remains operational. In another aspect, the data remains in one location while an application programming interface for interacting with the data using new software code is introduced. Another application programming interface remains operational while the update is taking place. Public and private synonyms are used to direct web traffic to the appropriate application programming interface during the update process.

Claims

1. A method for implementing a web site update, the web site being available via a plurality of servers, the method comprising:

at a database, establishing a first application programming interface referencing a set of data stored at the database, wherein the set of data is in a first format, and wherein the first application programming interface uses a first code release to access the set of data in the first format;

at the database, configuring a first synonym to cause a processor to refer inbound transaction requests arriving at the database to the first application programming interface;

splitting the plurality of servers into a first subset of the plurality of servers and a second subset of the plurality of servers, including;

designating the first subset of the plurality of servers as a live cluster;

disabling public access to the second subset of the plurality of servers; and

in a processor running at a website traffic director, redirecting website traffic to the live cluster;

privately updating the website through the second subset of the plurality of servers while the website traffic is redirected to the live cluster, including;

updating software code on the second subset of the plurality of servers to a second code release;

determining that a table structure of the set of data is to be changed to a new table structure as part of the web site update;

accessing data transformation code developed for the website update, wherein the data transformation code includes one or more data transforms; and

applying a data transform from the data transformation code to the set of data to move the set of data from the first format to a different second format to match the new table structure;

at the database, establishing a second application programming interface referencing the set of data stored at the database, wherein the second application programming interface uses the second code release;

at the database, configuring a second synonym to cause a processor to refer inbound transaction requests arriving at the database to the second application programming interface; and

re-enabling public access to the second subset of the plurality of servers.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, subsequent to re-enabling public access to the second subset of the plurality of servers:

disabling public access to the first subset of the plurality of servers;

updating software code on the first subset of the plurality of servers to the second code release;

re-enabling public access to the first subset of the plurality of servers; and

in the processor running at the website traffic director, distributing the website traffic among the first subset of the plurality of servers and the second subset of the plurality of servers.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the website traffic director comprises a network load balancer.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising, prior to disabling public access to the first subset of the plurality of servers:

completing at least one transaction already in progress at the first subset of the plurality of servers.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, subsequent to re-enabling public access to the second subset of the plurality of servers:

disabling public access to the first subset of the plurality of servers;

updating software code on the first subset of the plurality of servers to the second code release;

re-enabling public access to the first subset of the plurality of servers; and

consolidating the first subset of the plurality of servers and the second subset of the plurality of servers into a single set of a plurality of servers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first synonym comprises a publicly available synonym, and wherein the second synonym comprises a private synonym.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

subsequent to configuring the second synonym to refer inbound transaction requests arriving at the database to the second application programming interface, testing the updated software code using the private synonym at a server of the plurality of servers.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the database comprises at least one database table, and wherein the at least one database table comprises a table structure.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising, prior to referring inbound transaction requests arriving at the database to the second application programming interface, changing at least one table structure at the database.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein updating software code on the second subset of the plurality of servers comprises replacing the first code release with the second code release.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the website traffic is redirected to a plurality of servers that run the second code release.

12. A computer program product for implementing a website update, the website being available via a plurality of servers, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium; and

computer program code, encoded on the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, configured to cause at least one processor to perform the steps of;

establishing a first application programming interface referencing a set of data stored at a database, wherein the set of data is in a first format, and wherein the first application programming interface uses a first code release to access the set of data in the first format;

configuring a first synonym to cause a processor to refer inbound transaction requests arriving at the database to the first application programming interface;

splitting the plurality of servers into a first subset of the plurality of servers and a second subset of the plurality of servers, including;

designating the first subset of the plurality of servers as a live cluster;

disabling public access to the second subset of the plurality of servers; and

redirecting, by a website traffic director, website traffic to the live cluster;

privately updating the web site through the second subset of the plurality of servers while the website traffic is redirected to the live cluster, including;

updating software code on the second subset of the plurality of servers to a second code release;

determining that a table structure of the set of data is to be changed to a new table structure as part of the web site update;

accessing data transformation code developed for the website update, wherein the data transformation code includes one or more data transforms; and

applying a data transform from the data transformation code to the set of data to move the set of data from the first format to a different second format to match the new table structure;

establishing a second application programming interface referencing the set of data stored at the database, wherein the second application programming interface uses the second code release;

configuring a second synonym to cause a processor to refer inbound transaction requests arriving at the database to the second application programming interface; and

re-enabling public access to the second subset of the plurality of servers.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising computer program code configured to cause the at least one processor to perform the steps of, subsequent to enabling public access to the second subset of the plurality of servers:

disabling public access to the first subset of the plurality of servers;

updating software code on the first subset of the plurality of servers to the second code release;

re-enabling public access to the first subset of the plurality of servers; and

distributing the website traffic among the first subset of the plurality of servers and the second subset of the plurality of servers.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer program code configured to cause the at least one processor to distribute the website traffic among the first subset of the plurality of servers and the second subset of the plurality of servers comprises computer program code configured to cause the at least one processor to configure a network load balancer to distribute the website traffic among the first subset of the plurality of servers and the second subset of the plurality of servers.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising computer program code configured to cause the at least one processor to, prior to disabling public access to the first subset of the plurality of servers:

complete at least one transaction already in progress at the first subset of the plurality of servers.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising computer program code configured to cause the at least one processor to perform the steps of, subsequent to enabling public access to the second subset of the plurality of servers:

disabling public access to the first subset of the plurality of servers;

updating software code on the first subset of the plurality of servers to the second code release;

re-enabling public access to the first subset of the plurality of servers; and

consolidating the first subset of the plurality of servers and the second subset of the plurality of servers into a single set of a plurality of servers.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer program code configured to cause the at least one processor to update software code on the second subset of the plurality of servers comprises computer program code configured to cause the at least one processor to replace the first code release with the second code release.

18. A system for implementing a website update, the website being available via a plurality of servers, the system comprising:

a processor;

a first application programming interface installed at a database and referencing a set of data stored at the database, wherein the set of data is in a first format, and wherein the first application programming interface uses a first code release to access the set of data in the first format;

a website traffic director configured to;

configure a first synonym to cause a processor to refer inbound transaction requests arriving at the database to the first application programming interface; and

split the plurality of servers into a first subset of the plurality of servers and a second subset of the plurality of servers, including;

designate the first subset of the plurality of servers as a live cluster;

disable public access to the second subset of the plurality of servers; and

redirect website traffic to the live cluster;

a code release update module configured to privately update the web site through the second subset of the plurality of servers while the website traffic is redirected to the live cluster, including;

update software code on the second subset of the plurality of servers to a second code release;

determine that a table structure of the set of data is to be changed to a new table structure as part of the web site update;

access data transformation code developed for the website update, wherein the data transformation code includes one or more data transforms; and

apply a data transform from the data transformation code to the set of data to move the set of data from the first format to a different second format to match the new table structure; and

a second application programming interface installed at the database and referencing the set of data stored at the database, wherein the second application programming interface uses the second code release;

wherein, subsequent to the software code update, the website traffic director configures a second synonym to cause a processor to refer inbound transaction requests arriving at the database to the second application programming interface and re-enables public access to the second subset of the plurality of servers.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein, subsequent to enabling public access to the second subset of the plurality of servers:

the website traffic director disables public access to the first subset of the plurality of servers;

the code release update module updates software code on the first subset of the plurality of servers to the second code release; and

the website traffic director re-enables public access to the first subset of the plurality of servers and distributes the website traffic among the first subset of the plurality of servers and the second subset of the plurality of servers.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the website traffic director comprises a network load balancer.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the website traffic director consolidates the first subset of the plurality of servers and the second subset of the plurality of servers into a single set of a plurality of servers.

22. The system of claim 19, further comprising, prior to the website traffic director disabling public access to the first subset of the plurality of servers, the first subset of the plurality of servers completes at least one transaction already in progress.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the code release update module updates software code on the second subset of the plurality of servers by replacing the first code release with the second code release.