Systems and methods for server management

• US 8,732,162 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2011
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Harris, Adam Pierce
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain
• Assistant Examiner(s): WITZENBURG, BRUCE A
• Application Number:
  US13/180,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20120016905A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 707/694, 707/716, 707/770, 707/792, 707/966
• US Class Current: 707/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 Reaction to server failures by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/966 Distributed
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Exemplary systems and methods for server management are provided. An exemplary system comprises a plurality of servers, with each server having the ability to access a database or, in some embodiments, be configured to perform a calculation, computation or make a determination of a particular value, values or other information. A communications network delivers queries to each server whereby a look-up table directs query processing by the servers. Further embodiments of the system feature a program logic controller for rebalancing the workload of the network servers. Exemplary methods of processing queries on the system comprise submitting a query to the network, communicating the query to each server in the network and each server looking-up on a look-up table the processing responsibilities of the servers in the network. The query is processed by the server having primary responsibility for processing the query while other the servers monitor query processing. Transmission of a query result to a user typically completes the process.

Claims

1. A method for processing a user-generated query, the method comprising:

receiving the query at each of a plurality of servers in a network, where each of the plurality of servers includes;

a database storing one or more data segments accessed during server query processing, and

a look-up table stored in memory for directing server query processing upon receipt of the user-generated query communicated to each of the plurality of servers, wherein the look-up table;

allocates an allotment of time to each server to process the user-generated query,

establishes a single redundancy level for the plurality of servers, wherein the single redundancy level includes a first server from the plurality of servers assigned primary responsibility for processing the user-generated query and a second server from the plurality of servers assigned secondary responsibility for processing the user-generated query when the first server fails to process the user-generated query within the allocated time,

establishes a double redundancy level for the plurality of servers, the double redundancy level including a third server of the plurality of servers assigned tertiary responsibility for processing the user-generated query when the first server having primary responsibility and the second server having secondary responsibility for server query processing fail to process the user-generated query within the allocated time,

establishes a master server from the plurality of servers containing a master database, wherein the master server processes the user-generated query when the servers having assigned primary, secondary, and tertiary responsibility for server query processing fail to process the user-generated query within the allocated time, and the master server is accessible by all other servers, at least one of the other servers accessing the master database when the master server fails to process the query, and the at least one of the other servers processes and delivers the necessary data so that no query is left unprocessed; and

determining the identity of the first server

processing the user-generated query at the first server;

transmitting a query result to the user who submitted the user-generated query; and

resetting each of the plurality of servers for processing of a subsequent user-generated query upon successful processing of the user-generated query.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-generated query is received at each of the plurality of servers via a multicast transmission.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-generated query is received at each of the plurality of servers via a broadcast transmission.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring the processing of the user-generated query, wherein monitoring the processing of the query is performed by a peer server having no assigned responsibility for processing the query.

5. A system for processing a user-generated query, the system comprising:

a plurality of servers coupled to a communications network, and that;

receive a user-generated query,

process the user-generated query as directed by a look-up table, and

transmit a query result to a user who submitted the user-generated query, wherein each of the plurality of servers is reset for processing of a subsequent user-generated query upon successful processing of the query, and each of the plurality of servers includes;

a database storing one or more data segments accessed during server query processing, and

a look-up table stored in memory for directing server query processing upon receipt of the user-generated query communicated to each of the plurality of servers, wherein the look-up table;

allocates an allotment of time to each server to process the user-generated query,

establishes a single redundancy level for the plurality of servers, wherein the single redundancy level includes a first server of the plurality of servers assigned primary responsibility for processing the user-generated query and a second server of the plurality of servers assigned secondary responsibility for processing the user-generated query when the first server fails to process the user-generated query within the allocated time,

establishes a double redundancy level for the plurality of servers, the double redundancy level including a third server of the plurality of servers assigned tertiary responsibility for processing the user-generated query when the first server having primary responsibility and the second server having secondary responsibility for server query fail to process the user-generated query within the allocated time, and

establishes a master server from the plurality of servers containing a master database, wherein the master server processes the user-generated query when the servers having assigned primary, secondary, and tertiary responsibility for server query processing fail to process the user-generated query within the allocated time, and the master server is accessible by all other servers, at least one of the other servers accessing the master database when the master server fails to process the query, and the at least one of the other servers processes and delivers the necessary data so that no query is left unprocessed.

6. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for processing a user-generated query, the method comprising:

receiving the query at each of a plurality of servers;

allocating an allotment of time to each server to process the user-generated query;

establishing a single redundancy level for the plurality of servers, wherein the single redundancy level includes a first server of the plurality of servers assigned primary responsibility for processing the user-generated query and a second server of the plurality of servers assigned secondary responsibility for processing the user-generated query when the first server fails to process the user-generated query within the allocated time;

establishing a double redundancy level for the plurality of servers, the double redundancy level including a third server of the plurality of servers assigned tertiary responsibility for processing the user-generated query when the first server having primary responsibility and the second server having secondary responsibility for server query processing fail to process the user-generated query within the allocated time;

establishing a master server from the plurality of servers containing a master database, wherein the master server processes assigned responsibility for processing the user-generated query when the servers having assigned primary, secondary, and tertiary responsibility for server query processing fail to process the user-generated query within the allocated time, and the master server is accessible by all other servers, at least one of the other servers accessing the master database when the master server fails to process the query, and the at least one of the other servers processes and delivers the necessary data so that no query is left unprocessed;

determining the identity of the server from the plurality of servers assigned primary responsibility for processing the user-generated query according to a look-up table;

processing the user-generated query;

transmitting a query result to the user who submitted the user-generated query; and

resetting each of the plurality of servers for processing of a subsequent user-generated query upon successful processing of the query.