Continuous deployment of applications

• US 8,943,220 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2011
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mutisya, Hillary Mucheru, Goldsmith, Benjamin W., Sheppard, Edward Griffin III, Wu, Yimin, Hoover, Hubert Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Gee, Jason K
• Application Number:
  US13/197,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20130036237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• Field of Search: 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

Concepts and technologies are described herein for continuously deploying applications. In accordance with the concepts and technologies disclosed herein, a first host environment executes an application. An upgrade for the application is released by creating a backup of the application and content used by the application and restoring the backup at a second host environment. The application hosted by the second host environment is upgraded, traffic is routed to the second host environment, and performance of the upgraded application is monitored. If errors are detected in the upgraded application, the upgrade can be rolled back, and traffic can be rerouted back to the first host environment. If the errors are not detected, traffic can be increasingly routed to the second host environment and the first host environment can be deactivated.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for deploying an application, the computer-implemented method comprising performing computer-implemented operations for:

requesting creation of a backup comprising data representing a base version of the application executed by a first host environment and content hosted by the first host environment;

obtaining the backup at a second host environment;

loading the backup at the second host environment;

upgrading the application hosted by the second host environment to obtain an upgraded version of the application;

generating at the second host environment, a request for data indicating a content change that has occurred at the first host environment after creation of the backup;

obtaining the data indicating the content change at the second host environment; and

modifying content hosted by the second host environment in accordance with the data indicating the content change, wherein the data indicating the content change comprises a tombstone list, and wherein the tombstone list comprises a custom field for storing a unique identifier corresponding to a data record deleted via the content change.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if a further content change has occurred at the first host environment; and

in response to determining that the further content change has occurred, generating, at the second host environment, a request for data indicating the further content change.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first host environment comprises a server farm.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the application comprises a collaboration program.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

in response to determining that the further content change has not occurred, notifying a load balancer to begin routing traffic for the first host environment to the second host environment.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving an access request to use functionality associated with the application; and

routing traffic associated with the access request to one of the first host environment or the second host environment.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein routing the traffic comprises:

in response to determining that a user associated with the access request has previously accessed one or more of the first host environment and the second host environment, routing the traffic associated with the user to the previously accessed host environment; and

in response to determining that a user associated with the access request has not previously accessed one or more of the host environments,

obtaining a hash value corresponding to an identifier associated with the user,

comparing the hash value to a hash value threshold,

routing the traffic to the first host environment or the second host environment based, at least partially, upon the comparison.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the hash value threshold comprises a dynamic value.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring performance of the upgraded version of the application;

in response to identifying an error in the upgraded version of the application, routing the traffic from the second host environment to the first host environment; and

rolling back the upgrade to the application.

10. A computer-implemented method for deploying an application, the computer-implemented method comprising performing computer-implemented operations for:

creating, at a first host environment, a backup comprising data representing a base version of the application executed by the first host environment and content hosted by the first host environment;

obtaining the backup at a second host environment;

loading the backup at the second host environment to install the base version of the application at the second host environment and to create a copy of the content at the second host environment;

upgrading the base version of the application hosted by the second host environment to obtain an upgraded version of the application;

generating, at the second host environment, a request for data indicating a content change that has occurred at the first host environment after creation of the backup;

obtaining the data indicating the content change at the second host environment; and

modifying content hosted by the second host environment in accordance with the data indicating the content change, wherein the data indicating the content change comprises a tombstone list. and wherein e tombstone list con irises a custom field for storming a unique identifier corresponding to a data record deleted via the content change.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining if a further content change has occurred at the first host environment;

in response to determining that the further content change has occurred, generating, at the second host environment, a request for data indicating the further content change; and

in response to determining that the further content change has not occurred, notifying a load balancer to begin routing traffic for the first host environment to the second host environment.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising monitoring performance of the upgraded version of the application.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

in response to identifying errors in the upgraded version of the application, routing the traffic from the second host environment to the first host environment; and

rolling back the upgrade to the application.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein rolling back the upgrade comprises deactivating the second host environment.

15. A computer storage medium having computer readable instructions stored thereupon that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

create a backup of a first host environment, the backup comprising data representing a base version of an application executed by the first host environment and content hosted by the first host environment;

load the backup to a second host environment to install the base version of the application at the second host environment and to create a copy of the content at the second host environment;

upgrade the base version of the application hosted by the second host environment to obtain an upgraded version of the application;

generate, the second host environment, a request for data indicating a content change that has occurred at the first host environment after creation of the backup;

obtain the data indicating the content change at the second host environment; and

modify content hosted by the second host environment in accordance with the data indicating the content change to synchronize the content hosted at the first host environment and the content stored at the second host environment, wherein the data indicating the content change comprises a tombstone list. and wherein the tombstone list comprises a custom field for storing a unique identifier corresponding, to a data record deleted via the content change.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 15, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to:

determine if further content changes have occurred at the first host environment;

in response to determining that the further content changes have occurred, generate, at the second host environment, requests for data indicating the further content changes;

in response to determining that the further content changes have not occurred,

notify a load balancer to begin routing traffic for the first host environment to the second host environment, and

monitor performance of the upgraded version of the application.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 16, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to:

in response to identifying one or more errors in the upgraded version of the application, routing the traffic from the second host environment to the first host environment; and

deactivating the second host environment.