Using confidence values for synchronizing file systems

• US 9,280,554 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Dujmovic, Ivo, Bandla, Satya Prakash
• Primary Examiner(s): Mamillapalli, Pavan
• Application Number:
  US13/802,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20140188793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 707/611
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2056 by mirroring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2058 using more than 2 mirrored copies
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2358 Change logging, detection, and notification replication G06F16/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2372 Updates performed during offline database operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2393 Updating materialised views
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/656 while running
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

A system, computer implemented method, and computer program product for analyzing an installation to determine a file system promotion path during an online patching cycle. The method commences by identifying an initial file system and a shadow file system, the shadow file system being at least some duration older than the initial run file system, then analyzing a history of events that occurred in or on the installation during the duration to determine a degree of confidence. Based on the degree of confidence, then selecting the initial file system to be used on the online patching cycle when the confidence value is equal or above a threshold, or selecting the shadow file system to be used in the online patching cycle when the confidence value is below a threshold. The history of events is recorded in forms of a patch list, a log file, or a list of configuration events.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for analyzing an installation to determine a file system promotion path during an online patching cycle, the method comprising:

identifying an initial run edition file system and a shadow file system, the shadow file system being at least some duration older than the initial run edition file system;

analyzing a history of changes that are applied to an installation of the initial run edition file system during the at least some duration to determine whether the changes cause instability for the initial run edition file system when an upcoming upgrade is applied to the initial run edition file system;

storing, at a first location of a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, a result of determining whether the changes cause instability as a confidence value;

determining whether to select the shadow file system or the initial run edition file system to be upgraded based in part or in whole upon the confidence value;

selecting the shadow file system to be upgraded with the upcoming upgrade when the confidence value is below a threshold; and

selecting the initial run edition file system to be upgraded with the upcoming upgrade when the confidence value is equal or above the threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying incremental code-level rebuild operations to the selected shadow file system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying scheduled incremental configuration-level rebuild operations to the selected shadow file system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting the confidence value to a value below the threshold when an abort indication is detected or when a previous upgrade operation failure indication is detected.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a first data structure stored at a first location in memory for a configuration history;

identifying a second data structure stored at a second location in memory for an upgrade or patch history;

identifying identifications of a plurality of files in the initial run edition file system;

determining whether one or more files in the plurality of files are to be revised by using at least one or more identifications of the identifications;

locating a set of patches and a set of install drivers in response to a determination of whether the one or more files in the plurality of files are to be revised;

determining whether the first data structure or the second data structure includes an indication that imputes the confidence value to a predetermined value;

analyzing the first data structure and the second data structure to determine whether the first data structure or the second data structure includes one or more changes;

classifying the one or more changes into one or more classifications including a don'"'"'t care or override classification, a benign classification, and an unknown classification;

determining respective impacts of the one or more changes on the confidence value;

determining whether a system state of the initial run edition file system is ascertained;

determining the confidence value based in part or in whole upon the one or more classifications, and a determination concerning the system state;

determining whether the initial run edition file system or the shadow file system is to be upgraded or whether a file system clone operation is to be performed by calculating a confidence score based in part or in whole upon one or more environmental indications;

comparing the confidence score with a threshold score to generate and store a confidence score comparison result;

upgrading the initial run edition file system or the shadow file system when the confidence score is determined to be greater than or equal to the threshold score; and

performing the file system clone operation without upgrading the initial run edition file system or the shadow file system when the confidence score is determined to be less than the threshold score.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising reading a patch list for analyzing the history of changes.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the threshold based at least in part on a ratio.

8. A computer system for analyzing an installation to determine a file system promotion path during an online patching cycle, comprising:

a computer processor to execute a set of program code instructions; and

a memory to hold the program code instructions, in which the program code instructions comprises program code which, when executed by the computer processor, causes the computer processor to;

identify an initial run edition file system and a shadow file system, the shadow file system being at least some duration older than the initial run edition file system;

analyze a history of changes that are applied to the initial run edition file system during the at least some duration to determine whether the changes cause instability for the initial run edition file system when an upcoming upgrade is applied to the initial run edition file system;

store, at a first location of the memory, a result of determining whether the changes cause instability as a confidence value;

determine whether to select the shadow file system or the initial run edition file system to be upgraded based in part or in whole upon the confidence value;

select the shadow file system to be upgraded with the upcoming upgrade when the confidence value is below a threshold; and

select the initial run edition file system to be upgraded with the upcoming upgrade when the confidence value is equal or above the threshold.

9. The computer system of claim 8, the program code instruction further comprising program code which, when executed by the computer processor, further causes the computer processor to apply incremental code-level rebuild operations to the shadow file system.

10. The computer system of claim 8, the program code instruction further comprising program code which, when executed by the computer processor, further causes the computer processor to apply scheduled incremental configuration-level rebuild operations to the shadow file system.

11. The computer system of claim 8, the program code instruction further comprising program code which, when executed by the computer processor, further causes the computer processor to set the confidence value to a value below the threshold when an abort indication is detected or when a previous upgrade operation failure indication is detected.

12. The computer system of claim 8, the program code instruction comprising program code that causes the computer processor to analyze the history of events further comprises program code which, when executed by the computer processor, further causes the computer processor to read a log file.

13. The computer system of claim 8, the program code instruction comprising program code that causes the computer processor to analyze the history of events further comprises program code which, when executed by the computer processor, further causes the computer processor to read a patch list.

14. The computer system of claim 8, the program code instruction comprising the program code which, when executed by the computer processor, further causes the computer processor to determine the threshold based at least in part on a ratio.

15. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium, the non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which, when executed by a processor causes the processor to execute a set of acts to implement analyzing an installation to determine a file system promotion path during an online patching cycle, the set of acts comprising:

identifying an initial run edition file system and a shadow file system, the shadow file system being at least some duration older than the initial run edition file system;

analyzing a history of changes that are applied to the initial run edition file system during the at least some duration to determine whether the changes cause instability for the initial run edition file system when an upcoming upgrade is applied to the initial run edition file system;

store, at a first location of the memory, a result of determining whether the changes cause instability as a confidence value;

determining whether to select the shadow file system or the initial run edition file system to be upgraded based in part or in whole upon the confidence value;

selecting the shadow file system to be upgraded with the upcoming upgrade when the confidence value is below a threshold; and

selecting the initial run edition file system to be upgraded with the upcoming upgrade when the confidence value is equal or above the threshold.

16. The computer program product claim 15, the set of acts further comprising applying incremental code-level rebuild operations to the shadow file system.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, the set of acts further comprising applying scheduled incremental configuration-level rebuild operations to the shadow file system.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, the set of acts further comprising setting the confidence value to a value below the threshold when an abort indication is detected or when a previous upgrade operation failure indication is detected.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, the set of acts further comprising reading a log file or a patch list for analyzing the history of changes.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, the set of acts further comprising determining the threshold based at least in part on a ratio.