Discovering and monitoring server clusters

• US 9,319,282 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2005
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Keane, Thomas W., Voloshin, Vitaly, Findik, Ferit, Joanovic, Vlad
• Primary Examiner(s): Yen, Syling
• Application Number:
  US11/068,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20060195561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,068 Days
• Field of Search: 707/201, 707/640, 714/4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5012 determining service availability, e.g. which services are available at a certain point in time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• 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 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data

Abstract

In a server cluster, multiple nodes may host one or more virtual servers. Virtual servers that may be hosted by particular nodes are identified. From the nodes, status is provided as to nodes that are actively hosting virtual servers and status of nodes whether they are actively hosting or not hosting a virtual server. Failover events are indicated, including transition of a virtual server from a failed node to another node.

Claims

1. A method performed by a first physical node in a server cluster comprising:

monitoring, via a first monitoring agent at the first physical node, a node status of a second physical node, the second physical node including a second monitoring agent to monitor one or more virtual servers hosted by the second physical node;

performing a failover of the one or more virtual servers from the second physical node to the first physical node in response to the node status identifying a failure of the second physical node;

hosting the one or more virtual servers by the first physical node after performing the failover;

activating, at the first physical node, a cache of rules provided and updated by a management server; and

monitoring, via the first monitoring agent, the one or more virtual servers hosted by the first physical node, the monitoring performed based on the cache of rules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cache of rules are activated by the first monitoring agent.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cache of rules includes a frequency at which the first monitoring agent is to monitor the one or more virtual servers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the cache of rules includes conditions that the first monitoring agent is to look for in the one or more virtual servers to determine a status of the one or more virtual servers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the cache of rules includes a frequency at which the first monitoring agent is to provide updates to the management server as to status of the one or more virtual servers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the cache of rules includes identification of nodes or virtual servers to be monitored by the first monitoring agent.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first monitoring agent monitors the status of the second physical node when the first physical node hosts none of the one or more virtual servers.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an alert to the management server after performing the failover of the one or more virtual servers from the second physical node to the first physical node.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein providing the alert includes an indication of a success of performing the failover.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein providing the alert includes notifying an administrator that the second physical node has failed.

11. One or more computer storage media comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a first node in a server cluster, configure the one or more processors of the first node in the server cluster to perform acts comprising:

identifying a second node in the server cluster, the first node and the second node each being capable of hosting one or more virtual servers;

receiving approval from a physical management server to host the one or more virtual servers by the first node;

hosting the one or more virtual servers by the first node in response to receiving the approval;

indicating to the physical management server that the one or more virtual servers are hosted by the first node;

monitoring, via a monitoring agent installed at the first node, a status of the one or more virtual servers that are hosted by the first node using a cache of rules provided and updated by the physical management server; and

in response to detecting a failure of at least one virtual server of the one or more virtual servers, performing a failover of the one or more virtual servers from the first node to the second node in the server cluster, the second node including another monitoring agent to monitor the one or more virtual servers after the failover using another cache of rules provided and updated by the physical management server.

12. A computer comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory including a monitoring system agent executable by the one or more processors to;

discover and monitor virtual servers hosted by another computer of a server cluster that the computer is able to host according a first cache of monitoring rules;

in response to determining that the other computer has failed, perform a failover to host the virtual servers by the computer;

indicate to a physical management server that the virtual servers are hosted by the computer; and

monitor a status of the virtual servers that are hosted by the computer via the monitoring agent at the computer after performing the failover, the monitoring agent to monitor the status of the virtual servers based on a second cache of monitoring rules, the second cache of monitoring rules directing the computer to perform a scope of monitoring of the server cluster that is different from the first cache of monitoring rules.

13. The computer of claim 12, the memory further including a management pack provided and updated by the physical management server which includes the first cache of monitoring rules, the monitoring rules including a frequency at which the monitoring system agent is to monitor the virtual servers, and conditions that the monitoring system agent is to look for in the virtual servers to determine the status of the virtual servers.

14. The computer of claim 12, the first cache of monitoring rules further including a frequency at which the monitoring system agent is to provide updates to the management server as to status of the virtual servers.

15. The computer of claim 12, the first cache of monitoring rules further including identification of nodes or virtual servers to be monitored by the monitoring system agent.

16. The computer of claim 12, wherein the monitoring system agent provides the status of the virtual servers hosted by the computer to the management server.

17. The computer of claim 12, wherein the monitoring system agent monitors a node status of other computers of the server cluster that host other virtual servers.

18. A server cluster comprising:

multiple nodes, wherein at least one node of the multiple nodes;

determines an ability of the at least one node to host one or more virtual servers that are currently hosted by one or more other nodes of the multiple nodes;

monitors a status of the one or more other nodes without monitoring inactive nodes in the server cluster, the inactive nodes currently hosting none of the one or more virtual servers;

in response to determining that one of the one or more other nodes in the server cluster has failed, performs a failover to transition hosting of virtual servers that are currently hosted by the failed one of the one or more other nodes to the at least one node; and

in response to completing the failover, monitors the one or more virtual servers and the inactive nodes via a monitoring agent installed at the at least one node, the monitoring agent using a cache of rules provided and updated by a management server.

19. The server cluster of claim 18, wherein prior to determining that the one of the one or more other nodes in the server cluster has failed, the monitoring agent of the at least one node monitors the status of the one or more other nodes in the server cluster when the at least one node hosts none of the one or more virtual servers.

20. The server cluster of claim 18, wherein the monitoring agent of the at least one node monitors other virtual servers hosted by the one or more other nodes when the at least one node hosts at least one of the one or more virtual servers.

21. A computer comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

determining one or more nodes of a plurality of nodes that are capable of hosting virtual servers, the one or more nodes including a first node and a second node;

providing monitoring rules to the one or more nodes, the monitoring rules directing a node currently hosting none of the virtual servers to perform a scope of monitoring different from a node currently hosting at least one of the virtual servers;

updating the monitoring rules maintained by the one or more nodes; and

receiving an alert indicating that the second node has failed and that the first node is hosting particular virtual servers that were hosted by the second node before the second node failed.

22. The computer of claim 21, wherein the acts further comprise receiving periodic updates from each of the one or more nodes describing a status of the virtual servers, the periodic updates received at a frequency specified in the monitoring rules.

23. The computer of claim 21, wherein the monitoring rules include a status of the virtual servers, a frequency to monitor the virtual servers and conditions to determine the status of the virtual servers;

and wherein the acts further comprise sending the updated monitoring rules to each of the one or more nodes.

24. The computer of claim 21, wherein the acts further comprise activating the monitoring rules at the second node of the plurality of nodes after receiving the alert, the monitoring rules to enable the second node to monitor the particular virtual servers.