Warm standby appliance

• US 9,645,900 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2014
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Keith, Jr., Robert O.
• Primary Examiner(s): CONAWAY, JAMES E
• Application Number:
  US14/279,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20140331080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 709219, 707204, 707619, 714 4- 16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1484 involving virtual machines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1662 the resynchronized component or unit being a persistent storage device re-synchronization of failed mirror storage G06F11/2082; rebuild or reconstruction of parity RAID storage G06F11/1008
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2023 Failover techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2028 eliminating a faulty processor or activating a spare
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics

Abstract

A warm standby appliance is described herein. The warm standby appliance is coupled to a storage server which is coupled to one or more servers. When a server fails, the storage server transfers a backed up image to the warm standby appliance, so that the warm standby appliance is able to replicate the failed server. While the failed server is inaccessible, the warm standby appliance is able to mimic the functionality of the failed server. When a new server or repaired server is available, the warm standby appliance is no longer needed. To incorporate the new server into the system quickly and easily, the server image of the warm standby appliance is sent to the new server. After transferring the image, the warm standby appliance is cleaned and returns back to a dormant state, waiting to be utilized again.

Claims

1. A system for providing network stability and data reliability, comprising:

a. one or more first servers;

b. a second server coupled to the one or more first servers,

wherein the second server stores data received from the one or more first servers; and

c. one or more computing devices coupled to the second server,

wherein the one or more computing devices perform functions of a number of the first servers that have failed upon receiving the data from the second server;

wherein, when the number of failed first servers exceeds the number of computing devices, the second server generates at least one virtual server to perform functions of at least one failed first server whose functions are not being performed by the one or more computing devices.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second server is a storage server.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the one or more first servers back up the data onto the second server using a continuous backup scheme.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second server stores system images of the one or more first servers.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the second server transfers one or more of the system images to the one or more computing devices when the number of first servers fail.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5 wherein the one or more computing devices transfer the one or more of the system images to a replacement server for the number of first servers.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the one or more computing devices clears the one or more of the system images from the one or more computing devices.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the one or more computing devices mimic the one or more first servers.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the one or more first servers are accessible by customers.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the one or more computing devices are running and available to receive the data from the second server before the number of first servers fail.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of the one or more computing devices is remotely accessible.

12. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second server generates a virtual server to perform functions of one of the number of first servers if the one or more computing devices are unavailable.

13. A method of providing network stability and data reliability, comprising:

a. backing up data from one or more first servers to a second server;

b. transferring the data from the second server to one or more computing devices when one or more of the first servers fail; and

c. serving the data utilizing at least one of the one or more computing devices until the one or more first servers are replaced;

wherein, when the number of failed first servers exceeds the number of computing devices, the second server generates at least one virtual server to perform functions of at least one failed first server whose functions are not being performed by the one or more computing devices.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 further comprising replacing the failed first servers.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the second server is a storage server.

16. The method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the one or more first servers back up the data onto the second server using a continuous backup scheme.

17. The method as claimed in claim 13 further comprising storing system images of the one or more first servers on the second server.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17 further comprising transferring the system images from the second server to one or more of the computing devices when a number of the first servers fail, wherein the system images correspond to the number of failed first servers.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18 further comprising transferring the system images from the one or more of the computing devices to one or more replacement servers for the number of failed first servers.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19 further comprising clearing the system images from the one or more of the computing devices.

21. The method as claimed in claim 13 wherein serving the data utilizing the one or more computing devices includes mimicking the number of failed first servers before the first servers failed.

22. The method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the first servers are accessible by customers.

23. The method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the computing devices are running and available to receive the data from the second server before the number of first servers fail.

24. The method as claimed in claim 13 wherein at least one of the computing devices is remotely accessible.

25. The method as claimed in claim 13 further comprising generating one or more virtual servers with the second server to perform functions of the number of first servers if the one or more computing devices are unavailable.

26. The method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the one or more first servers are a part of a set of first servers.

27. A method of providing network stability and data reliability, comprising:

a. backing up data from one or more first servers to a second server;

b. detecting when one or more of the first servers are going to fail;

c. transferring the data from the second server to one or more computing devices when one or more of the first servers fail;

d. serving the data utilizing one or more of the computing devices until the one or more failed first servers are replaced; and

e. clearing the data from the one or more computing devices after the one or more failed first servers have been replaced;

wherein, when a number of failed first servers exceeds a total number of the one or more computing devices, the second server generates at least one virtual server to perform functions of at least one failed first server whose functions are not being performed by the one or more computing devices.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the data comprises applications that enable the functioning of the one or more first servers.