Zero-downtime, reversible, client-driven service migration

• US 9,722,873 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2014
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Zhu, Kai, Wu, Zhongqin, Macatangay, Darell, Gopal, Burra, Taboada, Roberto
• Primary Examiner(s): Hussain, Tauqir
• Application Number:
  US14/561,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20160164722A1
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: 709221
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5041 characterised by the time relationship between creation and deployment of a service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A computer system may provide zero-downtime, reversible, client-driven service migration to migrate a client from a current service to a new service. The computer system may configure the client to operate in a dual-write, old-read mode in which the client issues write requests to both the current service and the new service and issues read requests only to the current service. The computer system may configure the client to operate in a dual-write, new-read mode in which the client issues write requests to both the current service and the new service and issues read requests only to the new service.

Claims

1. A computer system for maintaining accessibility to service functionality during service migration, the computer system comprising:

at least one processor configured to execute computer-executable instructions; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions configured to implement;

a current service that exposes a current service contract for the current service;

a new service that exposes the current service contract for the current service; and

a migration module that enables a client to migrate from the current service to the new service by;

controlling the client to operate in a dual-write, old-read mode in which the client issues write requests to both the current service and the new service and issues read requests only to the current service;

switching the client from operating in the dual-write, old-read mode to operate in a dual-write, new-read mode in which the client issues write requests to both the current service and the new service and issues read requests only to the new service;

in response to detecting a problem with the new service, switching the client from operating in the dual-write, new read mode to operate in an old-write, old-read mode in which the client issues write requests and read requests only to the interface for the current service;

when the problem with the new service is corrected, switching the client from operating in the old-write, old-read mode to operate in the dual-write, new-read mode;

replicating service data that was written to the current service when the client was operating in the old-write, old-read mode from a current data store associated with the current service to a new data store associated with the new service; and

switching the client from operating in the dual-write, new-read mode to operate in a new-read, new-write mode in which the client issues write requests and read requests only to the new service.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein:

the current service is a cloud-based service, and

the new service is a new version of the cloud-based service.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the current service contract exposed by the current service and the new service supports only idempotent create, read, update, and delete operations.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein:

the new service further exposes a new service contract that includes one or more different methods than the current service contract for the current service.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein:

the migration module is implemented by a client object model, and

the new service is implemented by a server object model.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein:

the computer system hosts the one or more clients, and

the one or more clients are triggered to call the current service in response to a remote user interacting with a web page.

7. A computer-implemented method for maintaining accessibility to service functionality during service migration, the computer-implemented method comprising:

hosting, by a computer system having at least one processor, a current service that provides an interface for receiving write requests and read requests from a client;

hosting, by the computer system, a new service to which the client is to be migrated, the new service providing an interface accessible to the client;

configuring, by the computer system, the client to operate in a dual-write, old-read mode during a preliminary stage of service migration in which the client issues write requests to both the interface for the current service and the interface for the new service and issues read requests only to the interface for the current service;

migrating, by the computer system, service data for a set of tenants from a current data store associated with the current service to a new data store associated with the new service when the client is operating in the dual-write, old-read mode, wherein;

the service data for the set of tenants from the current data store is distributed in the new data store across multiple databases associated with different subsets of tenants, and

new or updated service data for a tenant is written to the new service and stored in the new data store within a particular database that is associated with the tenant when the client issues a write request to the interface for the new service; and

configuring, by the computer system, the client to operate in a dual-write, new-read mode during an evaluation stage of service migration in which the client issues write requests to both the interface for the current service and the interface for the new service and issues read requests only to the interface for the new service.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein:

the interface for the current service exposes a current service contract for the current service, and

the interface for the new service exposes the current service contract for the current service.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein:

the interface for the new service is a Representational State Transfer interface, and

the current service contract supports only idempotent create, read, update, and delete operations.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

switching, by the computer system, the client from operating in the dual-write, new-read mode to fall back to operating in the dual-write, old-read mode.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

configuring, by the computer system, the client to operate in a new-write, new-read mode during a committed stage of service migration in which the client issues write requests and read requests only to the interface for the new service.

12. A computer-implemented method for maintaining accessibility to service functionality during service migration, the computer-implemented method comprising:

hosting, by a computer system having at least one processor, a current service that provides an interface for receiving write requests and read requests from a client;

hosting, by the computer system, a new service to which the client is to be migrated, the new service providing an interface accessible to the client;

configuring, by the computer system, the client to operate in a dual-write, old-read mode during a preliminary stage of service migration in which the client issues write requests to both the interface for the current service and the interface for the new service and issues read requests only to the interface for the current service;

configuring, by the computer system, the client to operate in a dual-write, new-read mode during an evaluation stage of service migration in which the client issues write requests to both the interface for the current service and the interface for the new service and issues read requests only to the interface for the new service;

configuring, by the computer system in response to detecting a problem with the new service, the client to operate in an old-write, old-read mode in which the client issues write requests and read requests only to the interface for the current service;

switching, by the computer system, the client from operating in the old-write, old-read mode to operate in the dual-write, new-read mode when the problem with the new service is corrected; and

replicating service data that was written to the current service when the client was operating in old-write, old-read mode from a current data store associated with the current service to a new data store associated with the new service.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising:

configuring, by the computer system, the client operate in a new-write, new-read mode during a committed stage of service migration in which the client issues write requests and read requests only to the interface for the new service.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein:

prior to the committed stage of service migration, the computer system can configure the client to fall back to operating in the dual-write, old-read mode.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein:

the interface for the current service exposes a current service contract for the current service, and

the interface for the new service exposes the current service contract for the current service.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein:

the current service contract supports only idempotent create, read, update, and delete operations.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein:

the interface for the new service is a Representational State Transfer interface.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein:

the current service is a cloud-based service, and

the new service is a new version of the cloud-based service.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising:

migrating service data from the current data store associated with the current service to the new data store associated with the new service when the client is operating in the dual-write, old-read mode.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein:

service data for a set of tenants that is stored in the current data store is distributed in the new data store across multiple databases that are associated with different subsets of tenants, and

new or updated service data for a tenant is written to the new service and stored in the new data store within a particular database that is associated with the tenant when the client issues a write request to the interface for the new service.