Synchronization of configuration changes between applications and their platforms

• US 9,996,338 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2016
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• 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, Pinjarkar, Ulhas Murlidhar, Damodaran, Ramya
• Primary Examiner(s): Aquino, Wynuel
• Application Number:
  US15/149,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20160253168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 method, system, and computer program product for handling synchronization of configuration changes between applications and their platforms. A computer implemented method synchronizes middleware configurations with application configurations using a reciprocating protocol. The protocol includes receiving a middleware state variable from a middleware component, then processing the middleware state variable to determine any application configuration state variables that depend on a value of the middleware state variable. The application (or agent) further processes the application configuration state variable to determine any affected middleware state variables and then sends the affected middleware state variable to the middleware component. The determinations can be performed using a forward mapper or reverse mapper, and the determinations can reciprocate repeatedly between applications and their middleware platforms until quiescence. The techniques can be used during an online patch cycle to maintain synchronization of configuration changes between applications and their platforms even while components are being patched.

Claims

1. A non-transitory 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 synchronizing between intermediate software component configurations and application configurations, the set of acts comprising:

processing, at a synchronization module stored at least partially in memory of one or more computing systems, an intermediate software component state variable of an intermediate software component to determine at least one application state variable that depends on a value of the intermediate software component state variable and corresponds to an online edition for at least one software application that relies upon the intermediate software component, and the online edition is currently executing;

determining, based at least in part upon results of processing the intermediate software component state variable, whether one or more changes in the at least one application state variable result in one or more implied changes in the intermediate software component at least by performing a first mapping for an offline edition for the at least one software application, and undergoing a patch or an upgrade corresponding to the one or more changes;

determining the one or more implied changes for the intermediate software component for the offline edition with the first mapping based in part or in whole upon the one or more changes in the at least one application state variable;

determining at least one additional application change for the at least one software application for the offline edition at least by performing a second mapping based in part or in whole upon the one or more implied changes for the intermediate software component;

determining at least one implied application change for the at least one software application for the offline edition based in part or in whole upon the at least one additional application change for the at least one software application;

transforming, by performing the first mapping, the at least one additional application change of the offline edition and the at least one implied application change of the offline edition into one or more application configuration changes for the offline edition of the at least one software application; and

performing the upgrade or the patch on the offline edition of the at least one software application and the intermediate software component at least by;

performing the upgrade or the patch on the intermediate software component based at least in part upon the at least one implied application change; and

performing a cutover from the online edition to the offline edition, the cutover comprising starting up the offline edition that corresponds to at least the one or more application configuration changes, setting the offline edition as a new online edition corresponding to the intermediate software component that has been patched or upgraded for the at least one software application, and shutting down the online edition.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, the set of acts further comprising:

receiving a change in configurations of the intermediate software component; and

storing the change or information about the change in the configurations into the intermediate software component state variable of the intermediate software component at a first location of the memory of the one or more computing systems.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, the set of acts further comprising:

identifying a triggering event; and

triggering one or more operations within an intermediate software component listener module in the synchronization module with the triggering event.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, the set of acts further comprising:

obtaining, at a middleware listener module, the one or more changes corresponding to the change or information about the change in the configurations of the intermediate software component and including at least a topology change in the intermediate software component at least by pulling the one or more changes; and

storing the one or more changes at a second location of the memory of the computer system.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, the set of acts further comprising:

determining, at a second mapping module, whether or not the at least one software application is to receive the one or more changes; and

determining, at the second mapping module, whether or not the one or more changes are affected by the change or the information thereof of the intermediate software component.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, the set of acts further comprising:

transmitting, at the second mapping module, the one or more changes to the offline edition of the at least one software application at least by performing the second mapping with the second mapping module when the at least one software application is determined to receive the one or more changes; and

applying the one or more changes to the offline edition of the at least one software application.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, the set of acts further comprising:

determining, at a first mapping module, one or more first implied changes corresponding to the one or more changes to the offline edition for the at least one software application; and

storing the one or more first implied changes as the one or more implied changes at a third location of the memory of the one or more computing systems.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, the set of acts further comprising:

performing, at an application listener module in the synchronization module, the first mapping for the one or more implied changes for the intermediate software component; and

pulling, at the application listener module, the one or more implied changes for the intermediate software component and storing the one or more implied changes into one or more intermediate software configuration changes; and

storing the one or more intermediate software configuration changes at a fourth location of the memory of the one or more computing systems.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, the set of acts further comprising:

transmitting the one or more intermediate software configuration changes from the application listener module to the intermediate software component; and

preparing the offline edition of the at least one software application at least by applying the one or more intermediate software configuration changes to the intermediate software component.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, the set of acts further comprising:

creating runtime data, which change while the one or more changes to the offline edition and the one or more intermediate software configuration changes are being applied for the patch or the upgrade, for the offline edition of the at least one software application; and

storing the runtime data at a fifth location of the memory.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, the set of acts further comprising:

applying one or more patch transformations to the runtime data stored at the fifth location of the memory; and

causing users on the online edition to go offline at least by shutting down the online edition.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, the set of acts further comprising:

designating the offline edition for the at least one software application as the new online edition for the at least one software application, while the users remain offline;

starting the offline edition that has been designated as the new online edition for the at least one software application; and

returning the users online after the new online edition is restarted.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, the set of acts further comprising:

configuring an application code module that stores one or more copies of the at least one software application;

configuring an application metadata module that stores configuration state data for the at least one software application; and

facilitating communications between the at least one software application and the intermediate software component with at least the configuration state data for the at least one software application.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, the set of acts further comprising:

configuring a database that is interrelated with a plurality of software components comprising the application code module, the application metadata module, an application schema for the at least one software application, and one or more instances of a file system;

amalgamating the plurality of software components into a first edition; and

transforming the first edition into one or more second editions.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, the set of acts further comprising:

managing timing and a plurality of types of access by using at least one or more editioning views and a plurality of synonyms;

detecting one or more software component changes in the first edition for the plurality of software components with one or more cross-edition triggers; and

propagating the one or more software component changes in the first edition to at least one second edition of the one or more second editions with at least the one or more cross-edition triggers.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, the set of acts further comprising:

identifying a set of intermediate software component configuration state variables;

transforming the set of intermediate software component configuration state variables into a transformed set of intermediate software component configuration state variables;

identifying a first database edition for the first edition;

identifying a second database edition for the at least one second edition of the one or more second editions;

identifying a first file system for the first edition; and

determining a second file system for the at least one second edition based in part or in whole upon the second database edition and the first database edition.

17. The computer program product of claim 1, the set of acts further comprising:

identifying a set of domain server configuration changes;

determining one or more first mappings between a set of domain server configuration parameter and a set of serviced application context variables of a serviced application;

identifying at least one serviced application context variable from the set of serviced application context variables in response to the set of domain server configuration changes;

identifying a value of the at least one serviced application context variable in response to the set of domain server configuration changes;

computing one or more first derived context variable values based in part or in whole upon the value of the at least one serviced application context variable; and

synchronizing the set of domain server configuration changes with the serviced application by pushing and applying at least the one or more derived context variable values to the serviced application.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, the set of acts further comprising:

identifying a set of serviced application configuration changes in the serviced application;

determining one or more second mappings between the set of serviced application configuration parameter and a set of domain server context variables of a domain server;

identifying at least one domain server context variable from the set of domain server context variables in response to the set of serviced application configuration changes;

identifying a value of the at least one domain server context variable in response to the set of serviced application configuration changes;

computing one or more second derived context variable values based in part or in whole upon the value of the at least one domain server context variable; and

synchronizing the set of serviced application configuration changes with the domain server by pushing and applying at least the one or more derived context variable values to the domain server.

19. A computer implemented method for synchronizing between middleware configurations and application configurations, the method comprising:

processing, at a synchronization module stored at least partially in memory of one or more computing systems, an intermediate software component state variable of an intermediate software component to determine at least one application state variable that depends on a value of the intermediate software component state variable and corresponds to an online edition for at least one software application that relies upon the intermediate software component, and the online edition is currently executing;

determining, based at least in part upon results of processing the intermediate software component state variable, whether one or more changes in the at least one application state variable result in one or more implied changes in the intermediate software component at least by performing a first mapping for an offline edition for the at least one software application, and undergoing a patch or an upgrade corresponding to the one or more changes;

determining the one or more implied changes for the intermediate software component for the offline edition with the first mapping based in part or in whole upon the one or more changes in the at least one application state variable;

determining at least one additional application change for the at least one software application for the offline edition at least by performing a second mapping based in part or in whole upon the one or more implied changes for the intermediate software component;

determining at least one implied application change for the at least one software application for the offline edition based in part or in whole upon the at least one additional application change for the at least one software application;

transforming, by performing the first mapping, the at least one additional application change of the offline edition and the at least one implied application change of the offline edition into one or more application configuration changes for the of the offline edition at least one software application; and

performing the upgrade or the patch on the offline edition of the at least one software application and the intermediate software component at least by;

performing the upgrade or the patch on the intermediate software component based at least in part upon the at least one implied application change; and

performing a cutover from the online edition to the offline edition, the cutover comprising starting up the offline edition that corresponds to at least the one or more application configuration changes, setting the offline edition as a new online edition corresponding to the intermediate software component that has been patched or upgraded for the at least one software application, and shutting down the online edition.

20. A computer system for synchronizing between intermediate software component configurations and application configurations, 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;

process, at a synchronization module stored at least partially in memory of one or more computing systems, an intermediate software component state variable of an intermediate software component to determine at least one application state variable that depends on a value of the intermediate software component state variable and corresponds to an online edition for at least one software application that relies upon the intermediate software component, and the online edition is currently executing;

determine, based at least in part upon results of processing the intermediate software component state variable, whether one or more changes in the at least one application state variable result in one or more implied changes in the intermediate software component at least by performing a first mapping for an offline edition for the at least one software application, and undergoing a patch or an upgrade corresponding to the one or more changes;

determine the one or more implied changes for the intermediate software component for the offline edition with the first mapping based in part or in whole upon the one or more changes in the at least one application state variable;

determine at least one additional application change for the at least one software application for the offline edition at least by performing a second mapping based in part or in whole upon the one or more implied changes for the intermediate software component;

determine at least one implied application change for the at least one software application for the offline edition based in part or in whole upon the at least one additional application change for the at least one software application;

transform, by performing the first mapping, the at least one additional application change of the offline edition and the at least one implied application change of the offline edition into one or more application configuration changes for the of the offline edition at least one software application; and

perform the upgrade or the patch on the offline edition of the at least one software application and the intermediate software component at least by;

performing the upgrade or the patch on the intermediate software component based at least in part upon the at least one implied application change; and

performing a cutover from the online edition to the offline edition, the cutover comprising starting up the offline edition that corresponds to at least the one or more application configuration changes, setting the offline edition as a new online edition corresponding to the intermediate software component that has been patched or upgraded for the at least one software application, and shutting down the online edition.