System and method for distributed management of shared computers

• US 20050097147A1
• Filed: 11/01/2004
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Tabbara, Bassam, Hunt, Galen C., Welland, Robert V., Hydrie, Aamer, Stutz, David S., Levi, Steven P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,406,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/042 comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0659 by isolating or reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0661 by reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A multi-tiered server management architecture is employed including an application development tier, an application operations tier, and a cluster operations tier. In the application development tier, applications are developed for execution on one or more server computers. In the application operations tier, execution of the applications is managed and sub-boundaries within a cluster of servers can be established. In the cluster operations tier, operation of the server computers is managed without concern for what applications are executing on the one or more server computers and boundaries between clusters of servers can be established. The multi-tiered server management architecture can also be employed in co-location facilities where clusters of servers are leased to tenants, with the tenants implementing the application operations tier and the facility owner (or operator) implementing the cluster operations tier.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring, at a co-location facility, hardware operations of a cluster of computers located at the co-location facility;

detecting a hardware failure in one of the computers in the cluster; and

performing an act, in response to detecting the hardware failure, to correct the hardware failure.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the cluster of computers is one of a plurality of clusters of computers located at the co-location facility.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act comprises notifying a co-location facility administrator of the failure.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act comprises resetting the computer that includes the hardware that failed.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the hardware operation includes one or more of:

mass storage device operation, memory device operation, and network interface operation, and processor operation.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising configuring each computer in the cluster to impose boundaries preventing a plurality of other computers that are not part of the cluster from accessing the one or more computers in the cluster.

7. One or more computer-readable memories containing a computer program that is executable by a processor to perform the method recited in claim 1.

8. A method comprising:

monitoring, from a location remote from a co-location facility, software operations of a cluster of computers located at the co-location facility;

detecting a software failure in one of the computers in the cluster; and

performing an act, in response to detecting the software failure, to correct the hardware failure.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the cluster of computers is one of a plurality of clusters of computers located at a co-location facility.

10. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act comprises notifying an administrator of the failure.

11. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act comprises resetting the computer that executes the software that failed.

12. A method as recited in claim 8, further comprising configuring one or more computers in the cluster to impose sub-boundaries preventing a first one or more computers within the cluster from accessing a second one or more computers within the cluster.

13. A method as recited in claim 8, further comprising managing loading of a software component on one of the computers in the cluster.

14. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the software failure comprises one or more of:

a hung application process, a hung thread, and an error in execution of an application process.

15. A computer, located remotely from the cluster of computers, to implement the method of claim 8.

16. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the monitoring, detecting, and performing are implemented in a remote computer, and further comprising using public key cryptography to securely communicate between the remote computer and each computer in the cluster of computers.

17. One or more computer-readable memories containing a computer program that is executable by a processor to perform the method recited in claim 8.

18. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a computer program that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform acts including:

monitoring, from a location remote from a co-location facility, software operations of a cluster of computers located at the co-location facility; and

taking corrective action in response to a failure in operation of software executing on one of the computers in the cluster.

19. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 18, wherein the corrective action comprises notifying an administrator of the failure.

20. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 18, wherein the corrective action comprises resetting the computer that executes the software that failed.

21. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 18, wherein the computer program, when executed, further causes the one or more processors to perform acts including configuring each computer in the cluster to impose boundaries preventing a plurality of other computers that are not part of the cluster from accessing the one or more computers in the cluster.

22. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 18, wherein the failure in operation of the software comprises one or more of:

a hung application process, a hung thread, and an error in execution of an application process.