Serviceability and test infrastructure for distributed systems

• US 20050273675A1
• Filed: 05/20/2004
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rao, Sudhir G., Satyanarayana, Pradeep
• Granted Patent: US 7,475,296 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0778 Dumping, i.e. gathering error/state information after a fault for later diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0784 Routing of error reports, e.g. with a specific transmission path or data flow
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

A method and system for capturing a state of a distributed computer system is provided. The state is captured in response to an error or event message received by one of the clients and/or server nodes of the system. In response to receipt of the error or event message, the recipient initiates transmission of a special protocol message of affected members of the system. Upon receipt of the message, all recipients will conduct a freeze of their respective operating system image. Depending upon the characteristics of the error or event, the message may be transmitted to a selection of members of the system, or the entire system.

Claims

1. A method for servicing a computer system comprising:

(a) delivering a dedicated message to all nodes in said system affected by an event; and

(b) using said message to initiate a capture of a state of at least one of said nodes upon receipt of said message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said message is selected from a group consisting of:

an out of band communication and an in-band communication.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising broadcasting said capture of said state to all nodes in a cluster if said event is resident on at least one node in said cluster.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising said cluster of nodes sending an external message to all clients in communication with at least one of said cluster nodes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said event is selected from a group consisting of:

an error embedded in a computer readable medium an operator generated command, and occurrence of a predefined action, and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising analyzing a frozen state of captured nodes.

7. A computer system comprising:

a messenger adapted to deliver a dedicated message to all nodes in said system affected by occurrence of an event; and

a capture of a state adapted to be initiated on at least one of said nodes upon receipt of said message.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said message is selected from a group consisting of:

an out-of-band communication and an in-band communication.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising an announcement of said event to all cluster member nodes in a cluster of said captured node.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising an external message adapted to be communicated to all clients in communication with at least one of said cluster nodes.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein said event is selected from a group consisting of:

an error embedded in a computer readable medium, an operator generated command, and occurrence of a predefined action, and combinations thereof.

12. The system of claim 7, further comprising a frozen state of a captured node adapted to be analyzed.

13. An article comprising:

a computer-readable signal-bearing medium;

means in the medium for delivering a dedicated message to all nodes affected by an event; and

means in the medium for initiating a capture of a state of at least one of said nodes upon receipt of said message.

14. The article of claim 13, wherein the medium is selected from a group consisting of:

a recordable data storage medium and a modulated carrier signal.

15. The article of claim 13, wherein said message is selected from a group consisting of:

an out-of-band communication and an in-band communication.

16. The article of claim 13, further comprising means in the medium for announcing said capture of said state to all cluster member nodes in a cluster if said event is resident on at least one node in said cluster.

17. The article of claim 16, further comprising means in the medium for communicating said message to all clients in communication with at least one of said cluster nodes.

18. The article of claim 13, wherein said event is selected from a group consisting of:

an error embedded in a computer readable medium, an operator generated command, and occurrence of a predefined action, and combinations thereof.

19. The article of claim 13, further comprising means in the medium for analyzing a frozen state of said captured node.

20. A method for servicing a computer system comprising:

(a) delivering an out-of-band message to all nodes in said system affected by an event; and

(b) using said message to initiate a capture of a state of at least one of said nodes upon receipt of said message.