METHOD AND APPARATUS TO PROVIDE GUARANTEED DEPLOYMENT OF APPLICATIONS TO NODES IN AN ENTERPRISE

• US 20080222164A1
• Filed: 05/21/2008
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Polozoff, Alexandre, BHOGAL, KULVIR S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,793,113 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• 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

Abstract

A method, system and computer program product for updating distributed applications in a multiple application-server environment, in which at least one server receives updates later than another server and update delivery is tracked by an update tracker in the form of a message history, is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, an application will be distributed across multiple servers and will receive updates from a central repository across a network or other communication fabric. Responsive to starting an application server in the data processing system, a messaging system is contacted over a secure connection to determine whether an application update distribution occurred while the application server was unavailable to update applications, and, responsive to a determination that the application update distribution occurred, an application is received.

Claims

1. A method for updating distributed applications in a multiple application-server environment, in which at least one server receives updates later than another server, said method comprising:

responsive to starting an application server in the data processing system, contacting a messaging system over a secure connection to determine whether an application update distribution occurred while the application server was unavailable to update applications; and

responsive to a determination that the application update distribution occurred, receiving an application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of contacting a messaging system further comprises contacting said messaging system with a durable subscription.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of receiving an application further comprises receiving an application from a remote data processing system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of starting an application server further comprises starting an application server on a data processing system which is part of a server cluster.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step of contacting a messaging system further comprises:

sending an indication that an application server is present to said messaging system, wherein said messaging system returns a message indicating that said application update distribution has occurred while the application server was inactive.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of contacting a messaging system to determine whether an application update distribution occurred while the application server was unavailable to update applications further comprises:

responsive to a presence of an application update distribution, sending an application update to a set of application servers;

responsive to an inability to deliver said application update to said application server, saving said application update to form a saved message;

responsive to subsequently detecting a presence of said application server, sending said saved message to the application server; and

sending said application update to said application server, wherein said application server uses said application data to perform said application update distribution, wherein said applications in the application server are updated.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said step of sending an application update to a set of application servers further comprises a deployment manager sending an application update to a set of application servers.

8. A system for updating distributed applications in a multiple application-server environment, in which at least one server receives updates later than another server, said system comprising:

means for, responsive to starting an application server in a data processing system, contacting a messaging system over a secure connection to determine whether an application update distribution occurred while the application server was unavailable to update applications; and

means for, responsive to a determination that the application update distribution occurred, receiving an application.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said means for contacting a messaging system further comprises means for contacting said messaging system with a durable subscription.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said means for receiving an application further comprises means for receiving an application from a remote data processing system.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein said means for starting an application server further comprises means for starting an application server on a data processing system which is part of a server cluster.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein means for contacting a messaging system further comprises:

means for sending an indication that an application server is present to said messaging system, wherein said messaging system returns a message indicating that said application update distribution has occurred while the appropriate server was inactive.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein said means for contacting a messaging system to determine whether an application update distribution occurred while the application server was unavailable to update applications further comprises:

means for, responsive to a presence of an application update distribution, sending an application update to a set of application servers;

means for, responsive to an inability to deliver said application update to said application server, saving said application update to form a saved message;

means for, responsive to subsequently detecting a presence of said application server, sending said saved message to the application server; and

means for sending said application update to said application server, wherein said application server uses said application date to perform said application update distribution, wherein said applications in the application server are updated.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said means for sending an application update to a set of application servers further comprises means for a deployment manager sending an application update to a set of application servers.

15. A machine-usable medium having a plurality of instructions processable by a machine embodied therein, wherein said plurality of instructions, when processed by said machine, causes said machine to perform a method for updating distributed applications in a multiple application-server environment, in which at least one server receives updates later than another server, said method comprising:

responsive to starting an application server in a data processing system, contacting a messaging system over a secure connection to determine whether an application update distribution occurred while the application server was unavailable to update applications; and

responsive to a determination that the application update distribution occurred, receiving an application.

16. The machine-usable medium of claim 15, wherein said step of contacting a messaging system further comprises contacting said messaging system with a durable subscription.

17. The machine-usable medium of claim 15, wherein said step of receiving an application further comprises receiving an application from a remote data processing system.

18. The machine-usable medium of claim 15, wherein said step of starting an application server further comprises starting an application server on a data processing system which is part of a server cluster.

19. The machine-usable medium of claim 15, wherein said step of contacting a messaging system further comprises:

sending an indication that an application server is present to said messaging system, wherein said messaging system returns a message indicating that said application update distribution has occurred while the application server was inactive.

20. The machine-usable medium of claim 15, wherein said step of contacting a messaging system to determine whether an application update distribution occurred while the application server was unavailable to update applications further comprises:

responsive to a presence of an application update distribution, sending an application update to a set of application servers;

responsive to an inability to deliver said application update to said application server, saving said application update to form a saved message;

responsive to subsequently detecting a presence of said application server, sending said saved message to the application server; and

sending said application update to said application server, wherein said application server uses said application data to perform said application update distribution, wherein said applications in the application server are updated.