Cluster failover via distributed configuration repository

• US 7,124,320 B1
• Filed: 08/06/2002
• Issued: 10/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Novell Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Wipfel, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chu, Gabriel L.
• Application Number:
  US10/213,651
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: 714/10, 714/13
• US Class Current: 714/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2007 using redundant communication media
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/203 using migration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2046 where the redundant components share persistent storage G06F11/2043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2048 where the redundant components share neither address space nor persistent storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2069 Management of state, configuration or failover

Abstract

A method and system to resolve a cluster failure in a networked environment is described. The method can include: configuring the application program in a directory based distributed configuration repository on the first cluster; replicating the application program'"'"'s configuration via the external directory to the second cluster; mirroring the application'"'"'s data on a first mirrored volume to a second mirrored volume; detecting failure of the first cluster; activating the second mirrored volume at the second cluster; and restarting the application program on the second cluster.

Claims

1. A method for restarting an application program residing on a first cluster after the first cluster fails, the method comprising:

configuring the application program in a directory based distributed configuration repository on the first cluster;

replicating the application program'"'"'s configuration via the directory based distributed configuration repository to be accessible to a second cluster;

mirroring the application program'"'"'s data on a first mirrored volume to a second mirrored volume;

detecting failure of the first cluster;

activating the second mirrored volume at the second cluster; and

restarting the application program on the second cluster.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the application program on the first cluster is on a first disk and wherein the failure of the first cluster includes only failure of the first disk.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first cluster and the second cluster are network objects.

4. The method of claim 1, further including

mirroring a second application program, residing on the second cluster wherein the mirroring is on a second mirrored volume on the first cluster.

5. The method of claim 4 further including:

detecting failure of the second cluster;

onlining the second mirrored volume on the first cluster; and

restarting the second application program on the first cluster.

6. A computer-readable medium storing a computer program executable by a computer for restarting an application program residing on a first cluster after the first cluster fails, the computer-readable medium comprising:

computer instructions for configuring the application program in a directory based distributed configuration repository on the first cluster;

computer instructions for replicating the application program'"'"'s configuration via the directory based distributed configuration repository on a first mirrored volume on a second cluster in an offline state;

computer instructions for detecting failure of the first cluster;

computer instructions for onlining the second cluster; and

computer instructions for restarting the application program residing on the second cluster.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the application program on the first cluster is on a first disk and wherein the failure of the first cluster includes only failure of the first disk.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 6 wherein the first cluster and the second cluster are network objects.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further including

computer instructions for replicating a second application program'"'"'s configuration via the directory based distributed configuration repository residing on the second cluster wherein the mirroring is on a second mirrored volume on the first cluster.

10. A computer system for restarting an application program residing on a first cluster after the first cluster fails, the system comprising:

a first cluster with a first volume;

a first application program residing on the first volume wherein the first application program is configured in a directory based distributed configuration repository, wherein the application program'"'"'s data is on the first volume;

a second cluster with a mirror of the first volume and connected to the first cluster;

a second volume on the second cluster, wherein the application program'"'"'s configuration is replicated via the directory based distributed configuration repository to be accessible to the second cluster; and

a mirror of the second volume wherein the mirror of the second volume resides on the first cluster, wherein the mirror of the first volume and the mirror of the second volume are in offline mode.

11. A computer system for restarting an application program residing on a first cluster after the first cluster fails, the system comprising:

a first cluster with a first volume;

a first application program residing on the first volume wherein the first application program is configured in a directory based distributed configuration repository;

a second cluster with a mirror of the first volume and connected to the first cluster;

a second volume on the second cluster, wherein the application program'"'"'s configuration is replicated via the directory based distributed configuration repository to be accessible to a second cluster; and

a mirror of the second volume wherein the mirror of the second volume resides on the first cluster, wherein the mirror of the first volume and the mirror of the second volume are in offline mode; and

a third volume on the first cluster and a mirror of the third volume on the second cluster.

12. The computer system of claim 11 further including a second application program residing on the third volume and a mirror copy of the second application program'"'"'s data on the mirror of the third volume on the second cluster and wherein the mirror copy of the second application program'"'"'s data is restored when the third volume has a failure.