System and method for distributed management of shared computers

• US 7,370,103 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• 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.
• Primary Examiner(s): JACOBS, LASHONDA T
• Application Number:
  US10/987,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20050097058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/223
• 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:

selling, to customers, rights to respective clusters of computers to be located at a facility; and

enforcing a multiple-tiered management scheme on the clusters of computers in which hardware operation of the clusters of computers is monitored and controlled locally at the facility by a cluster operations management console, and execution of software on a cluster computers is monitored and controlled in accordance with network communications from a customer from a location remote from the facility, where the multiple-tiered management scheme allows the monitoring and controlling of the hardware operation of the clusters of computers by the cluster operations management console to be performed independent of the monitoring and control of the execution of the software wherein the monitoring and control of the execution of the software is performed by the customer remote from the facility.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the facility comprises a co-location facility.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selling comprises licensing at least one of the clusters of computers to the customer.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selling comprises selling at least one of the clusters of computers to the customer.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the cluster operations management console monitors and controls the hardware operation of the clusters of computers, and initiates a corrective action in an event of a hardware failure.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein execution of software on a cluster of computers is monitored by an application operations management console communicatively coupled to the facility via the Internet.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

selling, to each of a plurality of additional customers, rights to additional respective cluster of computers to be located at the facility;

enforcing the multiple-tiered management scheme on the additional cluster of computers in which hardware operation of the additional cluster of computers is monitored and controlled by a cluster operations management console locally at the facility and execution of software on a cluster of computers is monitored and controlled in accordance with network communications from a customer from a different location remote from the facility.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein monitoring and controlling of software of the clusters of computers includes detecting failures of application processes executing on the clusters of computers and taking corrective action in response to a software failure being detected on one or more of the clusters of computers.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein failures of application processes include hung application processes, hung threads, and errors in execution of the application processes.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein monitoring and controlling of hardware operation by a cluster operations management console of the clusters of computers includes detecting hardware failures in the clusters of computers and taking corrective action in response to a hardware failure being detected in one of the clusters of computers.

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

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

12. A system comprising:

clusters of computers to which customers are sold rights; and

each of the clusters of computers including a control module that allows a multiple-tiered management scheme to be enforced on the clusters of computers, wherein the multiple-tiered management scheme includes monitoring and controlling hardware operation of the clusters of computers locally at the system by a cluster operations management console, and execution of software on a clusters of computers is monitored and controlled in accordance with network communications from a customer from a location remote from the system, wherein the cluster operations management console and the network communications from the customer are independent of each other.

13. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the sold rights comprise at least one of the clusters of computers having been leased to the customer.

14. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the cluster operations management console monitors and controls the hardware operation of the clusters of computers, and initiates a corrective action in an event of a hardware failure.

15. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein execution of software on the clusters of computers is monitored and controlled by an application operations management console communicatively coupled to the system via the Internet.

16. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein execution of software on the clusters of computers includes detecting failures of application processes executing on the clusters of computers and taking corrective action in response to a software failure being detected on one or more of the clusters of computers.

17. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein monitoring and controlling of hardware operation of the clusters of computers includes detecting hardware failures in the clusters of computers and taking corrective action in response to a hardware failure being detected in one of the clusters of computers.

18. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computer, cause the one or more processors to:

allow hardware monitoring and controlling of clusters of computers locally at a facility by a cluster operations management console that includes the clusters of computers, wherein the hardware monitoring and controlling is one tier in a multiple-tiered management scheme, and wherein rights to respective clusters of computers have been sold to customers; and

allow monitoring and controlling of software execution on a cluster of computers to be performed in accordance with network communications from a customer from a location remote from the facility, wherein the monitoring and control of software execution is another tier in the multiple-tiered management scheme, and wherein the multiple-tiered management scheme allows the monitoring and controlling of the hardware operation of the clusters of computers by the cluster operations management console to be performed independent of the monitoring and control of the execution of the software by the remote customer.

19. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 18, wherein the facility comprises a co-location facility.

20. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 18, wherein rights to respective clusters of computers having been sold to customers comprises respective clusters of computers having been leased to customers.

21. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 18, wherein to allow monitoring and controlling of software execution on a cluster of computers is to allow detection of failures of application processes executing on the clusters of computers and taking of corrective action in response to a software failure being detected.

22. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 18, wherein to allow hardware monitoring and controlling of clusters of computers is to allow detection of hardware failures in the clusters of computers and taking of corrective action in response to a hardware failure being detected.

23. A system comprising:

means for allowing hardware monitoring and controlling of the system locally by a cluster operations management console at a facility that includes the system, wherein the hardware monitoring and controlling is one tier in a multiple-tiered management scheme, and wherein rights to the system have been sold to customers; and

means for allowing monitoring and controlling of software execution of the system to be performed in accordance with network communications from a customer from a location remote from the facility, wherein the management, monitoring and control of software execution is another tier in the multiple-tiered management scheme that occurs remote of the facility.

24. A system as recited in claim 23, wherein the system comprises clusters of computers and the facility comprises a co-location facility.

25. A system as recited in claim 23, wherein the rights having been sold to customers comprises the system having been leased to customers.

26. A system as recited in claim 23, wherein the means for allowing monitoring and controlling of software execution of the system comprises means for allowing detection of failures of application processes executing on the system and means for taking corrective action in response to a software failure being detected.

27. A system as recited in claim 23, wherein the means for allowing hardware monitoring and controlling of the system comprises means for allowing detection of hardware failures in the system and means for taking corrective action in response to a hardware failure being detected.

28. A method for managing clusters of server nodes at a facility supplying power and network connectivity to the sewer nodes, the server nodes comprising respective control modules that enforce cluster boundaries in accordance with network filters on the sewer nodes, the method comprising:

managing the boundaries of the clusters by applying to the monitor components network filters received from one or more cluster operations management consoles, where the network filters define the boundaries and cause the components to restrict communication between sewer nodes that are not in a same cluster, and where the one or more cluster operations management consoles are controlled and operated by an operator entity or organization that makes the sewer nodes available to customer entities or organizations that purchase from the operator rights to access and control respective of the clusters of the server nodes local to the facility;

monitoring and controlling hardware operation of the server nodes by the sewer nodes communicating with the one or more cluster operations management consoles and the one or more cluster operations management consoles communicating corrective hardware operation commands to the sewer nodes in response to detection of hardware problems with the sewer nodes; and

controlling and monitoring execution of application software executing on the server nodes by the server nodes in accordance with communications from one or more remote application management consoles operated by the customer entities or organizations remote to the facility, where the controlling and monitoring of the execution of the application software in accordance with the communications from the one or more remote application management consoles is independent of the controlling and monitoring of the hardware operation of the sewer nodes by hardware operations management consoles.