System and method for performing validation of a configuration

• US 7,529,818 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2005
• Issued: 05/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEA Systems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Halpern, Eric M., Paclat, Charles, Spotswood, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Vincent; David R
• Assistant Examiner(s): OLUDE AFOLABI, OLATOYOSI
• Application Number:
  US11/130,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20050262225A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,449 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-204, 709206-207, 709217-221, 709/223, 705/5, 705/6, 705/1, 705/28, 705/26, 705/27, 717/170, 717/176, 713/1
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

In embodiments, the present invention provides mechanisms and methods for making a set of configuration changes to a set of servers comprised of an administration server and one or more managed servers. These mechanisms and methods can enable a number of changes to be made to the configuration at once, e.g., in a batch. In such transaction based processing, embodiments process changes in batches, which enables embodiments to avoid failures in configuration changes that result in the machines being in a non-recoverable or unknown configuration state.

Claims

1. A method for validating a set of configuration changes, comprising:

receiving a configuration file update by a managed server, wherein the configuration file update includes a set of changes to a configuration for the managed server;

storing the configuration file update in a storage medium;

comparing the set of changes to a plurality of managed server configuration MBeans in an MBean graph, wherein the plurality of managed server configuration MBeans are related to each other by the MBean graph, wherein the plurality of managed server configuration MBeans are associated with a running state of the managed server;

determining based upon a result of the comparing step whether to accept the set of changes to the managed server; and

generating a validation response signal indicating at least one of an acceptance or a rejection based upon a result of the determining step.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a set of changes to a configuration further comprises:

receiving a plurality of changes comprising a batch.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining based upon a result of the comparing step whether to accept the set of changes further comprises:

determining based upon a result of the comparing step to accept the set of changes, if each one of the set of changes does not cause an error to occur.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining based upon a result of the comparing step whether to accept the set of changes further comprises:

determining based upon a result of the comparing step to accept the set of changes, if each one of the set of changes does not cause an undesired state to be entered.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining based upon a result of the comparing step whether to accept the set of changes further comprises:

determining based upon a result of the comparing step not to accept the set of changes, if at least one of the set of changes causes an error to occur.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining based upon a result of the comparing step whether to accept the set of changes further comprises:

determining based upon a result of the comparing step not to accept the set of changes, if at least one of the set of changes causes an undesired state to be entered.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein indicating at least one of an acceptance or a rejection based upon a result of the determining step further comprises:

signaling an administration server indicating the set of changes are accepted, if a result of determining based upon a result of the comparing step is to accept the set of changes.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein indicating at least one of an acceptance or a rejection based upon a result of the determining step further comprises:

signaling an administration server indicating the set of changes are not accepted, if a result of determining based upon a result of the comparing step is to not accept the set of changes.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the configuration file update to one or more configuration MBeans in an MBean graph is performed using a MBean tree differencing mechanism, wherein a persisted configuration is retrieved into the one or more MBeans related to one another by a graph, tree, or similar data structure.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the configuration file update to one or more managed server configuration MBeans in an MBean graph comprises:

reading the configuration file update into the MBean graph;

performing a depth first traversal of the MBean graph starting at the root node of the MBean graph;

for each MBean node, comparing primitives of the MBean node with a current configuration stored at the managed server; and

storing changes in a list of events, which may be played against the current configuration MBean graph to yield an updated configuration MBean graph.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more MBeans comprise properties of primitives and child beans.

9. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for validating a set of configuration changes, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

receiving a configuration file up date by a managed server, wherein the configuration file up date includes a set of changes to a configuration for the managed server;

storing the configuration file update in a storage medium;

comparing the set of changes to a plurality of managed server configuration MBeans in an MBean graph, wherein the plurality of managed server configuration MBeans are related to each other by the MBean graph, wherein the plurality of managed server configuration MBeans are associated with a running state of the managed server;

determining based upon a result of the comparing step whether to accept the set of changes to the managed server; and

generating a validation response signal indicating at least one of an acceptance or a rejection based upon a result of the determining step.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions for receiving a set of changes to a configuration further comprise instructions for carrying out the step of:

receiving a plurality of changes comprising a batch.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions for determining based upon a result of the comparing instructions whether to accept the set of changes further comprise instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to carry out the step of:

determining based upon a result of the comparing instructions to accept the set of changes, if each one of the set of changes does not cause an error to occur.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions for determining based upon a result of the comparing instructions whether to accept the set of changes further comprise instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to carry out the step of:

determining based upon a result of the comparing instructions to accept the set of changes, if each one of the set of changes does not cause an undesired state to be entered.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions for determining based upon a result of the comparing instructions whether to accept the set of changes further comprise instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to carry out the step of:

determining based upon a result of the comparing instructions not to accept the set of changes, if at least one of the set of changes causes an error to occur.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions for determining based upon a result of the comparing instructions whether to accept the set of changes further comprise instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to carry out the step of:

determining based upon a result of the comparing instructions not to accept the set of changes, if at least one of the set of changes causes an undesired state to be entered.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions for determining based upon a result of the comparing instructions whether to accept the set of changes further comprise instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to carry out the step of:

signaling an administration server indicating the set of changes are accepted, if a result of determining based upon a result of the comparing instructions is to accept the set of changes.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions for determining based upon a result of the comparing instructions whether to accept the set of changes further comprise instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to carry out the step of:

signaling an administration server indicating the set of changes are not accepted, if a result of determining based upon a result of the comparing instructions is to not accept the set of changes.

17. A managed server for validating a set of configuration changes, comprising:

a processor; and

one or more stored sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of;

receiving a configuration file update by a managed server, wherein the configuration file update includes a set of changes to a configuration for the managed server;

storing the configuration file update in a storage medium;

comparing the set of changes to a plurality of managed server configuration MBeans in an MBean graph, wherein the plurality of managed server configuration MBeans are related to each other by the MBean graph, wherein the plurality of managed server configuration MBeans are associated with a running state of the managed server;

determining based upon a result of the comparing step whether to accept the set of changes to the managed server; and

generating a validation response signal indicating at least one of an acceptance or a rejection based upon a result of the determining step.