Health check services for web-based collaboration environments

• US 9,019,123 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2012
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Box Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Box Incorporated
• Inventors: Boulanger, Antoine, Barreto, Tomas, Sukumar, Vignesh, Ghods, Sam
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Application Number:
  US13/464,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20130162444A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.03, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/229, 714/1
• US Class Current: 340/870.03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

System and method for monitoring the health of modules in a web-based collaboration environment are disclosed. In one aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure include a system having one or more host servers configured to receive client requests, process the client requests to determine one or more data items, select one or more modules having the one or more data items stored thereon, and responsively transfer one or more queries requesting availability of the one or more modules. The system also includes one or more health monitoring servers configured to receive the one or more queries, identify the availability of the one or more modules, and send one or more responses to the one or more queries indicating the availability of the one or more modules. The one or more health monitoring servers are configured to periodically determine the availability status of the one or more modules.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring availability status of a plurality of modules in a web-based collaboration environment, the method comprising:

identifying, at a health monitoring system, the plurality of modules, wherein each module provides one or more services to clients via one or more host servers, and the one or more services are redundantly accessible from more than one of the plurality of modules;

monitoring, at the health monitoring system, the availability status of the plurality of modules;

receiving, at the health monitoring system, a query from a first host server of the one or more host servers, the query identifying a first module of the plurality of modules;

processing, at the health monitoring system, the query to determine a first availability status associated with the first module based on said monitoring; and

sending, from the health monitoring system, a response for delivery to the first host server, the response indicating the first availability status.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality modules comprise storage servers and the one or more services comprise storage services.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of modules include an internal storage system and an external storage service.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of modules further include a temporary storage module.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said monitoring is performed periodically.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said monitoring is performed every one to two seconds.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the health monitoring system comprises a plurality of redundantly distributed health monitoring modules.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said processing further comprises:

identifying, at the health monitoring system, a leader from the plurality of redundantly distributed health monitoring modules, wherein the leader determines the first availability status.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said processing further comprises:

identifying, at the health monitoring system, a quorum from the plurality of redundantly distributed health monitoring modules, wherein the quorum determines the first availability status.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said monitoring further comprises:

generating, at the health monitoring system, one or more requests to store a data item on one or more of the plurality of modules;

sending, at the health monitoring system, the one or more store requests to the plurality of modules;

requesting, at the health monitoring system, the data item from the one or more of the plurality of modules;

receiving, at the health monitoring system, the data item from the one or more of the plurality of modules;

verifying, at the health monitoring system, the data item to determine availability status of the plurality of modules; and

storing the availability status of the plurality of modules in a memory system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein verifying the data item comprises performing a checksum on the data item.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the verifying the data item comprises verifying the size of the data item.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the availability status of the plurality of modules is represented as one of an ON state or OFF state.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

determining, at the health monitoring system, a latency in receiving the data item from the one or more of the plurality of modules.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the availability status of the plurality of modules is represented numerically based on the latency in receiving the data item from the one or more of the plurality of modules.

16. A system for monitoring availability status of a plurality of modules in a web-based collaboration environment, the system comprising:

a processing unit;

a memory unit having stored thereon instructions which when executed by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to;

identify the plurality of modules, wherein each module provides one or more services to clients via one or more host servers and the one or more services are redundantly accessible from more than one of the plurality of modules;

monitor the availability status of the plurality of modules;

receive a query from a first host server of the one or more host servers, the query identifying a first module of the plurality of modules;

process the query to determine a first availability status associated with the first module based on said monitoring; and

send a response indicating the first availability status.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein, the instructions, when executed by the processing unit, further cause the processing unit to:

generate one or more requests to store a data item on one or more of the plurality of modules;

send the one or more store requests to the plurality of modules;

request the data item from the one or more of the plurality of modules;

receive the data item from the one or more of the plurality of modules; and

verify the data item to determine availability status of the plurality of modules.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein to verify the data item, the instructions, when executed by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to perform a checksum on the data item.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein to verify the data item, the instructions, when executed by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to verify the size of the data item.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the availability status of the plurality of modules is represented as one of an ON state or OFF state.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein, the instructions, when executed by the processing unit, further cause the processing unit to:

determine a latency in receiving the data item from the one or more of the plurality of modules;

wherein the availability status of the plurality of modules is represented numerically based on the latency in receiving the data item from the one or more of the plurality of modules.

22. A system comprising:

one or more host servers configured to receive client requests, process the client requests to determine one or more data items, select one or more modules having the one or more data items stored thereon, and responsively transfer one or more queries requesting availability of the one or more modules; and

one or more health monitoring servers configured to receive the one or more queries, identify the availability of the one or more modules, and send one or more responses to the one or more queries indicating the availability of the one or more modules, wherein the one or more health monitoring servers are further configured to periodically determine the availability status of the one or more modules.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein to determine the availability status of the one or more modules, the one or more health monitoring servers are further configured to generate one or more requests to store a data item on one or more of the plurality of modules, send the one or more store requests to the plurality of modules, request the data item from the one or more of the plurality of modules, receive the data item from the one or more of the plurality of modules, and verify the data item.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein to verify the data item, the one or more host servers are further configured to verify the size of the data item or perform a checksum on the data item.

25. A machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which when executed by a processor performs a method for monitoring availability status of a plurality of modules in a web-based collaboration environment, the method comprising:

identifying the plurality of modules, wherein each module provides one or more services to clients via one or more host servers, and the one or more services are redundantly accessible from more than one of the plurality of modules;

monitoring the availability status of the plurality of modules;

receiving a query from a first access server of the one or more host servers, the query identifying a first module of the plurality of modules;

processing the query to determine a first availability status associated with the first module based on said monitoring; and

sending a response for delivery to the first host server, the response indicating the first availability status.

26. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by one or more processors of a health monitoring system, cause the health monitoring system to:

identify a plurality of modules in a web-based collaboration environment, wherein each module provides one or more services to clients via one or more host servers, and the one or more services are redundantly accessible from more than one of the plurality of modules;

monitor an availability status of the plurality of modules;

receive a query from a first host server of the one or more host servers, the query identifying a first module of the plurality of modules;

process the query to determine a first availability status associated with the first module based on said monitoring; and

send a response for delivery to the first host server, the response indicating the first availability status.

27. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the plurality modules comprise storage servers and the one or more services comprise storage services.

28. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the health monitoring system comprises a plurality of redundantly distributed health monitoring modules.