Techniques for synchronizing operations between regions when a network connection fails

• US 9,860,112 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2015
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Allen, Gerald Martyn, Brooks, Michael David, He, Jenny Jing, Wakelin, Philip Ivor
• Primary Examiner(s): Sefcheck, Gregory
• Application Number:
  US14/790,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20160006603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0668 by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery

Abstract

A technique for synchronizing operations in a transaction processing system includes identifying, by a first recovery management connector (FRMC) in a first region, a failure of a first network connection having a first network type during synchronization operations with a partner region. The FRMC queries connections defined to the transaction processing system to identify a replacement network connection that is connected to the partner region using a second network type that is different than the first network type. The FRMC collects relevant data for an interrupted synchronization operation. The FRMC issues a command to link to a specific program in a FRMC in the partner region. The command includes the relevant data for the interrupted synchronization operation. A second recovery management connector of the first region communicates the command to and a response from the partner region via the replacement network connection in order to continue the interrupted synchronization operation.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing operations in a transaction processing system including first and second recovery management connectors in a first region, the method comprising:

identifying, by the first recovery management connector, a failure of a first network connection having a first network type during synchronization operations with a partner region;

querying, by the first recovery management connector, connections defined to the transaction processing system to identify a replacement network connection that is connected to the partner region using a second network type that is different than the first network type, the replacement network connection utilizing the second recovery management connector;

collecting, by the first recovery management connector, relevant data for an interrupted synchronization operation;

issuing, by the first recovery management connector, a command to link to a specific program that is a component of a first recovery management connector in the partner region, the command including the relevant data for the interrupted synchronization operation, wherein the specific program is configured to use the relevant data from the command to locate state information on a relevant user task in a corresponding user application in the partner region and continue the interrupted synchronization operation such that associated resources are unlocked; and

communicating, using the second recovery management connector, the command to and receiving a response from the partner region via the replacement network connection in order to continue the interrupted synchronization operation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

packaging, using the second recovery management connector, the command in a protocol of the second network type at an application layer; and

transmitting, using the second recovery management connector, the packaged command to the partner region using the replacement network connection.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, using a second recovery management connector in the partner region, the packaged command; and

extracting and issuing, using the second recovery management connector in the partner region, the command in the partner region.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

running, using the first recovery management connector in the partner region, the specific program linked to by the command;

locating, using the first recovery management connector in the partner region, state information about the synchronization operation in the partner region using the relevant data for the interrupted synchronization operation;

combining, using the first recovery management connector in the partner region, the received relevant data and the state information in the partner region to determine how to continue the synchronization operation; and

building, using the first recovery management connector in the partner region, a response to the command.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

packaging, using the second recovery management connector in the partner region, the response in the protocol of the second network type; and

transmitting, using the second recovery management connector in the partner region, the packaged response to the first region using the replacement network connection.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving, using the second recovery management connector in the first region, the packaged response; and

extracting the response and delivering the extracted response to the first recovery management connector in the first region using the second recovery management connector in the first region.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

completing, using the first recovery management connector in the first region, a current section of the synchronization operation to ensure the first region and the partner region are synchronized.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the relevant data includes a user task identifier and a synchronization state.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronization operation includes a message sequence and the command to link to a specific program includes a sequence of commands each containing data for a particular phase in the synchronization operation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronization operation is servicing at least one user application and the relevant data is collected from one or more user applications.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first recovery management connector in the first region and the first recovery management connector in the partner region both identify a failure and issue respective commands for delivery via respective replacement network connections, and wherein one of the respective commands is failed based on a preference factor between the first region and the partner region.

12. A system for synchronizing operations in a transaction processing system, comprising:

a first region of the transaction processing system including a first recovery management connector managing communications with a partner region using a first network connection having a first network type and a second recovery management connector managing communications with the partner region using a replacement network connection having a second network type, different from the first network type, wherein the first recovery management connector includes;

a connection failure component configured to identify a failure of the first network connection during synchronization operations with the partner region;

a replacement network connection component configured to query connections defined to the transaction processing system to identify the replacement network connection for the first network connection when the first network connection fails;

a data collection component configured to collect relevant data for an interrupted synchronization operation;

a command component configured to issue a command to link to a specific program that is a component of a first recovery management connector in the partner region, the command including the relevant data for the interrupted synchronization operation, wherein the specific program is configured to use the relevant data from the command to locate state information on a relevant user task in a corresponding user application in the partner region and continue the interrupted synchronization operation such that associated resources are unlocked; and

the second recovery management connector including an associated communication component that communicates the command to and receives a response from the partner region via the replacement network connection in order to continue the interrupted synchronization operation.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second recovery management connector includes:

a command processing component configured to package the command in a protocol of the second network type at an application layer; and

a communication component configured to transmit the packaged command to the partner region using the replacement network connection.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a second recovery management connector in the partner region that includes a communication component configured to receive the packaged command and extract the command and issue the command in the partner region.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first recovery management connector in the partner region includes:

a response generating component configured to locate state information about the synchronization operation in the partner region using the relevant data for the interrupted synchronization operation, combine the received relevant data and the state information in the partner region to determine how to continue the synchronization operation, and build a response to the command.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the communication component of the second recovery management connector in the partner region is further configured to:

package the response in the protocol of the second network type; and

transmit the packaged response to the first region using the replacement network connection.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the communication component of the second recovery management connector in the first region is further configured to:

receive the packaged response; and

extract the response and delivering it to the first recovery management connector in the first region.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first recovery management connector in the first region includes a completing component configured to complete a current section of the synchronization operation to ensure the first region and the partner region are synchronized.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the relevant data includes a user task identifier and a synchronization state.

20. A computer program product for synchronizing operations in a transaction processing system, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium; and

computer-readable program code embodied on the computer-readable storage device, wherein the computer-readable program code when executed by the transaction processing system is configured to cause the transaction processing system to;

identify, by a first recovery management connector of a first region, a failure of a first network connection having a first network type during synchronization operations between the first recovery management connector and a partner region;

query, by the first recovery management connector, connections defined to the transaction processing system to identify a replacement network connection in the first region that is connected to the partner region using a second network type that is different than the first network type, the replacement network connection utilizing a second recovery management connector of the first region;

collecting, by the first recovery management connector, relevant data for an interrupted synchronization operation;

issuing, by the first recovery management connector, a command to link to a specific program that is a component of a first recovery management connector in the partner region, the command including the relevant data for the interrupted synchronization operation, wherein the specific program is configured to use the relevant data from the command to locate state information on a relevant user task in a corresponding user application in the partner region and continue the interrupted synchronization operation such that associated resources are unlocked; and

communicating, using the second recovery management connector, the command to and a response from the partner region via the replacement network connection in order to continue the interrupted synchronization operation.