Cluster Snapshot Replication for Low-Impact Failover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing computing environments face challenges in efficiently managing and replicating clusters, particularly in scenarios where clusters need to be scaled, monitored, and redundancy is required, especially in environments with limited computational resources or high loads.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for creating a snapshot object of a first cluster, which is transmitted to a second cluster to instantiate replicas, ensuring seamless replication and redundancy by using a cluster exchange object that includes identifiers, credentials, and configuration data to recreate the first cluster on the second cluster.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cluster replication is performed by copying all cluster data and state, then the replica cluster achieves complete redundancy and failover capability, but the resource consumption and performance impact on the primary cluster increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential snapshot data representing changed components from the primary cluster, rather than copying entire cluster state. This selective extraction reduces the volume of data that needs to be transmitted and stored, thereby reducing resource consumption while maintaining replication capability
Solution Approach 2:
The cluster state is segmented into individual component snapshots, where only changed components are identified and replicated. This segmentation allows the system to replicate only necessary portions of cluster state rather than the entire cluster, reducing overall replication overhead
2Reliability
If complete cluster state is replicated to ensure failover capability, then the replica can fully replace the primary cluster during failures, but the complexity of managing snapshot objects and component identifiers increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates simplified snapshot objects that capture the essence of cluster state changes without requiring complete cluster state copying. These snapshot objects serve as lightweight representations that can be managed more easily than full cluster states while still enabling complete failover capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary identification of changed components and creates snapshot objects before failover is needed. This preliminary action organizes replication data in advance, reducing the complexity of managing replication state during critical failover operations
3Speed
If frequent cluster snapshots are created to maintain up-to-date replicas, then the replica remains current for rapid failover, but the storage requirements and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the differences or changed components between snapshot versions rather than storing complete cluster states at each point in time. This extraction approach significantly reduces storage requirements while maintaining the ability to reconstruct current cluster state for rapid failover
Solution Approach 2:
The snapshot system dynamically identifies and replicates only changed components rather than using a static approach of copying entire cluster states. This dynamic approach adapts to actual cluster changes, reducing storage overhead while maintaining failover readiness
Data Source
AI summary
A first cluster creates a cluster exchange object including identifiers of components of the first cluster and segments of data of the first cluster along with configuration data, such as access points and credentials. The first cluster transmits the object to a second cluster that instantiates copies of the components and retrieves the segments from the first cluster to become a replica of the second cluster. The second cluster may then commence execution upon failure of the primary cluster and restore the primary cluster. The primary cluster may send snapshot objects to the second cluster to communicate changes to the primary cluster and the snapshot objects may also be used to restore the primary cluster following failure. The components of a cluster may be represented in a directory structure and data describing a component may be retrieved in response to user interactions with a representation of the directory structure.