Containerized Database Segment Load Balancer for Rapid Failover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Massively parallel processing (MPP) relational databases require significant physical storage and incur downtime due to the need for physical reconfiguration upon primary segment host failure, which is slow and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
Implementing MPP relational databases using containers for segment hosting, where each segment is stored in a highly-available RAID array, allowing for quick failover to a standby container without the need for physical reconfiguration, reducing the necessity for database segment replicas and rebalancing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physical reconfiguration is performed upon primary segment host failure, then redundancy is provided, but downtime occurs and the database becomes unavailable
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring load balancers to automatically redirect traffic to standby segment hosts before failures occur. The load balancers are pre-programmed with fallback routing logic that activates immediately upon detecting primary host unavailability, eliminating the need for manual reconfiguration during failure events.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces load balancers as intermediary components between clients and segment hosts. These intermediaries absorb the complexity of failure handling by automatically managing traffic redistribution, isolating the redundancy mechanism from the core database operations and enabling seamless failover without database downtime.
2Reliability
If database segment replicas are stored, then redundancy is achieved, but physical storage space requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses virtual copying through load balancer configuration rather than physical data replication. Instead of creating actual duplicate data copies on separate storage devices, the load balancers create virtual copies of service endpoints that redirect client requests to standby hosts, achieving redundancy with minimal additional storage overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The standby segment hosts serve multiple functions: they act as backup hosts for failover purposes while simultaneously remaining as idle resources that can be quickly activated. The same physical infrastructure serves both primary and standby roles, eliminating the need for dedicated replica storage and maximizing resource utilization.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for implementing MPP relational databases using containers. One example system initiates primary containers to implement database segment instances. Each segment of the database is stored on a respective storage volume. Each storage volume is mounted on a respective primary container. The system detects a failure of a first primary container that is a segment instance of a first database segment. In response to the detection, the system performs a recovery process. The system unmounts, from the failed first primary container, a first storage volume storing the first database segment. The system selects a standby container from a pool of standby containers and mounts the first storage volume on the selected standby container. The system is reconfigured so that it processes queries for the first database segment using the selected standby container instead of the failed first container.