High-Availability Controller Selection via Availability Scores
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing high-availability automation systems fail to consider current operating conditions and statuses of standby controllers during failover, leading to impaired or prevented failover due to communication issues, and become increasingly complex as the number of failure modes and standby controllers increases, making organization and programming of failover software difficult.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method where each controller in a high-availability system stores status data related to multiple failure modes in shared memory, calculates an availability score based on this data, and identifies the controller with the highest score as the master controller, using a processor to manage redundant communication channels and determine the most suitable controller for handoff.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a preselected active controller and standby controller configuration is used, then failover can be implemented, but the system does not consider current operating conditions and status of the standby controller, leading to impaired failover
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic failover by continuously monitoring the status and availability of standby controllers based on current operating conditions. Instead of a static preselected standby controller, the system dynamically evaluates multiple standby controllers' readiness states, communication statuses, and operational conditions to determine the most suitable failover candidate at the time of failure, thereby resolving the contradiction between having a predetermined failover mechanism and adapting to current system conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs feedback mechanisms by continuously assessing the status data of standby controllers and using this information to make informed failover decisions. The active controller receives feedback about the availability and condition of standby controllers, and this feedback loop enables the system to select the most appropriate standby controller based on real-time operating conditions, thus improving both reliability and adaptability.
2Reliability
If multiple standby controllers are used to improve reliability, then failover options increase, but the number of logical operations that must be assessed increases making organization and programming difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the failover evaluation process into distinct, manageable components. Each standby controller's status is evaluated through separate, standardized assessments of specific failure modes and operational conditions. This segmentation allows the system to handle multiple standby controllers systematically, breaking down the complex evaluation into discrete logical operations that are easier to organize, program, and maintain, while still providing comprehensive redundancy.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for implementing a high-availability system that includes a plurality of controllers that each includes a shared memory. The method includes storing in the shared memory, by each controller, status data related to each of a plurality of failure modes, and calculating, by each controller, an availability score based on the status data. The method also includes determining, by each controller, one of the plurality of controllers having a highest availability score, and identifying the one of the plurality of controllers having the highest availability score as a master controller.