Determiner Resource Two-Phase Commit Transaction Recovery

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Solution Overview

Problem

Transactional middleware systems face performance challenges and increased costs due to the need for transaction manager recovery logs, which are necessary for ensuring ACID properties but incur performance, storage, and administrative costs, especially in disaster recovery scenarios.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a strict ordering of two-phase commit calls and designating a 'determiner resource' to eliminate mid-tier transaction logs, allowing the transaction manager to rely on the determiner resource's list of outstanding transactions for recovery, thereby reducing the need for transaction logging and improving performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If transaction manager uses traditional transaction logs (TLOG) for recovery, then ACID properties are ensured, but performance and storage costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveACID property assuranceVSAvoidtransaction processing performance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the recovery information storage function from the transaction manager's TLOG and relocates it to the determiner resource manager. By designating one resource manager as the determiner, the system eliminates the need for mid-tier TLOGs while maintaining recovery capability through the determiner resource's list of outstanding transactions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The determiner resource manager serves multiple functions: it acts as a normal resource manager participating in transactions, maintains the list of outstanding transactions for recovery purposes, and provides the authoritative source for recovery decisions. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate TLOG infrastructure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If transaction manager maintains detailed transaction logs for disaster recovery, then recovery reliability improves, but storage costs and administrative overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisaster recovery reliabilityVSAvoidstorage space for transaction logs
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes the transaction log storage burden from the mid-tier transaction manager and relocates it to the determiner resource manager. The determiner maintains only the essential list of outstanding transactions rather than detailed TLOG entries, significantly reducing storage requirements while maintaining recovery capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Productivity

If strict ordering of two-phase commit calls is implemented with a determiner resource, then transaction log elimination is achieved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransaction processing efficiencyVSAvoidsystem architecture complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary designation of a determiner resource manager before transactions begin. This pre-established hierarchy allows the strict ordering of two-phase commit calls to proceed without complex runtime decisions, as the determiner is already identified and all resource managers know their positioning relative to it.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

4Productivity

If mid-tier transaction logs are eliminated, then performance improves, but recovery information availability may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransaction processing performanceVSAvoidrecovery information availability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The determiner resource manager acts as an intermediary that holds the authoritative list of outstanding transactions. Instead of the transaction manager maintaining TLOGs, the determiner resource serves as the intermediary storage point for recovery information, making it available to all participants without requiring mid-tier logging infrastructure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP2825958B1Systems and methods for supporting transaction recovery based on a strict ordering of two-phase commit calls
Publication Date: 2018.08.01 ORACLE INT CORP
  • EP2825958B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2825958B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2825958B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Systems and methods are provided for supporting transaction recovery based on a strict ordering of two-phase commit calls. At least one resource manager in a mid-tier transactional environment can be designated as the "determiner resource," in order to support eliminating mid-tier transaction logs (TLOG) in processing a two-phase transaction. A transaction manager can prepare all other resource managers in the mid-tier transactional system before the determiner resource. Furthermore, the transaction manager can rely on the list of outstanding transactions to be committed that is provided by the determiner resource for recovering the transaction. The transaction manager can commit an in-doubt transaction returned from a resource manager that matches the list of in-doubt transactions returned from the determiner resource. Otherwise, the transaction manager can roll back the in-doubt transaction.