Home Service Server Switchover via Direct Appliance Backup Connection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fault handling mechanisms in home service systems, which rely on switchover mechanisms between primary and backup servers, face issues such as resource wastage and increased costs due to frequent fault detection messages and the need for additional scheduling servers, leading to potential system breakdowns if the scheduling server fails.
Innovation Solution
A fault handling method where household appliances directly communicate with a backup server using pre-stored identification information, eliminating the need for continuous communication between primary and backup servers, and avoiding the requirement for extra servers, thereby reducing costs and preventing system collapse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the backup server sends frequent fault detection messages to the primary server, then the reliability of server switchover is improved, but resource consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic fault detection where the backup server sends detection messages to the primary server at predetermined time intervals. This periodic action ensures the backup server can detect primary server failures reliably while avoiding continuous monitoring that would waste resources. The detection frequency is optimized to balance reliability with resource consumption.
2Measurement precision
If the primary server is completely unable to work, then fault detection accuracy is improved, but the backup server becomes unavailable because it cannot receive switchover requests
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the backup server to autonomously initiate fault detection by actively sending detection messages to the primary server, rather than waiting for the primary server to send switchover requests. This self-service mechanism ensures that even when the primary server is completely non-functional, the backup server can independently detect the failure and activate, maintaining system availability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a scheduling server is added to manage primary and backup servers, then system control flexibility is improved, but the cost and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the scheduling function from a separate scheduling server and integrates it directly into the backup server. The backup server now performs both backup operations and scheduling decisions, eliminating the need for an additional scheduling server component. This reduces system complexity and cost while maintaining the flexibility of centralized control through the existing home gateway device.
4Ease of operation
If a scheduling server is added to manage server switchover, then control capability is improved, but the system becomes more vulnerable to single point of failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the scheduling server functionality with the backup server into a single integrated component. By combining these functions, the system eliminates the scheduling server as a separate single point of failure. The backup server with integrated scheduling capability ensures that even if external control is lost, the local backup mechanism can still autonomously manage switchover operations, improving system robustness while maintaining control capability.
Data Source
AI summary
Fault handling methods in a home service system, and associated household appliances and servers are disclosed. According to a fault handling method, the household appliance may send a first message to a primary server, and may decide the primary server fails when not receiving a feedback connection signal from the primary server. The household appliance may then send a second message to a backup server according to pre-stored identification information of the backup server, so as to connect to the backup server. Thus, the household appliances can directly communicate with the backup server to establish connections thereto, eliminating the need of communications between the primary and the backup server, and no extra servers would be needed, which can reduce the cost, thereby avoiding the collapse of the entire home service system due to failure of the primary server.