Metadata Repository Interception for Catalog Failure Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Critical applications fail to access data sets when they cannot retrieve necessary metadata from catalogs due to hardware or software failures, leading to operational and financial impacts.
Innovation Solution
A repository is used to store and retrieve metadata from a catalog, allowing applications to continue operations even if the catalog is damaged or unavailable by intercepting requests and saving metadata in a non-volatile memory for future use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If metadata is stored only in the catalog, then the system structure is simple, but the reliability of metadata access deteriorates when the catalog becomes unavailable
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by intercepting metadata requests before they reach the catalog, retrieving metadata in advance, and saving it to a repository. This proactive approach ensures metadata is available even when the catalog becomes unavailable, improving reliability without significantly increasing system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
A repository is introduced as an intermediary component between the catalog and applications. The repository stores metadata locally and can fulfill requests independently when the catalog is unavailable, acting as a buffer that improves system reliability while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure
2Loss of time
If metadata requests are always fulfilled from the catalog, then the system operation is simple, but the loss of time increases when the catalog is unavailable
Solution Approach 1:
The system retrieves and caches metadata to the repository in advance, before it is actually needed. This preliminary action ensures that when the catalog becomes unavailable, metadata can be retrieved immediately from the repository, eliminating delays and reducing time loss without significantly complicating system operations
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates copies of metadata from the catalog and stores them in the repository. These copies can be retrieved quickly when the original catalog is unavailable, reducing retrieval time while maintaining operational simplicity through a straightforward copy-and-store mechanism
3Reliability
If a repository is introduced to cache metadata, then the reliability of metadata access is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The repository is designed to serve multiple functions: it acts as a cache for metadata, a backup storage when the catalog is unavailable, and a request fulfillment mechanism. This multi-functionality justifies the added component by providing diverse benefits that improve application continuity without requiring multiple separate systems
Solution Approach 2:
The repository serves as an intermediary layer that simplifies the overall system architecture by handling metadata storage and retrieval independently. This single intermediary component replaces the need for complex redundant catalog systems or distributed metadata management, achieving reliability improvement with minimal complexity increase
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for maintaining metadata from a catalog in a repository to return to requests for the metadata. A first instance of a request for metadata from a catalog of metadata on data sets is intercepted from an application and the metadata is retrieved from the catalog and saved in a repository. The retrieved metadata is associated with the request in the repository. The metadata retrieved from the catalog is returned to the application for the first instance of the request. A second instance of the request is intercepted from the application. A determination is made whether to fulfill the second instance of the request from the repository. The metadata for the second instance of the request is retrieved from the repository in response to determining to fulfill the second instance of the request from the repository.