Multitenant Edit Session Conflict Detection and Resolution

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Solution Overview

Problem

In multitenant application server environments, existing systems lack effective mechanisms to manage and resolve conflicts between concurrent edit sessions, leading to errors when activating changes made by different administrators, which can result in incomplete or inconsistent global edit configurations.

Innovation Solution

A system and method that allow administrators to obtain named edit sessions for making changes, detect conflicts between concurrent changes, and provide error alerts, enabling administrators to resolve conflicts before activating changes, ensuring that changes are applied to a global edit configuration.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If multiple administrators can make concurrent changes to partition configurations, then system productivity and collaboration are improved, but conflicts between concurrent changes occur leading to errors when activating changes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconcurrent edit capabilityVSAvoidconfiguration consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary conflict detection before activating changes by comparing the current partition configuration against the edited configuration. This preliminary action identifies conflicts early, allowing administrators to resolve them before activation, thus maintaining configuration consistency while enabling concurrent edits.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides feedback to administrators about conflicts detected during the activation process. Error messages indicate specific conflicts between concurrent changes, enabling administrators to understand and resolve the issues. This feedback mechanism maintains reliability while supporting concurrent productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If conflict detection mechanisms are implemented to ensure configuration consistency, then system reliability is improved, but the complexity of the edit session management system increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconfiguration consistencyVSAvoidedit session management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The conflict detection and resolution logic is extracted as a separate mechanism from the core edit session management. The system isolates the comparison process between current and edited configurations, handling conflicts as distinct events that require separate resolution. This extraction reduces the complexity embedded in the main management system while maintaining reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary comparison process between the edited configuration and current partition configuration. This intermediary mechanism detects conflicts without being part of the core edit management logic, simplifying the overall system structure while ensuring configuration consistency through systematic conflict identification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Manufacturing precision

If administrators can resolve conflicts manually before activation, then configuration accuracy is improved, but the time required to activate changes increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconfiguration accuracyVSAvoidactivation time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Conflict detection is performed preliminarily during the activation process rather than after. By identifying conflicts before changes are applied, the system enables administrators to resolve issues in advance, ensuring configuration accuracy while minimizing delays. The preliminary detection prevents cascading errors and reduces overall activation time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses visual indicators (error messages) to highlight conflicts, making them easily identifiable to administrators. This visual signaling approach, analogous to color changes, enables quick identification and resolution of conflicts, reducing the time administrators spend searching for issues while maintaining high configuration accuracy through manual resolution.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #32Color changes

Data Source

PatentEP3158447B1System and method for supporting multiple partition edit sessions in a multitenant application server environment
Publication Date: 2022.03.16 ORACLE INT CORP
  • EP3158447B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3158447B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3158447B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In accordance with an embodiment, described herein is a system and method for supporting multiple partitions and edit sessions in a multitenant application server environment. In accordance with an embodiment, a first administrator or user can obtain a named edit session for use with a partition, make changes, and then activate those changes. Another administrator or user can create a named edit session in parallel. If there are conflicts between a concurrent change and changes being made by another user, the administrator will receive an error when activating the changes. At that point, the administrator can resolve the conflicts and activate the changes. Upon activation, the changes in the edit session will be applied to a global edit configuration.