Server Name Change Automation via Broadcast

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Solution Overview

Problem

Managing server farms, particularly in Web-centric architectures, lacks an automated process for dynamically removing, replacing, or upgrading servers, requiring careful timing and planning.

Innovation Solution

A system with an administration server broadcasting update messages to change server names, allowing administration clients to initiate changes in local configurations of servers, facilitating dynamic server management by scheduling name changes for specified times.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Extent of automation

If servers are manually removed, replaced or upgraded in a server farm, then hardware upgrades can be performed, but the process requires careful timing and planning and is not automated

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautomation of server managementVSAvoidcomplexity of server management process

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables servers to automatically detect and adapt to name changes through broadcast messages. Each server autonomously monitors for broadcast messages containing name change information and updates its own configuration without requiring manual intervention or complex centralized management procedures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary broadcasting of name change information before the actual change takes effect. Administration servers send broadcast messages ahead of time with the new server names, allowing other servers to prepare their configurations in advance, thus simplifying the actual transition process when the change occurs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Speed

If server names are changed without notification, then configuration updates can be made quickly, but other servers may not be aware of the name changes and communication may fail

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespeed of server name changeVSAvoidreliability of server communication

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements a feedback mechanism where administration servers broadcast name change information to all other servers in the network. Receiving servers process this broadcast information and update their configurations accordingly, ensuring that all servers are synchronized and aware of name changes, thus maintaining communication reliability while enabling quick changes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system separates the name change process into distinct segments: the administration server handles the actual name change, while other servers independently process broadcast messages to update their configurations. This segmentation allows the name change to occur quickly on the administration server while other servers update at their own pace, maintaining both speed and reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Adaptability or versatility

If manual planning is used for server removal and addition, then timing can be controlled, but the process is not dynamic and requires significant administrative effort

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedynamism of server managementVSAvoidease of server management

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system transforms static, manually-planned server management into a dynamic automated process. Servers can be added, removed, or renamed at any time without pre-planning. The administration server dynamically broadcasts name change information to the network, and servers automatically adapt their configurations, enabling flexible and dynamic server farm management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The administration server acts as an intermediary that mediates between the need for dynamic server changes and the requirement for coordinated configuration updates across the network. It receives name change requests, processes them, and broadcasts the changes to all relevant servers, simplifying the operation for administrators while maintaining system-wide consistency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS9992275B2Dynamically managing a system of servers

Publication Date: 2018.06.05 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

A method and system for managing servers. A message received by a first server specifies multiple servers to be updated via an update. The message identifies a server type of each specified server, an old server name of each specified server prior to the update, and a corresponding new server name of each specified server after the update. First servers of the multiple servers are identified. Second servers that have a corresponding old server name within a local configuration of the first server are identified. For each server of the second servers, local configuration changes are scheduled to update the corresponding old server names with corresponding new server names at corresponding specified times. Each corresponding old server name is replaced with corresponding new server names.