Clustered Server Synchronization Testing via Metadata Comparison

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Solution Overview

Problem

In clustered server systems, ensuring synchronization between slave and master nodes is challenging, particularly in maintaining data consistency and integrity across nodes, which affects high-availability and reliability of critical applications.

Innovation Solution

A computing device performs synchronization testing by comparing synchronization test values, including the number of records and modification time values, between slave and master nodes, and sends messages indicating synchronization status to ensure data consistency across the cluster.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional synchronization checking methods are used to ensure data consistency between master and slave nodes, then data integrity is maintained, but computation time increases and synchronization checking becomes inefficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata consistencyVSAvoidcomputation time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential synchronization verification elements (modification time values and record counts) from the complete dataset, rather than comparing entire datasets. This allows synchronization checking to focus on critical metadata that indicates data changes, significantly reducing computation time while maintaining reliability in detecting synchronization status.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements partial action by performing synchronization verification on a subset of data characteristics (modification times and counts) rather than complete data comparison. This partial verification approach is sufficient to detect synchronization status without requiring exhaustive dataset comparison, thereby reducing computation time while maintaining adequate reliability for high-availability operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Measurement precision

If comprehensive data comparison is performed to verify synchronization between clustered nodes, then synchronization accuracy is improved, but system complexity and computational overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesynchronization accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the critical synchronization indicators (modification time values and record counts) from the complete dataset, eliminating the need for comprehensive data comparison. This extraction approach maintains sufficient synchronization accuracy by focusing on metadata that reliably indicates data changes, while significantly reducing system complexity and computational overhead.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the verification parameters from complete dataset comparison to metadata-based verification (modification times and counts). This parameter change maintains synchronization accuracy by using reliable indicators of data changes, while reducing system complexity by avoiding exhaustive data comparison operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If frequent synchronization checks are performed to maintain data consistency in clustered servers, then reliability is improved, but computational resources and processing time are consumed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehigh-availabilityVSAvoidprocessing efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only essential synchronization metadata (modification times and record counts) rather than performing complete data comparisons. This enables frequent synchronization checks to be performed with minimal computational resource consumption, maintaining high-availability reliability while preserving processing efficiency for other system operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements partial verification action by checking only critical synchronization indicators rather than complete datasets. This partial action approach enables frequent synchronization checks that maintain high-availability reliability without consuming excessive computational resources, thereby preserving overall system productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS9998544B2Synchronization testing of active clustered servers
Publication Date: 2018.06.12 SAS INSTITUTE INC

AI summary

In a computing device that performs synchronization testing of a plurality of active clustered servers, a request to check synchronization between slave data stored and master data is received. The request includes master synchronization test values computed by a master node that include a number of records included in a dataset and a sum of modification time values for the records. Slave synchronization test values are computed that include a number of records included in the dataset of the slave data and a sum of modification time values for the records in the dataset of the slave data. The computed slave synchronization test values are compared to the master synchronization test values. A message is sent to the requesting device indicating the slave node is synchronized when the computed synchronization test values match or indicating the slave node is not synchronized when the computed synchronization test values do not match.