SharePoint Web Application Recovery via Topology Metadata
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current SharePoint farm methodologies result in data loss when a single web application fails, as they force the restoration of the entire farm, affecting other web applications and causing unnecessary data overwrite.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for SharePoint single web application recovery, which involves assembling web application topology metadata prior to failover events, determining failed web applications, and executing targeted recovery of only the failed application, using an application recovery agent to manage the process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the entire SharePoint farm is restored due to a single web application failure, then the failed web application is recovered, but data loss occurs in other web applications and unnecessary restoration time is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the SharePoint farm restoration process by introducing web application topology metadata that identifies and isolates individual web applications. This metadata enables the system to distinguish between failed and non-failed web applications, allowing selective restoration of only the affected segment rather than restoring the entire farm. The segmentation is achieved through metadata objects that contain topology information for each web application, site collection, and database.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by assembling and storing web application topology metadata before failover events occur. This metadata is prepared in advance during normal operation, capturing the topology relationships between web applications, site collections, and databases. When a failure occurs, this pre-assembled metadata enables immediate identification of the affected web application without requiring a full farm restoration, thus preventing data loss in other applications.
2Reliability
If the entire SharePoint farm is restored due to a single web application failure, then the failed web application is recovered, but restoration time is increased due to restoring all web applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the restoration process by using web application topology metadata to identify only the failed web application and its associated components. This segmentation allows the system to restore only the necessary portion of the farm, significantly reducing restoration time compared to restoring the entire farm. The metadata enables precise targeting of the restoration operation to the specific failed web application, site collection, and database.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-assembling web application topology metadata that maps the relationships between web applications, site collections, and databases. This metadata is prepared in advance during normal operation, so when a failure occurs, the system can immediately identify the scope of the failure and restore only the affected components, eliminating the time-consuming process of restoring the entire farm.
3Loss of information
If selective recovery of a single web application is implemented, then data loss in other web applications is prevented, but system complexity increases due to metadata management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing web application topology metadata objects that serve multiple functions: they identify web applications, define topology relationships, guide selective restoration, and enable failover detection. This multi-functional metadata structure reduces the need for separate management systems for each function, thereby limiting the increase in system complexity while achieving selective recovery and data protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the SharePoint farm to automatically manage its own topology metadata and perform self-diagnosis of web application failures. The system uses the metadata to automatically identify failed web applications and execute selective restoration without requiring complex external management systems or manual intervention, thereby managing the complexity internally through automated self-service mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for SharePoint single web application recovery. Specifically, the method and system disclosed herein overcome the existing problem of data loss that incurs when a SharePoint farm (SPF) (i.e., or more specifically, the configuration database within the SPF) is restored due to the failure of just a single web application that executes therein. The data loss transpires because restoring the SPF leads to the overwriting of data associated with all web applications, and not just the failed web application, that executes on the SPF. The method and system disclosed herein addresses this dilemma through the assembly of web application topology metadata pertinent to recovering any web application periodically prior to a web application failover event, determining that a web application has entered a failed state and, subsequently, triggering and executing the restoration of just the failed web application based on the determining.