Virtual Server Service Continuation via Coordination Apparatus
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
High availability cluster configurations on clouds face challenges with split-brain issues and service stop failures due to the lack of IPMI interfaces as APIs for virtual machines, leading to duplicate service operations and inability to manage service stoppages effectively.
Innovation Solution
A service continuation system comprising active and standby virtual servers with heartbeat monitoring and coordination apparatuses that instruct restarts and stoppages to prevent split-brain scenarios and ensure service continuity, utilizing virtual machine APIs for management within the cloud environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heartbeat monitoring is used to detect failures in high availability cluster, then service continuity is improved, but split-brain problem occurs when network failure stops heartbeat transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a coordination apparatus as an intermediary between active and standby virtual servers. This coordinator manages heartbeat interpretation and switching decisions, preventing split-brain scenarios by centralizing control logic and ensuring that only one system operates at a time even when heartbeat communication is disrupted.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements enhanced feedback mechanisms where the coordination apparatus continuously monitors not only heartbeat signals but also service operation status. This multi-layered feedback allows the system to distinguish between network failures and actual service failures, enabling accurate switching decisions without causing split-brain conditions.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If service stoppage is attempted to prevent duplicate operation, then service duplication is prevented, but service stop failure occurs when service cannot be stopped
Solution Approach 1:
The coordination apparatus performs preliminary verification of service status before attempting stoppage operations. It checks whether the service is actually running and prepares appropriate stop commands in advance, reducing the likelihood of stop failures and ensuring smooth transitions during failover scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service mechanisms where the coordination apparatus autonomously manages service stoppage operations without requiring external intervention. It automatically detects service states, issues appropriate stop commands, and handles stop failure scenarios, making the system more reliable and reducing human error in preventing service duplication.
3Reliability
If physical server restart is used to cope with service stop failure, then service recovery is achieved, but system complexity increases due to IPMI interface requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical server restart operations with virtual machine restart capabilities. By using virtualization, the system can restart services or entire virtual servers through software control without requiring physical access or IPMI interfaces, thereby maintaining service recovery capability while reducing hardware dependency and system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system substitutes mechanical/physical restart operations with software-based virtual machine management. Instead of using IPMI to physically restart servers, the coordination apparatus leverages virtualization APIs to restart virtual servers, replacing physical mechanisms with software-based solutions that are easier to manage and control.
4Device complexity
If virtual machine API is used for management instead of IPMI, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability depends on cloud provider API availability
Solution Approach 1:
The coordination apparatus is designed with universal functionality that can work with multiple cloud providers' virtual machine APIs. It implements a standardized interface layer that abstracts provider-specific details, allowing the same system to adapt to different cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP, etc.) without requiring fundamental redesign, thus maintaining both simplicity and adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
In a case where an active system virtual server detects stopping of a heartbeat received from a standby system virtual server, the active system virtual server notifies a coordination apparatus of the detection of the stopping of a heartbeat. In addition, the active system virtual server reports whether or not a service is operating to the coordination apparatus. The coordination apparatus instructs the standby system virtual server to restart the system in a case where the stopping of a heartbeat and the operation of a service are received. The standby system virtual server restarts the service, restarts an operating system, or restarts the operating system in a case where the restart of the service is not successful, in response to an instruction for restarting the system.