Automated Downtime Management for Web Server Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current computer networks with distributed operating systems face challenges in managing downtime, requiring manual and resource-intensive processes for maintenance and upgrades, which can lead to prolonged outages and user disruptions.
Innovation Solution
Automated system for scheduling downtime in web servers, removing them from network load balancers, and redirecting requests to alternate servers, with notification messages, to minimize disruptions and streamline maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual redirection process is used for system maintenance, then system availability is maintained during downtime, but time consumption and operational complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements automatic scheduling of downtime events in advance, allowing the system to prepare for maintenance before it occurs. The scheduling module creates downtime events with specified start and end times, and automatically executes redirection and notification procedures at the scheduled moment, eliminating the need for manual intervention during the actual maintenance window.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service through automated redirection of user requests to alternate servers when downtime occurs. The load balancer automatically detects the downtime event and redirects traffic without requiring manual configuration or intervention, thereby reducing both time consumption and operational complexity while maintaining system availability.
2Ease of operation
If manual DNS change and server configuration is performed for redirection, then traffic can be redirected to alternate servers, but operational complexity and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary scheduling module that acts as a mediator between the system administrator and the complex redirection processes. This module automatically generates and manages downtime events, coordinates with the load balancer for traffic redirection, and handles notifications to users and administrators, thereby simplifying the operational process while maintaining redirection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The load balancer automatically performs DNS changes and server configuration adjustments based on scheduled downtime events without requiring manual intervention. The system self-manages the redirection process by automatically updating configuration parameters and routing traffic to alternate servers, reducing both operational complexity and resource requirements.
3Reliability
If entire computer network is taken offline for maintenance, then comprehensive system updates can be performed, but user access and productivity are severely impacted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the maintenance process by allowing individual servers or server groups to be taken offline for maintenance while other parts of the distributed system remain operational. The scheduling module can specify particular servers for downtime events, enabling maintenance on specific components without requiring the entire network to be offline, thus maintaining user access to other services.
Solution Approach 2:
The load balancer serves as an intermediary that automatically redirects user requests away from servers undergoing maintenance to alternate operational servers. This mediation allows maintenance activities to proceed on specific servers while users continue to access services through the load balancer, which transparently routes traffic to available servers, thereby maintaining productivity during maintenance windows.
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments are provided to automatically managing system downtime in a computer network. In one embodiment, an event is created in an application server to schedule a system downtime period for a web server. When the scheduled downtime occurs, the web server is automatically removed from the network and a downtime notification message is automatically communicated indicating that the web server is offline. In another embodiment, events may be created to schedule downtime for web-based applications, including websites. Prior to the scheduled downtime, requests to a web-based application may be automatically stopped and redirected to a specified location. In another embodiment, the operation of web servers is automatically monitored to detect the presence of a fault condition and, if a fault condition is present, then a determination may be made that the affected web servers are down and requests to the down web servers are automatically redirected to an alternate server.