Methods for preserving state across a failure and devices thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10229010-B2
Application number	US-201615359827-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2016
Priority date	Nov 22, 2013
Publication date	Mar 12, 2019
Grant date	Mar 12, 2019

Abstract

A method, non-transitory computer readable medium, and computing device that determines when a software failure associated with a virtual storage controller has occurred. At least a portion of a transaction log corresponding to the virtual storage controller is stored in a stable storage device, when the determining indicates that the software failure associated with the virtual storage controller has occurred. A determination is made when the virtual storage controller has rebooted. The at least a portion of the transaction log is retrieved from the stable storage device, when the determining indicates that the virtual storage controller has rebooted. Thereby, state can be preserved and transactions pending, but not yet committed to storage server devices, can be replayed and proceed with minimal or no impact on the client devices originating the transactions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
storing, by a computing device, at least a portion of a transaction log corresponding to a virtual storage controller executing on the computing device in a non-volatile storage device of a storage server device remote from the computing device when a software failure associated with the virtual storage controller has occurred; and
retrieving, by the computing device, the at least a portion of the transaction log from the non-volatile storage device when the virtual storage controller has rebooted.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing, by the computing device, one or more received transactions in the transaction log in a volatile memory.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising migrating, by the computing device, the one or more transactions from the volatile memory to the non-volatile storage device when the software failure associated with the virtual storage controller has occurred.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the volatile memory is local to the computing device.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising replaying, by the computing device, one or more write transactions included in the at least a portion of the transaction log when the virtual storage controller has rebooted.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing, by the computing device, the at least a portion of the transaction log when the software failure has occurred subsequent to receipt of one or more transactions by the virtual storage controller.

7. A non-transitory machine readable medium having stored thereon instructions for preserving state across a failure comprising machine executable code which when executed by at least one machine, causes the machine to:
store at least a portion of a transaction log corresponding to a virtual storage controller executing on a computing device in a non-volatile storage device of a storage server device remote from the computing device when a software failure associated with the virtual storage controller has occurred; and
retrieve the at least a portion of the transaction log from the non-volatile storage device when the virtual storage controller has rebooted.

8. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 7 , wherein the machine executable code when executed by the machine further causes the machine to store one or more received transactions in the transaction log in a volatile memory.

9. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the machine executable code when executed by the machine further causes the machine to migrate the one or more transactions from the volatile memory to the non-volatile storage device when the software failure associated with the virtual storage controller has occurred.

10. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the volatile memory is local to the computing device.

11. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 7 , wherein the machine executable code when executed by the machine further causes the machine to replay one or more write transactions included in the at least a portion of the transaction log when the virtual storage controller has rebooted.

12. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 7 , wherein the machine executable code when executed by the machine further causes the machine to store the at least a portion of the transaction log when the software failure has occurred subsequent to receipt of one or more transactions by the virtual storage controller.

13. A computing device, comprising:
a memory containing machine readable medium comprising machine executable code having stored thereon instructions for preserving state across a failure; and
a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to execute the machine executable code to cause the processor to:
store at least a portion of a transaction log corresponding to a virtual storage controller executing on the computing device in a non-volatile storage device of a storage server device remote from the computing device when a software failure associated with the virtual storage controller has occurred; and
retrieve the at least a portion of the transaction log from the non-volatile storage device when the virtual storage controller has rebooted.

14. The computing device of claim 13 , wherein the processor coupled to the memory is further configured to execute the machine executable code to cause the processor to store one or more received transactions in the transaction log in a volatile memory.

15. The computing device of claim 14 , wherein the processor coupled to the memory is further configured to execute the machine executable code to cause the processor to migrate the one or more transactions from the volatile memory to the non-volatile storage device when the software failure associated with the virtual storage controller has occurred.

16. The computing device of claim 14 , wherein the volatile memory is local to the computing device.

17. The computing device of claim 13 , wherein the processor coupled to the memory is further configured to execute the machine executable code to cause the processor to replay one or more write transactions included in the at least a portion of the transaction log when the virtual storage controller has rebooted.

18. The computing device of claim 13 , wherein the processor coupled to the memory is further configured to execute the machine executable code to cause the processor to store the at least a portion of the transaction log when the software failure has occurred subsequent to receipt of one or more transactions by the virtual storage controller.

Assignees

• Netapp Inc

Inventors

• Caradonna Joseph
• Duffy Donna
• Mccarthy Brian

Classifications

• G06F11/0712

  in a virtual computing platform, e.g. logically partitioned systems · CPC title

• G06F2201/805

  Real-time · CPC title

• G06F11/1441

  Resetting or repowering · CPC title

• G06F2201/815

  Virtual · CPC title

• G06F11/1471 Primary

  involving logging of persistent data for recovery · CPC title