Dynamically managing a system of servers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9300486-B2
Application number	US-83980507-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2007
Priority date	Aug 16, 2007
Publication date	Mar 29, 2016
Grant date	Mar 29, 2016

Abstract

A method and system manage a plurality of servers coupled to a network. Each of the servers is identified by a server name. At least one of the servers is identified by an old server name. The method notifies at least some of the plurality of servers that at a specified time the old server name will be changed to a new server name.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of managing a plurality of hardware servers coupled to a network, said method comprising:
receiving, by a first server, an update message specifying a plurality of servers to be updated in accordance with an update at corresponding specified times, the update message identifying a server type of each of the plurality of servers, wherein, for each specified server, the update message identifies a corresponding old server name of the specified server prior to the update and a corresponding new server name of the specified server after the update;
identifying, by the first server, a first plurality of servers of the plurality of servers based on the first server being a consumer of services provided by a server type corresponding to each server of the first plurality of servers;
determining, by the first server from the first plurality of servers, a second plurality of servers that have a corresponding old server name within a local configuration of the first server;
for each of the second plurality of servers, scheduling, by the first server, local configuration changes to update the corresponding old server names with corresponding new server names at the corresponding specified times;
responsive to removing old servers of the second plurality of servers and replacing the removed old servers with corresponding new servers, replacing, by the first server and based on the scheduled local configuration changes, each corresponding old server name with corresponding new server names;
notifying at least some of a plurality of servers that an old server name will be changed to a new server name at a specified time in the future;
wherein each of said plurality of servers are identified by a respective server name, and one of said servers is identified by the old server name; and
wherein at least one of the plurality of servers responds to receipt of a notification of the change in server name by autonomously replacing the old server name, at the specified time, with the new server name in a local configuration listing the names of other servers with which the at least one server communicates.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
said one new server name of the corresponding new server names is a name of one server of said plurality of servers.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
said one new server name of the corresponding new server names is a name of a new server added to said network.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , said method further comprising:
adding said new server to said network before said one specified time of said corresponding specified times.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , said method further comprising:
removing said old server of said network after said one specified time of said corresponding specified times.

6. A computer system, comprising a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and a computer readable hardware storage device coupled to the processor, said storage device containing program code executable by the processor via the memory to implement a method of managing a plurality of servers coupled to a network, said method comprising:
receiving, by a first server, an update message specifying a plurality of servers to be updated in accordance with an update at corresponding specified times, the update message identifying a server type of each specified server of the plurality of servers, wherein, for each specified server, the update message identifies a corresponding old server name of the specified server prior to the update and a corresponding new server name of the specified server after the update;
identifying, by the first server, a first plurality of servers of the plurality of servers based on the first server being a consumer of services provided by a server type corresponding to each specified server of the first plurality of servers;
determining, by the first server from the first plurality of servers, a second plurality of servers that have a corresponding old server name within a local configuration of the first server;
for each server of the second plurality of servers, scheduling, by the first server, local configuration changes to update the corresponding old server names with corresponding new server names at the corresponding specified times; and
responsive to removing old servers of the second plurality of servers and replacing the removed old servers with corresponding new servers replacing, by the first server and based on the scheduled local configuration changes, each corresponding old server name with corresponding new server names.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
one new server name of the corresponding new server names is a name of one server of said plurality of servers.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
one new server name of the corresponding new server names is a name of a new server added to said network.

9. The method as claimed in claim 3 , said method further comprising:
adding said new server to said network before one specified time of said corresponding specified times.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , said method further comprising:
removing said old server of said network after one specified time of said corresponding specified times.

11. An article of manufacture, comprising a computer readable hardware storage device having computer readable program code stored therein, said program code executable by a processor of a computer system to implement a method of managing a plurality of servers coupled to a network, said method comprising:
receiving, by a first server, an update message specifying a plurality of servers to be updated in accordance with an update at corresponding specified times, the update message identifying a server type of each specified server of the plurality of servers, wherein, for each specified server, the update message identifies a corresponding old server name of the specified server prior to the update and a corresponding new server name of the specified server after the update;
identifying, by the first server, a first plurality of servers of the plurality of servers based on the first server being a consumer of services provided by a server type corresponding to each specified server of the first plurality of servers;
determining, by the first server from the first plurality of servers, a second plurality of servers that have a corresponding old server name within a local configuration of the first server;
for each server of the second plurality of servers, scheduling, by the first server, local configuration changes to update the corresponding old server names with corresponding new server names at the corresponding specified times; and
responsive to removing old servers of the second plurality of servers and replacing the removed old servers with corresponding new servers replacing, by the first server and based on the scheduled local configuration changes, each corresponding old server name with corresponding new server names.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
one new server name of the corresponding new server names is a name of one server of said plurality of servers.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
one new server name of the corresponding new server names is a name of a new server added to said network.

14. The method as claimed in claim 3 , said method further comprising:
adding said new server to said network before one specified time of said corresponding specified times.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1 , said method further comprising:
removing

Assignees

• Jaiswal Peeyush
• Narayan Naveen
• Wang Fang
• IBM

Inventors

• Jaiswal Peeyush
• Narayan Naveen
• Wang Fang

Classifications

• H04L67/1031

  Controlling of the operation of servers by a load balancer, e.g. adding or removing servers that serve requests · CPC title

• H04L41/00 Primary

  Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks · CPC title

• H04L12/24 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L67/125

  involving control of end-device applications over a network · CPC title

• H04L41/082

  the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality · CPC title