International Business Machines Corporation

Frederic Barrat

Khalid Filali-Adib

Dwip N Banerjee

Perinkulam I Ganesh

David Zhiwei Dai

John Mark McConaughy

David W Sheffield

Stephen Bailey Peckham

Sungjin Yook

Laurent Dufour

Philippe Bergheaud

Luke Mathew Browning

Marc Joel Stephenson

Nathaniel S Tomsic

Christophe Lombard

Donald Ray Stence

Guy Menanteau

Christine M Briand

J Mark McConaughy

Randal Craig Swanberg

A technique for verifying data structure consistency across computing environments includes computing a first signature for a data structure of an application subject to checkpointing corresponding to a first computing environment residing on a first computer. A second signature for the data structure of the application corresponding to a second computing environment residing on a second computer is computed. The first and second signatures are compared to determine whether a change to the data structure exists. Responsive to a lack of change to the data structure based on the comparison, a mobility operation is enabled for the application between the first computer and the second computer.

Verifying data structure consistency across computing environments

In a routing table of a first system, a routing table entry for a first application is created by a controller application executing in a controller system, the first application intended for relocation, a second application in the set of applications not intended for relocation. At the second system responsive to commencing execution of the first application in the second system at a second time, a mapping entry is created by a controller application, the mapping entry causing the forwarded packet to be delivered to the first application at the second system. Responsive to a notification that the first application is executing in the second system, the routing table entry of the first system is modified by the controller application, the modified entry causing a packet addressed to the first application to be forwarded from the first system to the second system.

Live application and kernel migration using routing table entries

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method and technique for verifying data structure consistency across computing environments includes computing a first signature for a data structure of an application subject to checkpointing corresponding to a first computing environment residing on a server computer. A second signature for the data structure of the application corresponding to a second computing environment residing on a client computer is computed. The first and second signatures are compared to determine whether a change to the data structure exists. Responsive to a lack of change to the data structure based on the comparison, a mobility operation is enabled for the application between the server computer and the client computer.

Technical solutions are described for performing a live update of an operating system. An example method includes cloning an original root volume group associated with an operating system instance executing in a first logical partition to generate a cloned root volume group for booting a second logical partition. The method further includes applying the update to the cloned root volume group, and booting the second logical partition. The method further includes migrating an application instance, from the original root volume group to the second logical partition. The migration includes creating a network tunnel between the first and second logical partitions, and restarting the application instance on the second logical partition. The migration further includes forwarding data directed to the application instance on the first logical partition to the application instance on the second logical partition, and assigning a network address of the first logical partition to the second logical partition.

Live kernel updating using progressive checkpointing and network tunnels

The present disclosure relates to maintaining network services during kernel update operations. According to one embodiment, a server generates a second computing system executing a second system kernel. The second system kernel is updated in relation to a first system kernel executing on a first computing system. The server pauses network services operating on the first computing system. The server generates a snapshot of the network services operating on the first computing system. While the network services are paused on the first computing system, the server caches data packets received from client devices and destined for network services operating on the first system, migrates the network services to the second computing system, and restores the network service snapshot to the second computing system. Upon completing the migration, the server sends the cached data packets to the one or more network services operating on the second computing system.

User datagram protocol (UDP) application handling during live kernel update

A method for handling transmission control protocol (TCP) data between networked computer nodes during blackout periods associated with live kernel updating is provided. The method includes initiating a live kernel update on a first node, transmitting, prior to performing a network blocking procedure associated with the live kernel update, a zero window update to one or more peer nodes, generating a surrogate partition associated with the first node, copying network states from an original partition associated with the first node to the surrogate partition, restoring the network states on the surrogate partition, and transmitting another window update to the one or more peer nodes.

Transmission control protocol (TPC) data handling

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method and technique for verifying data structure consistency across computing environments is disclosed. The method includes: generating a first signature for a data structure corresponding to a first computing environment; generating a second signature for the data structure corresponding to a second computing environment; comparing the first and second signatures; and responsive to a disparity between the first and second signatures, indicating a change to the data structure between the first and second computing environments.

Transmission control protocol (TCP) data handling

Mechanisms are provided for performing a live update of an operating system. The mechanisms receive an update to an operating system and clone a root volume group associated with an operating system instance executing in a first logical partition of the data processing system to generate a cloned root volume group. The mechanisms apply the update to the cloned root volume group to generate an updated and cloned root volume group and boot a second logical partition of the data processing system using the updated and cloned root volume group. Moreover, the mechanisms migrate application instances and application data to the second logical partition.

Live operating system update mechanisms

Provided are techniques for comparing a first fileset associated with a first operating system (OS) with a second fileset associated with a second OS; determining, based upon the comparing, that the second OS is a more current version of the first OS; in response to the determining that the second OS is a more current version of the first OS, moving, in conjunction with live application mobility, a virtual machine (VM) workload partition (WPAR) on the first LPAR to a second LPAR, the moving comprising determining a set of overlays associated with the WPAR corresponding to the second OS; removing from the WPAR any overlays associated with the first OS; applying to the WPAR a set of overlays corresponding to the second OS; check pointing processes associated with the WAPR; and copying live data associated with the LPAR from the first LPAR to the second LPAR.

Live application mobility from one operating system level to an updated operating system level and applying overlay files to the updated operating system

Provided are techniques for comparing a first fileset associated with a first operating system (OS) with a second fileset associated with a second OS; determining, based upon the comparing, that the second OS is a more current version of the first OS; in response to the determining that the second OS is a more current version of the first OS, moving, in conjunction with live application mobility, a virtual machine (VM) workload partition (WPAR) on the first LPAR to a second LPAR, the moving comprising determining a set of overlays associated with the WPAR corresponding to the second OS; removing from the WPAR any overlays associated with the first OS; applying to the WPAR a set of overlays corresponding to the second OS; check pointing processes associated with the WPAR; and copying live data associated with the LPAR from the first LPAR to the second LPAR.

A method, system and computer-usable medium are disclosed for managing virtual processor operations. A dynamic loader receives a request to initiate the creation of a new process, followed by a virtual processor being assigned to an isolated execution environment. The dynamic loader then initiates the creation of the new process by mapping kernel data associated with the virtual processor into the address space of the process. The dynamic loader completes the creation of the new process, and its execution is initiated within the isolated execution environment.

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Cugnaux, France

Frederic Barrat