International Business Machines Corporation

Michael G Fitzpatrick

David B Petersen

Paul Michael Cadarette

Serge Bourbonnais

Andrew Hilliard Arrowood

Gregory Walter Vance

Gary Owen McAfee

Maurice Isrel

Jerry Wayne Stevens

Jeffrey Douglas Haggar

Constantinos Kassimis

Jaime F Anaya

Todd Elsworth Valler

Harry M Yudenfriend

Linwood Hugh Overby, Jr

Edward Glen Britton

Barton Clark Vashaw

Sue L Huang

Andrea Lynn Fitzpatrick

Pamela McLean

John Andrew Staubi

Donald W Schmidt

Hugh Edward Hockett

Benjamin P Segal

Michael Jon Fox

Grant Mericle

Andrew Henry Richter

John Glenn Thompson

Arthur James Stagg

Linwood H Overby, Jr

Hariharan N Venkitachalam

Bala Rajaraman

Madhu B Ananthapadmanabh

John Simon Tilling

Thomas Donald Moore

Martin W Cocks

Brian J Lang

Paul M Cadarettte

David A Clitherow

A system for maintaining a two-site configuration for continuous availability over long distances may include a first computing site configured to execute a first instance associated with a priority workload, the first instance being designated as an active instance; a second computing site configured to execute a second instance of the priority workload, the second instance being designated as a standby instance; a software replication module configured to replicate a unit of work data associated with the priority workload from a first data object associated with the active instance to a second data object associated with the standby instance, and a hardware replication module configured to replicate an image from a first storage volume to a copy on a second storage volume, wherein the first storage volume is associated with the first computing site, and the second storage volume is associated with a third computing site.

Maintaining two-site configuration for workload availability between sites at unlimited distances for products and services

A method includes reading, by a capture engine, log data. The log data can be synchronously hardware-replicated. The log data reflects that an update was started for a database of a first site. The capture engine corresponds to a capture engine of a second site. The method also includes identifying, by the capture engine, the update. The method also includes determining whether the update was committed to the database of the first site. The method also includes replicating, by an apply engine, the update to a database of the second site based on the determining. The update is replicated to the database of the second site based on a determination that the update was committed to the database of the first site. The committed update corresponds to a consistent replication of updates across two or more databases that reside in multiple database management systems.

Ensuring consistent replication of updates in databases

A method, apparatus and computer program product that allows for maintaining correct states of all sub-components in a state machine, even as sub-components leave the state machine and later rejoin in some previous state. Preferably, this is achieved without requiring the system to remember the states of all sub-components or a log of every event that was fed into the state machine. Thus, the technique does not require any knowledge of the previous state of the sub-components nor the need to preserve a complete log of events that were fed into the state machine. The state machine may be used to enhance the operation of a technological process, such as a workload management environment.

Maintaining state information in a multi-component, event-driven state machine

Systems, methods, and apparatuses to perform an operation receiving, by a first workload manager in a first middleware environment, state information for a plurality of applications executing in a second middleware environment defining, by the first workload manager based on the received state information, a first routing rule in the first middleware environment, and, based on the first routing rule: identifying, by a first application of a plurality of applications executing in the first middleware environment, a second application of the plurality of applications executing in the second middleware environment, and forwarding, by the first application of the plurality of applications executing in the first middleware environment, a first workload to the second application of the plurality of applications executing in the second middleware environment.

Efficient transaction level workload management across multi-tier heterogeneous middleware clusters

A method, apparatus and computer program product for improved load balancing provides for the grouping under a same workload of both application instances in an application tier, and data sharing members in a data tier. This grouping enables a workload manager to make recommendations (to load balancer appliances) about how to distribute workload connections, e.g., based on metrics gathered from both the application and data tiers. In this approach, both applications and data sources are grouped into a workload grouping, and health, status and capacity information about both of these tiers (application and data) is then used to determine an overall distribution policy for the workload. These different tiers can reside on the same or different operating system environments.

Combining application and data tiers on different platforms to create workload distribution recommendations

A system for providing reliable availability of a general workload and continuous availability of a priority workload over long distances may include a first computing site configured to execute a first instance associated with the priority workload, wherein the first instance is designated as an active instance, a second computing site configured to execute a second instance of the priority workload, wherein the second instance is designated as a standby instance, a third computing site configured to restart a third instance associated with the general workload, and a workload availability module configured to synchronize a portion of data associated with the third instance with a corresponding portion of data associated with the second instance.

Managing continuous priority workload availability and general workload availability between sites at unlimited distances for products and services

A method that provides for the grouping under a same workload of both application instances in an application tier, and data sharing members in a data tier. This grouping enables a workload manager to make recommendations (to load balancer appliances) about how to distribute workload connections, e.g., based on metrics gathered from both the application and data tiers. In this approach, both applications and data sources are grouped into a workload grouping, and health, status and capacity information about both of these tiers (application and data) is then used to determine an overall distribution policy for the workload. These different tiers can reside on the same or different operating system environments.

Different protocol applications (e.g., TCP/IP server applications and SNA applications) are monitored and combined into a same workload, and load balancing decisions are made that affect both types of applications. In the approach, monitoring agents verify the health and availability of both the TCP/IP server applications and SNA applications, and such information is then used by a workload manager to create a distribution policy for the workload. The workload manager provides the distribution policy to a load balancing mechanism, which is operable to distribute workload connections to any of these applications. The TCP/IP connections and SNA sessions for a workload group are then routed to one site, or to an alternate site.

Combining disparate applications into a single workload group

Embodiments include a method, system, and computer program product for maintaining continuous availability. An embodiment of the present invention includes receiving a unit of work data. The unit of work data is distributed among the plurality of workloads using either an active/standby configuration, an active/query configuration, an active/partitioned configuration, or an active/active configuration. A primary workload is selected from a plurality of workloads to process the unit of work data based on a workload distribution rule. It is determined if the primary workload is capable of processing the unit of work data based on user configurable settings. If the primary site is capable of processing the unit of work data then the unit of work data is transmitted to the primary workload. Otherwise the unit of work data is transmitted to a secondary workload. The unit of work data is replicated between the primary workload and the secondary workload.

Variable configurations for workload distribution across multiple sites

Growing community of inventors

Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Michael G Fitzpatrick