Managing high-availability file servers

A method, comprising:

• implementing, using a first virtual machine, a first file server in a first failure domain to provide file services;
• implementing, using a second virtual machine, a second file server in a second failure domain to provide the file services, wherein a failure affecting the first failure domain does not affect the second failure domain;
• generating monitoring results by respectively monitoring the first and the second file servers, wherein said monitoring is performed with at least one system monitor in at least one of the first and second failure domains, and the at least one system monitor is external to the first and the second file servers;
• and
• implementing a witness external to the first and second failure domains, wherein the witness is in communication with the at least one system monitor and executes an operation to select either the first file server or the second file server to serve as a primary file server after detecting an operational status from the monitoring results.

A system, comprising:

• a processor;
• a memory for holding programmable code, wherein the programmable code includes instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform a set of acts, the set of acts comprising:
• implementing, using a first virtual machine, a first file server in a first failure domain to provide file services;
• implementing, using a second virtual machine, a second file server in a second failure domain to provide the file services, wherein a failure affecting the first failure domain does not affect the second failure domain;
• generating monitoring results by respectively monitoring the first and the second file servers, wherein said monitoring is performed with at least one system monitor in at least one of the first and second domains, and the at least one system monitor is external to the first and second file servers;
• and
• implementing a witness external to the first and second failure domains, wherein the witness is in communication with the at least one system monitor and executes an operation to select either the first or the second file server to serve as a primary file server after detecting an operational status from the monitoring results.

A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to execute a set of acts, the set of acts comprising:

• implementing, using a first virtual machine, a first file server in a first failure domain to provide file services;
• implementing, using a first virtual machine, a second file server in a second failure domain to provide the file services, wherein a failure affecting the first failure domain does not affect the second failure domain;
• generating monitoring results by respectively monitoring the first and the second file servers, wherein said monitoring is performed with at least one system monitor in at least one of the first and second failure domains, and the at least one system monitor is external to the first and second file servers;
• and
• implementing a witness external to the first and second failure domains, wherein the witness is in communication with the at least one system monitor and executes an operation to select either the first file server or the second file server to serve as a primary file server after detecting an operational status from the monitoring results.