US 8,200,634 B2Granted

Zero downtime maintenance using a mirror approach

AssigneeSap SE

InventorsVolker Driesen, Thomas Brodkorb, Roy Abitbol, Miki Ben-Zeev, Franklin Herbas

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Abstract

The subject matter disclosed herein provides methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for providing software updates. In one aspect there is provided a method. The method may include copying an application to a shadow system, the application used to upgrade the shadow system rather than a production system; copying data from the production system to the shadow system; selecting whether to lock changes to data in the production system or record changes to the data in the production system; recording one or more changes to data in the production system, the changes recorded in a container, when record changes has been selected; migrating recorded data in the container to the shadow system, so that the shadow system and production system are in a similar data state; and using the shadow system, upgraded with the application and at least one of data copied from the production system and recorded data from the container, for production rather than the production system. Related systems, apparatus, methods, and/or articles are also described.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A computer-readable storage medium containing instructions to configure a processor to perform operations comprising:

creating a shadow system, the shadow system comprising an upgraded version of a production system comprising an application and data in a database;
copying the at least one of the application and the database from the production system to the shadow system, the copying comprising migrating data of the at least one of the application and the database from the production system to the shadow system;
providing, during the migrating, production system for continued productive use of the at least one of the application and the database, the continued productive use comprising receiving one or more changes to the data being migrated;
recording, during the migrating, the one or more received changes to the data in a persistency container, at the production system;
taking the production system out of productive use after completion of the migrating, the taking of the production system out of productive use comprising at least one of locking the production system to prevent further changes and taking the production system offline;
replaying, after the production system has been taken out of productive use, the recorded one or more received changes from the persistency container to the shadow system, the replaying comprising executing the recorded one or more received changes in a sequential order of how the one or more received changes were received such that the data migrated to the shadow system from the production system are updated to reflect the one or more received changes;
and
initiating productive use at the shadow system to replace the production system after the production system is taken out of productive use.

5 more elements

A computer-implemented method comprising:

creating a shadow system, the shadow system comprising an upgraded version of a production system comprising an application and data in a database;
copying the at least one of the application and the database from the production system to the shadow system, the copying comprising migrating data of the at least one of the application and the database from the production system to the shadow system;
providing, during the migrating, the production system for continued productive use of the at least one of the application and the database, the continued productive use comprising receiving one or more changes to the data being migrated;
recording, during the migrating, the one or more received changes to the data in a persistency container at the production system;
taking the production system out of productive use after completion of the migrating, the taking of the production system out of productive use comprising at least one of locking the production system to prevent further changes and taking the production system offline;
replaying, after the production system has been taken out of productive use, the recorded one or more received changes from the persistency container to the shadow system, the replaying comprising executing the recorded one or more received changes in a sequential order of how the one or more received changes were received such that the data migrated to the shadow system from the production system are updated to reflect the one or more received changes;
and
initiating productive use at the shadow system to replace the production system after the production system is taken out of productive use.

5 more elements

A system comprising:

a processor;
and
a memory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to perform a method comprising:
creating a shadow system, the shadow system comprising an upgraded version of a production system comprising an application and data in a database;
copying the at least one of the application and the database from the production system to the shadow system, the copying comprising migrating data of the at least one of the application and the database from the production system to the shadow system;
providing, during the migrating, the production system for continued productive use of the at least one of the application and the database, the continued productive use comprising receiving one or more changes to the data being migrated;
recording, during the migrating, the one or more received changes to the data in a persistency container at the production system;
taking the production system out of productive use after completion of the migrating, the taking of the production system out of productive use comprising at least one of locking the production system to prevent further changes and taking the production system offline;
replaying, after the production system has been taken out of productive use, the recorded one or more received changes from the persistency container to the shadow system, the replaying comprising executing the recorded one or more received changes in a sequential order of how the one or more received changes were received such that the data migrated to the shadow system from the production system are updated to reflect the one or more received changes;
and
initiating productive use at the shadow system to replace the production system after the production system is taken out of productive use.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.