Virtual database administrator
View Patent ↗A virtual database administrator (VDBA) is implemented in a database server network to monitor back-up write events from the database servers on the network to a network back-up server and correct failed back-up attempts. The VDBA regularly polls the database servers for copies of event logs that include information about back-up attempts. The VDBA parses each of the event logs, searching for the back-up log entries indicating successful or failed back-up writes for particular databases. For failed back-up writes, the VDBA instructs the specific database server to retry the back-up write for the particular database. The back-up retry instructions are specific to the database server and cause a back-up retry limited to the particular database on the server that experienced the failure.
1. A method on a computer of administering a plurality of database servers connected within a network comprising:
requesting event log information from each of the plurality of database servers within the network, the database servers each comprising one or more databases;
receiving the requested event log information;
parsing the event log information to identify one or more of an event entry indicating a successful database back-up write and an event entry indicating a failed database back-up write to a first network back-up server;
creating, upon identification of the failed database back-up write, a configuration file adapted to cause a specific database server experiencing the failed database back-up write to attempt a new database back-up write to correct the failed database back-up write;
transmitting the configuration file to the specific database server;
requesting configuration information from the specific database server, wherein the configuration information comprises at least a state of the specific database server;
receiving the configuration information from the specific database server; and
altering, based on the configuration information, a frequency of the new database back-up write.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the specific database server hosts a plurality of databases; and
the failed database back-up write occurred with respect to a single one of the plurality of databases; the method further comprising:
adapting the configuration file to cause the specific database server to attempt the new database back-up, wherein the new database back-up write is limited to the single one of the plurality of databases.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising initiating an alert to a live administrator when the failed database back-up write for the specific database server meets a threshold condition.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the threshold condition is a certain number of occurrences of the failed database back-up write.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising recording data from the event entries related to occurrences of the successful database back-up write and the failed database back-up write in a data store.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising
generating a report incorporating information from one or more of the event entries, the configuration information, or both.
7. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for causing a computer to perform operations comprising:
requesting event log information from each of a plurality of database servers within a network, the database servers each comprising one or more databases;
receiving the requested event log information;
parsing the event log information to identify one or more of an event entry indicating a successful database back-up write and an event entry indicating a failed database back-up write to a first network back-up server;
creating, upon identification of the failed database back-up write, a configuration file adapted to cause a specific database server experiencing the failed database back-up write to attempt a new database back-up write to correct the failed database back-up write;
transmitting the configuration file to the specific database server;
requesting configuration information from the specific database server, wherein the configuration information comprises at least a state of the specific database server;
receiving configuration information from the specific database server; and
altering, based on the configuration information, a frequency of the new database back-up write.
8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7 , wherein when
the specific database server hosts a plurality of databases; and
the failed database back-up write occurred with respect to a single one of the plurality of databases; the instructions further comprise the following operation:
adapting the configuration file to cause the specific database server to attempt a new database back-up write limited to the single one of the plurality of databases.
9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7 , wherein the instructions further comprise the following operation:
initiating an alert to a live administrator when the failed database back-up write for the specific database server meets a threshold condition.
10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the threshold condition is a certain number of occurrences of the failed database back-up write.
11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7 , wherein the instructions further comprise the following operation:
recording data from the event entries related to occurrences of the successful database back-up write and the failed database back-up write in a data store.
12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7 , wherein the instructions further comprise the following operations:
generating a report incorporating information from one or more of the event entries, the configuration information, or both.
13. A system of administering a plurality of database servers connected within a network comprising:
at least one processor; and
memory, operatively connected to the at least one processor and including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to perform a method, the method comprising:
requesting event log information from each of the plurality of database servers within the network, the database servers each comprising one or more databases;
receiving the requested event log information;
parsing the event log information to identify one or more of an event entry indicating a successful database back-up write and an event entry indicating a failed database back-up write to a first network back-up server;
creating, upon identification of the failed database back-up write, a configuration file adapted to cause a specific database server experiencing the failed database back-up write to attempt a new database back-up write to correct the failed database back-up write;
transmitting the configuration file to the specific database server;
requesting configuration information from the specific database server, wherein the configuration information comprises at least a state of the specific database server;
receiving the configuration information from the specific database server; and
altering, based on the configuration information, a frequency of the new database back-up write.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises initiating an alert to a live administrator when the failed database back-up write for the specific database server meets a threshold condition.
15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the threshold condition is a certain number of occurrences of the failed database back-up write.
16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises recording data from the event entries related to occurrences of the successful database back-up write and the failed database back-up write in a data store.
17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises:
generating a report incorporating information from one or more of the event entries, the configuration information, or both.