Self-service terminal (SST) backups and rollbacks
View Patent ↗Self-Service Terminal (SST) automated backup and rollback techniques and SST are provided. An automated determination is made to back up the SST or a resource of that SST to a base image. An update is made to one or more resources of the SST. Automated tests and metrics are gathered and evaluated based on heuristics specific to the transactional environment of the SST. When the test and metrics fail to pass a threshold, the SST or a resource of the SST is automatically rolled back to the base image.
1. A method, comprising:
identifying, by a backup and restore manager executing on a Self-Service Terminal (SST), a first condition that necessitates a backup of one or more software resources in a first storage location to a second storage location, wherein the one or more software resources include one or more of an operating system, an application, and configuration settings, wherein identifying further includes monitoring the application processing within the operating system and interaction of the application with another one of the one or more software resources processing within the operating system and processing at least a portion of the identifying as a wrapper around any operation of the SST that is capable of making a change to any of the one or more software resources;
selecting, by the backup and restore manager, a type of backup itemized to the one or more software resources based on the condition, and wherein the type of backup is a fine grain backup or coarse grain backup, wherein the fine grain backup includes updates to configuration files or setting files processed by a particular software resource or a particular combination of the one or more software resources, and wherein the coarse grain backup includes updates to source code with the particular software resource or the particular combination;
automatically determining, by the backup manager, whether to perform a backup operation relevant to the type;
identifying, by the backup and restore manager a second condition representing a change in operation of the one or more software resources that necessitates a restore of the one or more software resources on the second storage location to the first storage location, based upon metrics or diagnostics collected in real time for the one or more software resources based on mock operations processed with the one or more software resources and comparing the metrics or the diagnostics for the mock operations against predefined threshold values for evaluating the second condition, and processing at least one mock operation as a configured test between at least two of the one or more software resources that test interactions between the at least two of the one or more software resources; and
automatically determining, by the backup and restore manager, whether to perform a restore operation itemized to the one or more software resources based upon the second condition, and wherein automatically determining whether to perform the restore operation includes deciding, by the backup and restore manager, to perform the restore operation when the metrics or the diagnostics are below a threshold value.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying further includes identifying, by the backup and restore manager, the first condition as a proposed change to the one or more resources of the SST, the proposed change indicating to the backup and restore manager that the backup operation is being necessitated by a pending update or upgrade to the one or more resources.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein in identifying further includes, identifying, by the backup and restore manager, the first condition based on receiving a timer/schedule event indicating that the backup is to occur for the one or more resources.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying further includes, identifying, by the backup and restore manager the first condition based on a user action with the SST that necessitates the backup.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting further includes deciding the backup operation based on a proposed modification, which represents the first condition, and a resource type for the one or more resources of the SST to which the proposed modification is to be applied to.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein automatically determining whether to perform a backup operation further includes performing, by the backup and restore manager, the backup operation when the second storage location lacks a current image for the one or more resources of the SST, wherein the backup operation is associated with the one or resources.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein deciding further includes, identifying, by the backup and restore manager a target resource of the one or more resources of the SST for the restore operation in response to the metrics or the diagnostics associated with the target resource.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein deciding further includes, identifying, by the backup and restore manager, another target resource of the one or more resources of the SST for the restore operation in response to the metrics or the diagnostics associated with the other resource.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein deciding further includes, identifying, by the backup and restore manager, a composite resource having a plurality of the one or more resources as a target of the restore operation in response to the metrics or the diagnostics associated with the composite resource.
10. A Self-Service Terminal (SST), comprising:
a processor configured to execute a backup module operable to: (i) determine a backup operation for a resource of the SST in a first storage location to a second storage location is necessitated, wherein the resource includes one or more of an operating system, an application, and configuration settings, and monitor application processing within the operating system and interaction of the application with another one of the one or more software resources processing within the operating system and process as a wrapper around any operation of the SST that is capable of making a change to the resource, (ii) resolve a backup type itemized to the resource and wherein the backup type is a fine grain backup or coarse grain backup, wherein the fine grain backup includes updates to configuration files or setting files processed by the resource or a particular combination of the resource and other resources, and wherein the coarse grain backup includes updates to source code with the resource or the particular combination, and (iii) decide whether the backup operation is necessitated based on inspection of an image store in the second storage location associated with the resource; and
the processor being further configured to execute a restore module operable to: (i) receive a restore request for the resource from the backup module to restore the resource from the second storage location to the first storage location in response to metrics gathered in real time for the resource based on mock operations processed with the resource with the metrics compared against predefined threshold values, wherein at least one mock operation is processed as a configured test between the resource and at one additional resource that test interactions between the resource and the at least one additional resources, and (ii) perform a restore operation for the resource based on a restore type itemized to the resource, wherein the perform the restore operation further includes decide to perform the restore operation when the metrics or diagnostics are below a threshold value.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute a testing and monitor module operable to (i) monitor the resource and other resources of the SST to gather the metrics, (ii) perform tests on the resource and other resources of the SST to gather diagnostics, and (iii) provide the metrics and the diagnostics to the backup module to assist the backup module in determining whether the restore operation is to be communicated to the restore module.
12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the backup module is further operable in (ii) to: determine that the backup operation is necessitated based on a proposed change to the resource or to a different resource of the SST.