Patent ID: 7992032

Claim:
A cluster system failover method for a computer system in which a plurality of virtual computers are executed on at least one physical computer that includes a virtualization unit for providing the virtual computers, the failover method comprising: setting, for each of the virtual computers, a respective plurality of associations between a failover destination candidate that is switchable to at failure of the virtual computer and a failover method candidate in which the failover destination candidate of each association is a different virtual computer of the plurality of virtual computers and the failover method candidate is a failover method of a plurality of failover methods that include hot standby and cold standby; setting, for each of the virtual computers, respective failover requirements that are required for determining a failover destination and a respective failover method for switching to the failover destination for the virtual computer, the respective failover requirements for each of the virtual computers being based on a correspondence between the failover destination candidates and the failover method candidates that include hot standby and cold standby; selecting, for each of the virtual computers, one association of the respective plurality of associations between failover destination candidates that are switchable to at failure of the virtual computer and failover method candidates that include hot standby and cold standby for the virtual computer based on the respective failover requirements for the virtual computer; setting, for each of the virtual computers, the failover destination candidate of the selected association for the virtual computer as the failover destination at failure when the selected association for the virtual computer meets the respective failover requirements for the virtual computer, and the failover method candidate of the selected association for the virtual computer as the respective failover method for switching to the failover destination at failure for the virtual computer; deciding, for each of the virtual computers, whether to activate or halt a system of the set failover destination for the virtual computer before a failure occurs based on whether the set failover method for the virtual computer is hot standby or cold standby; and for each virtual computer, switching the virtual computer to the set failover destination by using the set failover method for the virtual computer upon a failure occurring in the virtual computer.