Customizable high availability switchover control of application delivery controllers

• US 10,075,329 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2014
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A10 Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: A10 Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Wang, Miao, Wang, Xin
• Primary Examiner(s): Serrao, Ranodhi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fiorillo, James
• Application Number:
  US14/314,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20150381407A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,539 Days
• Field of Search: 709225, 709226, 370221, 370389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0668 by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0823 Errors, e.g. transmission errors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/586 of virtual routers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks

Abstract

System and method of determining active/standby statuses of an intermediary device with respect to a logic group based on a user defined switchover policy. A user is allowed to configure a template to determine respective health levels for multiple sets of delivery resources. Each set of resources associated with a function engine residing in a respective intermediary device. The multiple sets of resources, in conjunction with the associated function engines, are equivalently operable to provide the same service function. The template may include user-specified events and respective weight factors. The specified events are monitored and a health score is dynamically derived for each delivery resource based on the template. Based on an updated health score rank with respect to the service function, a switchover may automatically occur from an intermediary device of a lower health score to another device with a higher health score.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for determining active/standby status for device resources:

receiving user input specifying a first set of events and a policy related to said first set of events for computing numerical health scores for a first resource associated with a first device, and for a second resource associated with a second device, wherein said first and said second resources are configured to be functionally equivalent in an intermediary device cluster;

compiling said first set of events and a policy into a template resident in said intermediary device cluster and accessible to said first device and said second device, wherein said policy specifies;

a numerical health score for each event of said first set of events, and a weight value for each event of said first set of events;

monitoring events with respect to said first device and said second device to determine if any of said first set of events defined in said template occurs;

based on said monitoring, said template, and said user input, determining numerical health scores for said first resource and said second resource, wherein said numerical health scores are dynamically derived and updated by at least one of any occurrence of said first set of events or a periodic update, and said numerical health scores are communicated between the first and second device;

accessing a priority rank that is determined based on a second set of events;

monitoring said second set of events;

determining a priority value for said first resource and a priority value for said second resource based on said monitoring said second set of events;

responsive to a determination that said numerical heath score for said first resource is lower than said numerical health score for said second resource, switching from actively using said first resource to actively using said second resource in said intermediary device cluster and instructing said first resource to be standby;

responsive to a determination that said numerical heath score for said first resource is equal to said numerical health score for said second resource, and said priority value for said first resource is lower than said priority value for said second resource, switching from actively using said first resource to actively using said second resource in said intermediary device cluster and instructing said first resource to be standby; and

routing service requests to said second resource of said second device responsive to the switching.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said first set of events comprise failover events and resource usage events.

3. The method as described in claim 2 wherein said first set of events comprise events selected from a group consisting of:

a gateway disconnection, memory usage reaching a predetermined threshold, a virtual local area network (VLAN) traffic stop, an Ethernet data port failure, a firewall failure, a trunk failure, a link failure, a buffer location failure, and a selected route being unavailable in an associated data route table.

4. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said first device and said second device comprise application delivery controllers.

5. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said first device and second device are carrier gateway networking gateways.

6. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said user input comprises a script.

7. The method as described in claim 1, wherein first resource is configured to perform a function selected from a group consisting′

of load balancing, caching, task offloading, accelerated compression, connection pooling, web application firewall, content transformation, transaction assurance, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) offloading, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) optimization, virtualization awareness, and address and protocol translation.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium embodying instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform a method of facilitating application delivery, said method comprising:

receiving user input that identifies a first set of events and a policy to said first set of events for computing numerical health scores for a first group of resources associated with a first device and for a second group of resources for a second device, wherein said second group have functionally equivalent logic with said first group with respect to an intermediary device cluster;

compiling said first set of events and a policy into a template resident in said intermediary device cluster, and accessible to said first device and said second device, wherein said policy specifies;

a numerical health score for each event of said first set of events, and a weight value for each event of said first set of events;

monitoring said first set of events with respect to said first device and said second device to determine if any of said first set of events defined in said template occurs;

determining numerical health scores for said first group of resources and for said second group of resources based on said monitoring said first set of events, wherein said numerical health scores are dynamically derived and updated by at least one of any occurrence of said first set of events or a periodic update, and said numerical health scores are communicated between the first and second device;

accessing a priority rank that is determined based on a second set of events;

monitoring said second set of events;

determining a priority value for said first group of resources and a priority value for said second resource based on said monitoring said second set of events; and

switching from actively using said first group of resources to actively using said second group of resources in said intermediary device duster based on said numerical health score and said priority value, wherein the switching is responsive to a determination that said numerical heath score for said first resource is lower than said numerical health score for said second resource, or responsive to a determination that said numerical heath score for said first resource is equal to said numerical health score for said second resource, and said priority value for said first resource is lower than said priority value for said second resource; and

routing service requests responsive to the switching and instructing said first group of resources to be standby in said intermediary device cluster.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as described in claim 8, wherein said numerical health score takes precedence over said priority value during said determining said status.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as described in claim 8, wherein said first set of events are associated with respective weight factors specified by said user input, wherein said determining said numerical health scores further comprises subtracting weight factors of detected events from a preset numerical health score.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as described in claim 8, wherein each of said first group of resources is configured to serve a respective user group.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as described in claim 8, wherein said method further comprises determining a policy template in compliance with a Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP).

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as described in claim 8, wherein said receiving comprises receiving user selections from a plurality of events through a graphical user interface.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as described in claim 8, wherein said first set of events are pertinent to resource usage and/or errors of infrastructures selected from a group consisting of memory, a virtual local area network (VLAN), an Ethernet data port, a firewall failure, a trunk, a link, a buffer, a router, a firewall, and a processing unit.

15. An application delivery intermediary device comprising:

communication circuits;

a processor; and

memory coupled to said processor and comprising instructions that, when executed by said processor, cause the system to perform a method of facilitating application delivery between client devices and server devices with high reliability, said method comprising;

receiving user input identifying a first set of events and a policy related to said first set of events for computing numerical health scores for a first resource attached to a first device and a second resource attached to a second device, wherein said first resource and said second resource are configured to be functionally equivalent with respect to an intermediary device cluster;

compiling said first set of events and a policy into a template resident, in a device in said intermediary device cluster, and accessible to said first device and said second device, wherein said policy comprises a health value for each event of said first set of events, and a weight value for each event of said first set of events;

monitoring events with respect to said first device and said second device to determine if any of said first set of events defined in said template occurs;

based on said monitoring, said template, and said user input, determining a numerical health score for said first resource and said second resource, wherein said numerical health scores are dynamically derived and updated by at least one of any occurrence of said first set of events or a periodic update, and said numerical health scores are communicated between the first and second device;

accessing a priority rank that is determined based on a second set of events;

monitoring said second set of events;

determining a priority value for said first resource and a priority value for said second resource based on said monitoring said second set of events;

responsive to a determination that said numerical heath score for said first resource is lower than said numerical health score for said second resource, switching from actively using said first resource to actively using said second resource in said intermediary device cluster and instructing said first resource to be standby;

responsive to a determination that said numerical heath score for said first resource is equal to said numerical health score for said second resource, and said priority value for said first resource is lower than said priority value for said second resource, switching from actively using said first resource to actively using said second resource in said intermediary device cluster and instructing said first resource to be standby; and

routing service requests to said second resource of said second device, responsive to said switching.

16. The application delivery intermediary device as described in claim 15, wherein said first device and said second device comprise application delivery controllers, and wherein further said first set of events comprise failover events and resource usage events.