System, method and apparatus of data interaction under load balancing

• US 10,135,915 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2013
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Tang, Meng, Chen, Bo, Wang, Yingbin, Wan, Jia, Wang, Qian
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Liang Che A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aguiar, Johnny B
• Application Number:
  US14/056,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20140108661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,860 Days
• Field of Search: 709217, 709219, 709223, 709224, 709226, 709238, 709241, 709244, 709245, 709246, 718105, 370389, 370392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/568 Load balancing, smoothing or shaping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2503 Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1004 Server selection for load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1038 Load balancing arrangements to avoid a single path through a load balancer

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a system, a method and an apparatus of data interaction under load balancing to solve the problem of heavy workload of a server load balancer under existing technologies. The system includes a server load balancer, a real server, and a conversion apparatus. A data package, which is sent from a client to a real server, is processed and sent by the server load balancer to the real server. A data package, which is sent from the real server to the client, is processed and sent by the conversion apparatus to the client. Since the traffic flowing from the real server to the client does not pass through the server load balancer but is processed and sent by the conversion apparatus to the client in the above system that is provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, the workload on the server load balancer is thus effectively reduced.

Claims

1. A system of data interaction for load balancing, comprising:

a server load balancer, separate from a conversion apparatus, configured to receive a first data package from a client through a server load balancer gateway, select a real server according to a predefined load balancing strategy, adjust a destination address included in the first data package to a real IP (Internet Protocol) address of the selected real server to obtain a second data package, and send the second data package to the selected real server, the destination address included in the first data package sent from the client being a virtual IP address of the server load balancer;

the conversion apparatus intercepts the second data package sent from the server load balancer and transfer the second data package to the selected real server;

the selected real server configured to generate a third data package after receiving the second data package, the third data package including a source address as the real IP address of the selected real server, and to send the third data package to the client through a real sever gateway; and

the conversion apparatus, separate from the server load balancer, configured to intercept the third data package sent from the selected real server, adjust the source address included in the third data package to the virtual IP address of the server load balancer to obtain a fourth data package, and send the fourth data package to the client through the real server gateway.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the server load balancer is further configured to:

retrieve the virtual IP address of the server load balancer that is used as the destination address in the first data package,

retrieve a public port number of the server load balancer that is used as a destination port number in the first data package,

insert the retrieved virtual IP address and the retrieved public port number into a TCP option of the first data package, and

adjust the destination address included in the first data package to the real IP address of the selected real server and the destination port number included in the first data package to a port number of the selected real server to obtain the second data package.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the conversion apparatus is further configured to:

determine data flow indicator information associated with data interaction between the client and the selected real server based on the second data package,

record a virtual IP address and a public port number that are inserted in a TCP option of the second data package,

generate a correspondence relationship among the determined data flow indicator information, the recorded virtual IP address and the recorded public port number, and

send the second data package to the selected real server.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein the determined data flow indicator information comprises at least one of:

a source address, a destination address, a source port number, a destination port number, and protocol information included in the second data package.

5. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein the conversion apparatus is further configured to determine the data flow indicator information based on the intercepted third data package sent from the selected real server, search for the virtual IP address and the public port number corresponding to the data flow indicator information that is determined from the third data package, adjust the source address included in the third data package to the virtual IP address that is found and the source port number included in the third data package to the public port number that is found to obtain the fourth data package.

6. The data interaction system as recited in claim 1, wherein the conversion apparatus and the selected real server are located in a first virtual local area network (VLAN), and the server load balancer is located in a second virtual local area network.

7. A method of data interaction under load balancing, comprising:

receiving, by a server load balancer from a client through a server load balancer gateway, a first data package including a destination address being a virtual IP (Internet Protocol) address of the server load balancer, selecting a real server according to a predefined load balancing strategy, adjusting the destination address included in the first data package to a real IP address of the selected real server to obtain a second data package, and sending the second data package to the selected real server;

intercepting, by a conversion apparatus that is separate from the server load balancer, the second data package and transferring the second data package to the selected real server;

intercepting, by the conversion apparatus, a third data package sent from the selected real server to the client, the third data package being generated by the selected real server based on the second data package and including a source address as the real IP address of the selected real server;

adjusting, by the conversion apparatus, the source address included in the intercepted third data package to the virtual IP address of the server load balancer to obtain a fourth data package; and

sending, by the conversion apparatus, the fourth data package to the client, wherein the fourth data package goes to the client from the selected real server through a real server gateway.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein adjusting the destination address included in the first data package to the real IP address of the selected real server to obtain the second data package comprises:

retrieving, by the server load balancer, the virtual IP address of the server load balancer that is used as the destination address from the first data package;

retrieving a public port number of the server load balancer that is used as a destination port number from the first data package;

inserting the retrieved virtual IP address and the retrieved public port number into a TCP option of the first data package; and

adjusting the destination address included in the first data package to the real IP address of the selected real server and the destination port number included in the first data package to the port number of the selected real server to obtain the second data package.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising pre-recording, by the conversion apparatus, the virtual address of the server load balancer, the pre-recording comprising:

determining data flow indicator information associated with data interaction between the client and the selected real server based on the second data package, wherein the data flow indicator information comprises at least one of;

a source address, a destination address, a source port number, a destination port number and protocol information;

recording the virtual IP address and a public port number that are inserted in a TCP option of the second data package; and

generating a correspondence relationship among the data flow indicator information, the recorded virtual IP address and the recorded public port number.

10. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the conversion apparatus adjusting the source address included in the intercepted third data package to the virtual IP address of the server load balancer to obtain the fourth data package comprises:

determining, by the conversion apparatus, data flow indicator information based on the intercepted third data package sent from the selected real server;

searching for a virtual IP address and a public port number corresponding to the data flow indicator information that is determined from the third data package; and

adjusting the source address included in the third data package to a virtual IP address that is found and a source port number included in the third data package to a public port number that is found to obtain the fourth data package.

11. An apparatus of data interaction under load balancing, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory including instructions executable by the one or more processors, which when executed perform the following steps;

receiving, by a server load balancer from a client through a server load balancer gateway, a first data package including a destination address being a virtual IP (Internet Protocol) address of the server load balancer, selecting a real server according to a predefined load balancing strategy, adjusting the destination address included in the first data package to a real IP address of the selected real server to obtain a second data package, and sending the second data package to the selected real server;

intercepting, by a conversion apparatus that is separate from the server load balancer, the second data package and transferring the second data package to the selected real server;

intercepting, by the conversion apparatus, a third data package sent from the selected real server to the client, the third data package being generated by the selected real server based on the second data package and including a source address as the real IP address of the selected real server;

adjusting, by the conversion apparatus, the source address included in the intercepted third data package to the virtual IP address of the server load balancer to obtain a fourth data package; and

sending, by the conversion apparatus, the fourth data package to the client, wherein the fourth data package goes to the client from the selected real server through a real server gateway.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein the second data package is obtained by:

retrieving, by the server load balancer, the virtual IP address of the server load balancer that is used as the destination address from the first data package, retrieving a public port number of the server load balancer that is used as a destination port number from the first data package,

inserting the retrieved virtual IP address and the retrieved public port number into a TCP option of the first data package, adjusting the destination address included in the first data package to the real IP address of the selected real server, and

adjusting the destination port number included in the first data package to a port number of the selected real server.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising determining data flow indicator information associated with data interaction between the client and the selected real server based on the second data package, recording a virtual IP address and a public port number that are inserted in a TCP option of the second data package, and establishing a correspondence relationship among the data flow indicator information, the recorded virtual IP address and the recorded public port number.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein the determined data flow indicator information includes at least one of:

a source address, a destination address, a source port number, a destination port number, and protocol information included in the second data package.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising determining data flow indicator information based on the intercepted third data package sent from the selected real server.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, further comprising searching for the virtual IP address and the public port number corresponding to the data flow indicator information that is determined from the third data package.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 16, further comprising adjusting the source address included in the third data package to a virtual IP address that is found, and adjusting the source port number included in the third data package to a public port number that is found to obtain the fourth data package.