Method and system for load balancing using server dormant mode

• US 10,237,341 B1
• Filed: 03/29/2012
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Wei, Shu-Shang Sam, Kaushik, Shreyas Satyanand
• Primary Examiner(s): Woolcock, Madhu
• Application Number:
  US13/433,543
• Time in Patent Office: 2,546 Days
• Field of Search: 709201, 709203, 709223-225, 709232, 709235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0897 by horizontal or vertical scaling of resources, or by migrating entities, e.g. virtual resources or entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer

Abstract

A method for providing load balancing for a server cluster using a server dormant mode. Client devices are allowed to conduct transactions with servers when the servers are active. However, the servers are not allowed to accept new transactions in a dormant mode. Thus, an overloaded server can be placed into the dormant mode until the server is no longer overloaded. Loads will be redistributed among other active servers in the cluster while a server is in the dormant mode.

Claims

1. A method for balancing a server load, wherein a plurality of servers are provided for handling transactions initiated through connections with one or more client devices, comprising:

providing a dormant mode and an active mode for each of the plurality of servers;

enabling an update feature setting in a stored configuration file of the plurality of servers, the update feature setting for allowing only privileged users to establish a new connection to a server of the plurality of servers in the dormant mode;

distributing, by a connection broker, the server load to servers of the plurality of servers in the active mode;

monitoring, by the connection broker, a load for each of the plurality of servers to identify one of the plurality of servers in the active mode as an overloaded server having a server load exceeding a designated threshold;

waiting, by the overloaded server, for open pending transactions associated with existing client device connections to the overloaded server to be completed;

updating a status of the overloaded server in the stored configuration file to indicate the overloaded server is in the dormant mode after the open pending transactions are completed;

prohibiting, by the connection broker, any new connections from being established with the overloaded server in the dormant mode by any users other than the privileged users;

placing, by the overloaded server, any existing client device connections with the overloaded server into read-only mode;

causing, by the connection broker, the server load to be redistributed among a remainder of the plurality of servers in the active mode while the overloaded server is in the dormant mode; and

establishing, by the connection broker while the overloaded server is in the dormant mode, a new connection from a privileged user of the privileged users to the overloaded server in the dormant mode based on the update feature setting in the stored configuration file being enabled, the privileged user performing read and write transactions and update transactions on the overloaded server in the dormant mode.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

returning the overloaded server to the active mode when it is no longer overloaded; and

causing, in response to the overloaded server returning to the active mode, the redistributed server load to be redistributed again among a number of the plurality of servers in the active mode.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring server capacities and loads; and

identifying the overloaded server based on the monitoring of server capacities and loads.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing criteria for identifying the overloaded server.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

monitoring performance and obtaining performance metrics for the plurality of servers; and

using one or more performance metrics as criteria for identifying the overloaded server.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

providing a maximum load threshold, wherein if a server load on a server of the plurality of servers exceeds the maximum load threshold, then the server is considered overloaded.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the dormant mode may only be enabled for each server of the plurality of servers by a privileged user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a dormancy request mode for each server of the plurality of servers, wherein open transactions associated with existing connections are terminated prior to placing a server of the plurality of servers into the dormancy request mode.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the connection broker corresponding to the plurality of servers, wherein the connection broker keeps track of content server information to facilitate connections and content transfers; and

wherein a content server of the plurality of servers projects status information including change of state to the connection broker.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with executable instructions for performing a method for balancing a server load, wherein a plurality of servers are provided for handling transactions initiated through connections with one or more client devices, comprising:

providing a dormant mode and an active mode for each of the plurality of servers;

enabling an update feature setting in a stored configuration file of the plurality of servers, the update feature setting for allowing only privileged users to establish a new connection to a server of the plurality of servers in the dormant mode;

distributing, by a connection broker, the server load to servers of the plurality of servers in the active mode;

monitoring, by the connection broker, a load for each of the plurality of servers to identify one of the plurality of servers in the active mode as an overloaded server having a server load exceeding a designated threshold;

waiting, by the overloaded server, for open pending transactions associated with existing client device connections to the overloaded server to be completed;

updating a status of the overloaded server in the stored configuration file to indicate the overloaded server is in the dormant mode after the open pending transactions are completed;

prohibiting, by the connection broker, any new connections from being established with the overloaded server in the dormant mode by any users other than the privileged users;

placing, by the overloaded server, any existing client device connections with the overloaded server into read-only mode;

causing, by the connection broker, the server load to be redistributed among a remainder of the plurality of servers in the active mode while the overloaded server is in the dormant mode; and

establishing, by a connection broker while the overloaded server is in the dormant mode, a new connection from a privileged user of the privileged users to the overloaded server in the dormant mode based on the update feature setting in the stored configuration file being enabled, the privileged user performing read and write transactions and update transactions on the overloaded server in the dormant mode.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising:

returning the overloaded server to the active mode when it is no longer overloaded; and

causing, in response to the overloaded server returning to the active mode, the redistributed server load to be redistributed again among a number of the plurality of servers in the active mode.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising:

monitoring server capacities and loads; and

identifying the overloaded server based on the monitoring of server capacities and loads.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising:

providing criteria for identifying the overloaded server.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising:

monitoring performance and obtaining performance metrics for the plurality of servers; and

using one or more performance metrics as criteria for identifying the overloaded server.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising:

providing a maximum load threshold, wherein if a server load on a server of the plurality of servers exceeds the maximum load threshold, then the server is considered overloaded.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the dormant mode may only be enabled for each server of the plurality of servers by a privileged user.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising:

providing a dormancy request mode for each server of the plurality of servers, wherein open transactions associated with the existing connections are terminated prior to placing a server of the plurality of servers into the dormancy request mode.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising:

providing the connection broker corresponding to the plurality of servers, wherein the connection broker keeps track of content server information to facilitate connections and content transfers; and

wherein a content server of the plurality of servers projects status information including change of state to the connection broker.

19. A system for balancing a server load, wherein a plurality of servers are provided for handling transactions initiated through connections with one or more client devices, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of instructions, which when executed, will cause the one or more processors to;

provide a dormant mode and an active mode for each of the plurality of servers;

enable an update feature setting in a stored configuration file of the plurality of servers, the update features setting for allowing only privileged users to establish a new connection to a server of the plurality of servers in the dormant mode;

distribute, by a connection broker, the server load to servers of the plurality of servers in the active mode;

monitor, by the connection broker, a load for each of the plurality of servers to identify one of the plurality of servers in the active mode as an overloaded server having a server load exceeding a designated threshold;

wait, by the overloaded server, for open pending transactions associated with existing client device connections to the overloaded server to be completed; and

update a status of the overloaded server in the stored configuration file to indicate the overloaded server is in the dormant mode after the open pending transactions are completed;

prohibit, by the connection broker, any new connections from being established with the overloaded server in the dormant mode by any users other than the privileged users;

place, by the overloaded server, any existing client device connections with the overloaded server into read-only mode;

cause, by the connection broker, the server load to be redistributed among a remainder of the plurality of servers in the active mode while the overloaded server is in the dormant mode; and

establish, by the connection broker while the overloaded server is in the dormant mode, a new connection from a privileged user of the privileged users to the overloaded server in the dormant mode based on the update feature setting in the stored configuration file being enabled, the privileged user performing read and write transactions and update transactions on the overloaded server in the dormant mode.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein monitoring the load for each of the plurality of servers comprising monitoring performance metrics regarding server capacities and loads, wherein the monitoring of performance metrics regarding server capacities and loads provides the performance metrics to the connection broker to help identify the overloaded server.