Data plane manipulation in a load balancer

• US 10,447,602 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2017
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Bansal, Deepak, Outhred, Geoffrey Hugh, Venkataramaiah, Narasimhan Agrahara, Agarwal, Shekhar
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Jr., Michael J
• Application Number:
  US15/848,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20180183713A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• 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 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs

Abstract

A load balancer capable of adjusting how network data is distributed to a tenant or group of tenants by manipulating the data plane. The load balancer is placed directly in the flow path of network data that is destined for a tenant or group of tenants having a tenant address. The load balancer includes a control plane and one or more data planes. Each data plane may contain one or more network traffic multiplexors. Further, each data plane may be dedicated to a tenant or group of tenants. Data planes may be added or deleted from the load balancer; additionally, multiplexors may be added or deleted from a data plane. Accordingly, network data directed towards one tenant is less likely to affect the performance of load balancing performed for another tenant.

Claims

1. A method for a load balancer to control a flow of network data, the load balancer comprising at least a first data plane and a second data plane, the first and second data planes being placed in a data path of network data being transmitted from one or more sources to a first tenant address corresponding to a first tenant or group of tenants and to a second tenant address corresponding to a second tenant or group of tenants, the method comprising:

dedicating the first data plane to the first tenant or group of tenants, and dedicating the second data plane to the second tenant or group of tenants; and

based on dedicating the first data plane to the first tenant or group of tenants, and on dedicating the second data plane to the second tenant or group of tenants, isolating first network data destined to the first tenant address from second network data destined to the second tenant address.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the load balancer further includes a control plane, the control plane programming the first and second data planes, the control plane having a first partition and a second partition, the first partition serving as a primary control for the first data plane and the second partition serving as a backup control for the first data plane, the first partition further serving as a backup control for the second data plane and the second partition further serving as the primary control for the second data plane.

3. The method in accordance with claim 2, wherein the control plane performs one or more of the following:

monitoring health of the first and second data planes;

monitoring health of one or more network traffic multiplexers (MUXes) within each of the first and second data planes; and

monitoring health of the first and second tenants or group of tenants being load balanced.

4. The method in accordance with claim 2, wherein the control plane programs one or both of the first and second data planes to announce network routes.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first data plane filters network data for the first tenant address.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising adding one or more network traffic multiplexers (MUXes) to or removing one or more MUXes from the first data plane.

7. The method in accordance with claim 6, wherein a number of MUXes in the first data plane is selected based on an expected load or throughput.

8. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first data plane is used to sink network data for the first tenant address when the first tenant address is subject to a denial of service attack.

9. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of the first tenant address or the second tenant address comprises a Virtual Internet Protocol (VIP) address.

10. A load balancer that controls a flow of network data, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon executable instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to cause the load balancer to perform at least the following;

instantiate a first data plane and a second data plane, the first and second data planes being placed in a data path of network data being transmitted from one or more sources to a first tenant address corresponding to a first tenant or group of tenants and to a second tenant address corresponding to a second tenant or group of tenants;

dedicate the first data plane to the first tenant or group of tenants, and dedicate the second data plane to the second tenant or group of tenants; and

based on dedicating the first data plane to the first tenant or group of tenants, and on dedicating the second data plane to the second tenant or group of tenants, isolate first network data destined to the first tenant address from second network data destined to the second tenant address.

11. The load balancer in accordance with claim 10, wherein the executable instructions include instructions that are executable to cause the load balancer to instantiate a control plane for programming the first and second data planes, the control plane having a first partition and a second partition, the first partition serving as a primary control for the first data plane and the second partition serving as a backup control for the first data plane, the first partition further serving as a backup control for the second data plane and the second partition further serving as the primary control for the second data plane.

12. The load balancer in accordance with claim 10, wherein the executable instructions include instructions that are executable to cause the load balancer to use the first data plane to sink network data for the first tenant address when the first tenant address is subject to a denial of service attack.

13. The load balancer in accordance with claim 10, wherein the executable instructions include instructions that are executable to cause the load balancer to use the first data plane to filter network data for the first tenant address.

14. A computer program product comprising at least one hardware storage device having stored thereon executable instructions that are executable by one or more processors to cause a computer system to control a flow of network data, the executable instructions including instructions that are executable by the at least one processor to perform a least the following:

instantiate a first data plane and a second data plane, the first and second data planes being placed in a data path of network data being transmitted from one or more sources to a first tenant address corresponding to a first tenant or group of tenants and to a second tenant address corresponding to a second tenant or group of tenants;

dedicate the first data plane to the first tenant or group of tenants, and dedicate the second data plane to the second tenant or group of tenants; and

based on dedicating the first data plane to the first tenant or group of tenants, and on dedicating the second data plane to the second tenant or group of tenants, isolate first network data destined to the first tenant address from second network data destined to the second tenant address.

15. The computer program product in accordance with claim 14, wherein the executable instructions also include instructions that are executable to cause the computer system to instantiate a control plane for programming the first and second data planes, the control plane having a first partition and a second partition, the first partition serving as a primary control for the first data plane and the second partition serving as a backup control for the first data plane, the first partition further serving as a backup control for the second data plane and the second partition further serving as the primary control for the second data plane.

16. The computer program product in accordance with claim 15, wherein the control plane performs one or more of the following:

monitoring health of the first and second data planes;

monitoring health of one or more network traffic multiplexers (MUXes) within each of the first and second data planes; and

monitoring health of the first and second tenants or group of tenants being load balanced.

17. The computer program product in accordance with claim 15, wherein the control plane programs one or both of the first and second data planes to announce network routes.

18. The computer program product in accordance with claim 14, wherein the first data plane filters network data for the first tenant address.

19. The computer program product in accordance with claim 14, wherein the executable instructions also include instructions that are executable by the at least one processor to add one or more network traffic multiplexers (MUXes) to or remove one or more MUXes from the first data plane.

20. The computer program product in accordance with claim 19, wherein a number of MUXes in the first data plane is selected based on an expected load or throughput.