Control server that manages resource servers for selected balance of load

• US 20060069780A1
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Sharma, Ranjan, Batni, Ramachendra P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,051,171 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them

Abstract

A control server of an apparatus in one example manages a plurality of resource servers that are allocated to handle a load. The control server receives from a first resource server, of the plurality of resource servers, a first status message that comprises a first indicator of a relative availability of the first resource server. The control server receives from a second resource server, of the plurality of resource servers, a second status message that comprises a second indicator of a relative availability of the second resource server. The control server employs a comparison of the first indicator of the relative availability of the first resource server with the second indicator of the relative availability of the second resource server to promote a selected balance of the load between two or more of the plurality of resource servers.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a control server that manages a plurality of resource servers that are allocated to handle a load, wherein the control server receives from a first resource server, of the plurality of resource servers, a first status message that comprises a first indicator of a relative availability of the first resource server, wherein the control server receives from a second resource server, of the plurality of resource servers, a second status message that comprises a second indicator of a relative availability of the second resource server;

wherein the control server employs a comparison of the first indicator of the relative availability of the first resource server with the second indicator of the relative availability of the second resource server to promote a selected balance of the load between two or more of the plurality of resource servers.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control server comprises a dynamic ranked list of the plurality of resource servers;

wherein the control server employs the dynamic ranked list of the plurality of resource servers to distribute the load among the plurality of resource servers to promote the selected balance of the load between the two or more of the plurality of resource servers;

wherein the control server updates the dynamic ranked list of the plurality of resource servers based on the first indicator of the relative availability of the first resource server and the second indicator of the relative availability of the second resource server.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the control server receives one or more instances of the first status message from the first resource server;

wherein the control server updates the dynamic ranked list of the plurality of resource servers based on a most recently received instance of the first status message from the first resource server;

wherein the control server receives one or more instances of the second status message from the second resource server;

wherein the control server updates the dynamic ranked list of the plurality of resource servers based on a most recently received instance of the second status message from the second resource server.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control server comprises a call controller of a cellular communication network;

wherein the plurality of resource servers comprise a plurality of application servers of the cellular communication network.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control server comprises a predetermined ranked list of operational mode indicators that correspond to a plurality of operational modes;

wherein the first indicator of relative availability comprises a first operational mode indicator from the predetermined ranked list of operational mode indicators;

wherein the second indicator of relative availability comprises a second operational mode indicator from the predetermined ranked list of operational mode indicators.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 in combination with the first resource server and the second resource server;

wherein the first resource server selects a first operational mode from the plurality of operational modes based on one or more resource levels of the first resource server, wherein the first operational mode indicator corresponds to the first operational mode;

wherein the second resource server selects a second operational mode from the plurality of operational modes based on one or more resource levels of the second resource server, wherein the second operational mode indicator corresponds to the second operational mode.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first resource server comprises a first set of resource thresholds that separate the plurality of operational modes;

wherein the first resource server selects the first operational mode based on a comparison of the one or more resource levels of the first resource server with the first set of resource thresholds;

wherein the second resource server comprises a second set of resource thresholds that separate the plurality of operational modes;

wherein the second resource server selects the second operational mode based on a comparison of the one or more resource levels of the second resource server with the second set of resource thresholds.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first resource server changes the first set of resource thresholds that separate the plurality of operational modes to a third set of resource thresholds based on a change in one or more available resources of the first resource server;

wherein the first resource server selects a third operational mode from the plurality of operational modes based on a comparison of the one or more resource levels of the first resource server with the third set of resource thresholds.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the predetermined ranked list of operational mode indicators comprises a normal mode indicator and a plurality of overload mode indicators;

wherein the control server distributes the load to a resource server with a normal mode indicator before a resource server with an overload mode indicator, of the plurality of overload mode indicators, to promote the selected balance of the load between the two or more of the plurality of resource servers.

10. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first indicator of relative availability comprises the first operational mode indicator and a first threshold indicator that indicates a load difference between the first operational mode indicator and a next higher operational mode indicator;

wherein the second indicator of relative availability comprises the second operational mode indicator and a second threshold indicator that indicates a load difference between the second operational mode indicator and a next higher operational mode indicator;

wherein the control server performs a comparison of the first threshold indicator of the first resource server with the second threshold indicator of the second resource server when the first operational mode indicator and the second operational mode indicator comprise a same operational mode indicator;

wherein if the first threshold indicator is greater than the second threshold indicator, the control server distributes the load to the first resource server before the second resource server to promote the selected balance of the load between the two or more of the plurality of resource servers.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 in combination with the first resource server and the second resource server;

wherein the first resource server selects the first indicator of the relative availability of the first resource server, wherein the first resource server sends the first status message that comprises the first indicator of the relative availability of the first resource server to the control server;

wherein the second resource server selects the second indicator of the relative availability of the second resource server, wherein the second resource server sends the second status message that comprises the second indicator of the relative availability of the second resource server to the control server.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the first resource server comprises one or more first call processing applications that are allocated to handle the load;

wherein the relative availability of the first resource server comprises a relative availability of the one or more first call processing applications;

wherein the second resource server comprises one or more second call processing applications that are allocated to handle the load;

wherein the relative availability of the second resource server comprises a relative availability of the one or more second call processing applications.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first resource server sends on a first predetermined event the first status message that comprises the first indicator of the relative availability of the first resource server to the control server;

wherein the second resource server sends on a second predetermined event the second status message that comprises the second indicator of the relative availability of the second resource server to the control server.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first predetermined event and the second predetermined event comprise one of a change in load level, a change in available resources, or an expiration of a timer.

15. A method, comprising the steps of:

receiving, from a first resource server of a plurality of resource servers that are allocated to handle a load, a first indicator of a relative availability of the first resource server;

receiving, from a second resource server of the plurality of resource servers that are allocated to handle the load, a second indicator of a relative availability of the second resource server; and

updating a ranked list of the plurality of resource servers based on the first indicator of relative availability of the first resource server and the second indicator of relative availability of the second resource server.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of:

performing a comparison of the first indicator of the relative availability of the first resource server with the second indicator of the relative availability of the second resource server.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of updating the ranked list of the plurality of resource servers based on the first indicator of relative availability of the first resource server and the second indicator of relative availability of the second resource server comprises the step of:

promoting the first resource server within the ranked list of the plurality of resource servers based on the comparison of the first indicator of the relative availability of the first resource server with the second indicator of the relative availability of the second resource server.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of:

distributing the load among the plurality of resource servers based on the ranked list of the plurality of resource servers to promote a selected balance of the load between two or more of the plurality of resource servers.

19. An article, comprising:

one or more computer-readable signal-bearing media; and

means in the one or more media for receiving, from a first resource server of a plurality of resource servers that are allocated to handle a load, a first indicator of a relative availability of the first resource server;

means in the one or more media for receiving, from a second resource server of the plurality of resource servers that are allocated to handle the load, a second indicator of a relative availability of the second resource server; and

means in the one or more media for updating a ranked list of the plurality of resource servers based on the first indicator of relative availability of the first resource server and the second indicator of relative availability of the second resource server.

20. The article of claim 19, further comprising:

means in the one or more media for performing a comparison of the first indicator of the relative availability of the first resource server with the second indicator of the relative availability of the second resource server;

means in the one or more media for distributing the load among the plurality of resource servers based on the ranked list of the plurality of resource servers to promote a selected balance of the load between two or more of the plurality of resource servers

wherein the means in the one or more media for updating the ranked list of the plurality of resource servers based on the first indicator of relative availability of the first resource server and the second indicator of relative availability of the second resource server comprises;

means in the one or more media for promoting the first resource server within the ranked list of the plurality of resource servers based on the comparison of the first indicator of the relative availability of the first resource server with the second indicator of the relative availability of the second resource server.