System and method for loadbalancing in a network environment using feedback information

• US 20060109785A1
• Filed: 01/06/2006
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Iyer, Jayaraman R., O'Rourke, Chris, Chandwadkar, Ashish A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,719,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/726 Reserving resources in multiple paths to be used simultaneously by balancing the load H04L47/125
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/781 Centralised allocation of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• 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 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1031 Controlling of the operation of servers by a load balancer, e.g. adding or removing servers that serve requests

Abstract

A method for loadbalancing in a network environment is provided that includes receiving a request from an end user for a communication session at a central node. The method further includes identifying a selected one of a plurality of network nodes to facilitate the communication session for the end user based on feedback information provided by the selected network node. The feedback information is communicated from the selected network node and processed before making a decision to establish the communication session between the selected network node and the end user.

Claims

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22. An apparatus for loadbalancing in a network environment, comprising:

a loadbalancer operable to receive a request from an end user for a communication session and to identify a selected one of a plurality of network nodes to facilitate the communication session for the end user based on feedback information provided by the selected network node, wherein the feedback information is communicated from the selected network node to the loadbalancer such that the loadbalancer may process the feedback information before making a decision to establish the communication session between the selected network node and the end user, and wherein the feedback information includes a rejection cause and the loadbalancer is operable to determine if the rejection cause is local to the selected network node such that if it is, another network node is selected from the plurality of network nodes.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the loadbalancer includes a first feedback element that is coupled to a second feedback element which is included in the selected network node, the first feedback element being operable to receive the feedback information from the selected network node.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the loadbalancer includes a table operable to store the feedback information associated with the selected network node.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the loadbalancer is operable to reference the table before making a subsequent loadbalancing decision.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the feedback information includes a selected one or more elements from a group of elements consisting of:

a) a quality of service parameter associated with the selected network node;

b) a quantity associated with a number of sessions to be accommodated by the selected network node;

c) an ability of the selected network node to accommodate voice data; and

d) an ability of the selected network node to accommodate video data.

27. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein if there is not another network node to which to assign the request, a connection reject message is generated and sent to the user.

28. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein if the rejection cause is ubiquitous across the plurality of network nodes, the loadbalancer generates a connection reject message for the request.

29. A method for loadbalancing in a network environment, comprising:

receiving a request from an end user for a communication session at a central node; and

identifying a selected one of a plurality of network nodes to facilitate the communication session for the end user based on feedback information provided by the selected network node, wherein the feedback information is communicated from the selected network node and processed before making a decision to establish the communication session between the selected network node and the end user, and wherein the feedback information includes a rejection cause and the loadbalancer is operable to determine if the rejection cause is local to the selected network node such that if it is, another network node is selected from the plurality of network nodes.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the central node includes a first feedback element that is coupled to a second feedback element which is included in the selected network node, the first feedback element being operable to receive the feedback information from the second network node.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the central node includes a table operable to store the feedback information associated with the selected network node.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

generating, if the rejection cause is ubiquitous across the plurality of network nodes, a connection reject message for the request.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the feedback information includes a selected one or more of a group of elements consisting of:

a) a quality of service parameter associated with the selected network node;

b) a quantity associated with a number of sessions to be accommodated by the selected network node;

c) an ability of the selected network node to accommodate voice data; and

d) an ability of the selected network node to accommodate video data.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the central node is an element selected from a group of elements consisting of:

a) a router;

b) a loadbalancer;

c) a switch;

d) a gateway; and

e) bridge.

35. A system for loadbalancing in a network environment, comprising:

means for receiving a request from an end user for a communication session; and

means for identifying a selected one of a plurality of network nodes to facilitate the communication session for the end user based on feedback information provided by the selected network node, wherein the feedback information is communicated from the selected network node and processed before making a decision to establish the communication session between the selected network node and the end user, and wherein the feedback information includes a rejection cause and the loadbalancer is operable to determine if the rejection cause is local to the selected network node such that if it is, another network node is selected from the plurality of network nodes.

36. The system of claim 35, further comprising:

means for providing a table operable to store the feedback information associated with the selected network node.

37. The system of claim 36, further comprising:

means for generating, if the rejecton cause is ubiquitous across the plurality of network nodes, a connection reject message for the request.

38. Software for loadbalancing in a network environment, the software being embodied in a computer readable medium and including code operable to:

receive a request from an end user for a communication session at a central node; and

identify a selected one of a plurality of network nodes to facilitate the communication session for the end user based on feedback information provided by the selected network node, wherein the feedback information is communicated from the selected network node and processed before making a decision to establish the communication session between the selected network node and the end user, and wherein the feedback information includes a rejection cause and the loadbalancer is operable to determine if the rejection cause is local to the selected network node such that if it is, another network node is selected from the plurality of network nodes.

39. The medium of claim 38, wherein the code is further operable to store the feedback information associated with the selected network node in a table.

40. The medium of claim 39, wherein the code is further operable to reference the table before making a subsequent loadbalancing decision.

41. The medium of claim 39, wherein the code is further operable to generate, if the rejection cause is ubiquitous across the plurality of network nodes, a connection reject message for the request.

42. A method for loadbalancing in a network environment, comprising:

receiving a request from an end user for a communication session at a central node;

referencing a table; and

identifying a selected one of a plurality of network nodes to facilitate the communication session for the end user based on previously communicated feedback information associated with the plurality of network nodes, wherein the feedback information is stored in the table and processed by the central node before making a decision to establish the communication session between the selected network node and the end user, and wherein the feedback information includes a rejection cause and the loadbalancer is operable to determine if the rejection cause is local to the selected network node such that if it is, another network node is selected from the plurality of network nodes.

43. A method for enlisting one or more end users in a network environment where loadbalancing occurs, comprising:

enlisting one or more end users in a billing plan associated with network communications;

generating a bill associated with one or more of the end users, the bill being based on the billing plan; and

facilitating network communications for one or more of the end users in response to the end users being enlisted in the billing plan, whereby the network communications includes;

receiving a request from an end user for a communication session at a central node; and

identifying a selected one of a plurality of network nodes to facilitate the communication session for the end user based on feedback information provided by the selected network node, wherein the feedback information is communicated from the selected network node and processed before making a decision to establish the communication session between the selected network node and the end user, and wherein the feedback information includes a rejection cause and the loadbalancer is operable to determine if the rejection cause is local to the selected network node such that if it is, another network node is selected from the plurality of network nodes.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the central node includes a first feedback element that is coupled to a second feedback element which is included in the selected network node, the first feedback element being operable to receive the feedback information from the second network node.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein if the rejection cause is ubiquitous across the plurality of network nodes, the loadbalancer generates a connection reject message for the request.

46. The method of claim 43, wherein if there is not another network node to which to assign the request, a connection reject message is generated and sent to the user.

47. The method of claim 43, wherein the feedback information includes a selected one or more of a group of elements consisting of:

a) a quality of service parameter associated with the selected network node;

b) a quantity associated with a number of sessions to be accommodated by the selected network node;

c) an ability of the selected network node to accommodate voice data; and

d) an ability of the selected network node to accommodate video data.

48. The method of claim 43, wherein the central node is an element selected from a group of elements consisting of:

a) a router;

b) a loadbalancer;

c) a switch;

d) a gateway; and

e) bridge.