Distributed IP trunking and server clustering for sharing of an IP server address among IP servers

• US 20060129695A1
• Filed: 12/14/2004
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Faibish, Sorin, Jiang, Xiaoye, Ting, Dennis, Sasson, Yehoshoua, Harris, Arthur O.
• Granted Patent: US 7,676,587 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC

Abstract

Network servers in a cluster share the same network protocol address for incoming client requests, and in a data link layer protocol a reply of a client to a request from a server is returned to this same server. For example: (1) ports of the servers are clustered into one single network channel used for incoming and outgoing requests to and from the servers; or (2) ports of the servers are clustered into one single network channel used for incoming requests to the servers and a separate port of each of the servers is used for outgoing requests from each of the servers; or (3) logical ports of the servers are clustered into one network channel used for requests to the servers and a separate logical port of each of the servers is used for outgoing requests from each of the servers.

Claims

1. A data processing system comprising a cluster of servers and a local area network interconnecting the servers for distributing client requests from network clients to the servers, wherein the servers and the local area network are configured so that the servers share a common network protocol address for receipt of the client requests distributed by the local area network from the network clients to the servers, and wherein the servers and the local area network are configured for transmission of a server request by any one of the servers in the cluster to the clients in accordance with a data link layer protocol, and in response to the server request, for transmission of a reply from one of the clients in accordance with the data link layer protocol through the local area network back to said any one of the servers in the cluster.

2. The data processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data link layer protocol is a protocol for determining a local area network address associated with a specified network protocol address.

3. The data processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data link layer protocol is a protocol for sending to a specified network client a new local area network address to be associated with the common network protocol address.

4. The data processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data link layer protocol is a protocol for continuance of communication between a network client and the cluster of servers while the communication is switched between network ports of the cluster.

5. The data processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the local area network includes a switch for interconnecting the network clients to the servers and for distributing the client requests from network clients to the servers in order to balance loading of the client requests upon the servers.

6. The data processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the servers has a common local area network address that is shared among network ports of the servers and that is associated with the common network protocol address for receipt of the client requests distributed by the local area network from the network clients to the servers.

7. The data processing system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the common network protocol address for receipt of the client requests is also a common network protocol address of the servers for transmission of server requests to the clients.

8. The data processing system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the data link layer protocol is an address resolution protocol for use by a server for determining a local area network address of a client specified by a network protocol address.

9. The data processing system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the servers are interconnected and programmed for transmission of a client reply in accordance with the data link layer protocol from any one of the servers to the other servers in the cluster when said any one of the servers receives the client reply in accordance with the data link layer protocol from the common local area network address.

10. The data processing system as claimed in claim 6, wherein each of the servers in the cluster has a respective local area network address that is not shared among the servers in the cluster and that is used for transmission of requests to and receipt of replies from network clients in accordance with the data link layer protocol.

11. The data processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the servers has a respective local area network address that is not shared among the servers in the cluster and that is associated with the common network protocol address for receipt of the client requests distributed by the local area network from the network clients to the servers.

12. The data processing system as claimed in claim 11, wherein each of the servers has a respective port having the respective local area network address that is not shared among the servers in the cluster, and said each of the servers has a respective driver for the respective port, the respective driver being programmed so that the respective local area network address that is not shared among the servers in the cluster is associated with the common network protocol address for receipt of the client requests distributed by the local area network from the network clients to the servers and is associated with a respective network protocol address that is not shared among the servers in the cluster for transmission of requests from said each of the servers to the clients in accordance with the data link layer protocol.

13. The data processing system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the data link layer protocol is a protocol for sending to a specified network client a new local area network address to be associated with the common network protocol address.

14. The data processing system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the servers in the cluster are programmed so that when a client request directed to the common network protocol address in accordance with the data link layer protocol is received by all of the servers in the cluster, only one of the servers in the cluster returns a reply to the client request in accordance with the data link layer protocol.

15. The data processing system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the servers in the cluster are configured so that each server in the cluster returns replies to the client requests in accordance with the data link layer protocol from a respective disjoint group of the clients associated with said each server.

16. The data processing system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the cluster of servers is programmed with a supervisory process for responding to failure of a failed server in the cluster by configuring at least one server in the cluster to return replies to the client requests in accordance with the data link layer protocol from the respective disjoint group of the clients that had been associated with the failed server.

17. The data processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the common network protocol address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address, the servers are data mover computers of a network file server, and the data link layer protocol is the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP).

18. A data processing system comprising a cluster of servers and a switch interconnecting the servers for distributing client requests from network clients to the servers, wherein the servers and the switch are configured so that the servers share a common network protocol address for receipt of the client requests distributed by the switch from the network clients to the servers, wherein each of the servers has a common local area network address that is shared among network ports of the servers and that is associated with the common network protocol address for receipt of the client requests distributed by the switch from the network clients to the servers, and the switch selects a particular one of the servers for receiving each client request to the servers, and wherein the servers and the switch are configured for transmission of a server request by any one of the servers in the cluster through the switch to the clients in accordance with a data link layer protocol, and in response to the server request, for transmission of a reply from one of the clients in accordance with the data link layer protocol through the switch back to said any one of the servers in the cluster.

19. The data processing system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the data link layer protocol is a protocol for determining a local area network address associated with a specified network protocol address.

20. The data processing system as claimed in claim 18, wherein each of the servers in the cluster are interconnected and programmed for transmission of server requests in accordance with the data link layer protocol from the common local area network address to the clients and for reception of replies from the clients in accordance with the data link layer protocol to the common local area network address, and wherein the servers in the cluster are interconnected and programmed for transmission of a client reply in accordance with the data link layer protocol from any one of the servers in the cluster to the other servers in the cluster when said any one of the servers in the cluster receives the client reply in accordance with the data link layer protocol from the common local area network address.

21. The data processing system as claimed in claim 18, wherein each of the servers in the cluster has a respective local area network address that is not shared among the servers in the cluster and that is used for transmission of requests to and receipt of replies from network clients in accordance with the data link layer protocol.

22. The data processing system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the common network protocol address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address, the servers are data mover computers of a network file server, and the data link layer protocol is the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP).

23. A data processing system comprising a cluster of servers and a switch interconnecting the servers for distributing client requests from network clients to the servers, wherein the servers and the switch are configured so that the servers share a common network protocol address for receipt of the client requests distributed by the switch from the network clients to the servers, wherein each of the servers has a respective local area network address that is not shared among network ports of the servers and that is associated with the common network protocol address for receipt of the client requests distributed by the switch from the network clients to the servers, and wherein the servers and the switch are configured for transmission of a server request by any one of the servers in the cluster from the respective local area network address that is not shared among network ports of the servers through the switch to the clients in accordance with a data link layer protocol, and in response to the server request, for transmission of a reply from one of the clients in accordance with the data link layer protocol through the switch back to said any one of the servers in the cluster to the respective local area network address that is not shared among the network ports of the server.

24. The data processing system as claimed in claim 23, wherein each of the servers has a respective port having the respective local area network address that is not shared among the servers in the cluster, said each of the servers has a respective driver for the respective port, and the respective driver is programmed so that the respective local area network address that is not shared among the servers in the cluster is associated with the common network protocol address for receipt of the client requests distributed by the switch from the network clients to the servers and is associated with a respective network protocol address that is not shared among the servers in the cluster for transmission of requests from said each of the servers to the clients in accordance with the data link layer protocol.

25. The data processing system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the data link layer protocol is a protocol for sending to a specified network client a new local area network address to be associated with the common network protocol address.

26. The data processing system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the servers in the cluster are programmed so that when a client request directed to the common network protocol address in accordance with the data link layer protocol is received by all of the servers in the cluster, only one of the servers in the cluster returns a reply to the client request in accordance with the data link layer protocol.

27. The data processing system as claimed in claim 26, wherein the servers in the cluster are configured so that each server in the cluster returns replies to the client requests in accordance with the data link layer protocol from a respective disjoint group of the clients associated with said each server.

28. The data processing system as claimed in claim 27, wherein the cluster of servers is programmed with a supervisory process for responding to failure of a failed server in the cluster by configuring at least one server in the cluster to return replies to the client requests in accordance with the data link layer protocol from the respective disjoint group of the clients that had been associated with the failed server.

29. The data processing system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the common network protocol address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address, the servers are data mover computers of a network file server, and the data link layer protocol is the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP).

30. In a data processing system having a cluster of servers and a local area network interconnecting the servers to network clients for distributing client requests from the network clients to the servers, wherein the servers and the local area network are configured so that the servers share a common network protocol address for receipt of the client requests distributed by the local area network from the network clients to the servers, a method comprising:

transmitting a server request by one of the servers in the cluster to the clients in accordance with a data link layer protocol, and in response to the server request, transmitting a reply from one of the clients in accordance with the data link layer protocol through the local area network back to said one of the servers in the cluster.

31. The method as claimed in claim 30, which includes using the data link layer protocol for determining a local area network address associated with a specified network protocol address.

32. The method as claimed in claim 30, which includes using the data link layer protocol for sending to a specified network client a new local area network address to be associated with the common network protocol address.

33. The method as claimed in claim 30, which includes using the data link layer protocol for continuance of communication between a network client and the cluster of servers while the communication is switched between network ports of the cluster.

34. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the local area network includes a switch interconnecting the network clients to the servers, and the method includes the switch distributing the client requests from network clients to the servers in order to balance loading of the client requests upon the servers.

35. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein each of the servers has a common local area network address that is shared among network ports of the servers and that is associated with the common network protocol address, and the method includes the local area network distributing the client requests from the network clients to the servers at the common local area network address.

36. The method as claimed in claim 35, which includes using the common network protocol address for transmission of server requests to the clients.

37. The method as claimed in claim 35, which includes at least one of the servers using the data link layer protocol for determining a local area network address of a client specified by a network protocol address.

38. The method as claimed in claim 35, which includes a particular one of the servers in the cluster receiving a client reply from the common local area network address in accordance with the data link layer protocol, and in response said particular one of said servers transmitting the client reply to the other servers in the cluster.

39. The method as claimed in claim 35, wherein each of the servers in the cluster has a respective local area network address that is not shared among the servers in the cluster, and the method includes at least one of the servers in the cluster using its respective local area network address that is not shared among the servers in the cluster for transmission of a request to and receipt of a reply from at least one of the network clients in accordance with the data link layer protocol.

40. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein each of the servers has a respective local area network address that is not shared among the servers in the cluster and that is associated with the common network protocol address, the method includes receiving, on the respective local area network addresses that are not shared among the servers in the cluster, the client requests that are distributed by the local area network from the network clients to the servers.

41. The method as claimed in claim 40, which includes using the data link layer protocol for sending to a specified network client a new local area network address to be associated with the common network protocol address.

42. The method as claimed in claim 40, which includes only one of the servers in the cluster returning a reply to a client request in accordance with the data link layer protocol when the client request is directed to the common network protocol address in accordance with the data link layer protocol and is received by all of the servers in the cluster.

43. The method as claimed in claim 42, which includes each server in the cluster returning replies to the client requests in accordance with the data link layer protocol from only a respective disjoint group of the clients associated with said each server.

44. The method as claimed in claim 43, which includes responding to failure of a failed server in the cluster by configuring at least one server in the cluster to return replies to the client requests in accordance with the data link layer protocol from the respective disjoint group of the clients that had been associated with the failed server.

45. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the common network protocol address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address, the servers are data mover computers of a network file server, and the data link layer protocol is the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP).