Distributed IP trunking and server clustering for sharing of an IP server address among IP servers
First Claim
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.
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Accused Products
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.
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Citations
45 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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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. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
Specification