SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DYNAMIC DECENTRALIZED LOAD BALANCING ACROSS MULTIPLE SITES

• US 20080043622A1
• Filed: 08/21/2006
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Raja, Murali, Shetty, Anil, Kamath, Sandeep, Verzunov, Sergey, Suganthi, Josephine
• Granted Patent: US 8,141,164 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0805 by checking availability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• 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 67/1012 based on compliance of requirements or conditions with available server resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer

Abstract

A method for enabling decentralized dynamic load balancing among a plurality of appliances providing access to a plurality of sites, each site comprising a local area network and at least one server includes: determining, by a first appliance, a first number of services currently available for access via a local area network connected to the first appliance; receiving, by the first appliance from a second appliance, a communication indicating a second number of services currently available for access via a local area network connected to the second appliance; receiving, by the first appliance, a plurality of requests to connect to a service; determining, by the first appliance, a weight to be assigned to the second appliance, wherein the determination is responsive to the second number; and forwarding, by the first appliance to the second appliance, a subset of the plurality of requests, wherein the number of requests comprising the subset is determined in response to the determined weight. Corresponding systems are also described.

Claims

1. A method for enabling decentralized dynamic load balancing among a plurality of appliances providing access to a plurality of sites, each site comprising a local area network and at least one server, the method comprising:

(a) determining, by a first appliance, a first number of services currently available for access via a local area network connected to the first appliance;

(b) receiving, by the first appliance from a second appliance, a communication indicating a second number of services currently available for access via a local area network connected to the second appliance;

(c) receiving, by the first appliance, a plurality of requests to connect to a service;

(d) determining, by the first appliance, a weight to be assigned to the second appliance, wherein the determination is responsive to the second number; and

(e) forwarding, by the first appliance to the second appliance, a subset of the plurality of requests, wherein the number of requests comprising the subset is determined in response to the determined weight.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises determining, by a first appliance at a regular interval, a first number of services currently available for access via a local area network connected to the first appliance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises receiving, by the first appliance from a second appliance, a communication indicating a second number, the second number comprising a sum of weights of services currently available for access via a local area network connected to the second appliance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises receiving, by the first appliance from a plurality of appliances, a plurality of communications, wherein each communication indicates a number of services currently available for access via a local area network connected to one of the plurality of appliances.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

transmitting, by the first appliance to the second appliance, a communication indicating the first number of services currently available for access via a local area network connected to the first appliance

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises receiving, by the first appliance from a plurality of appliances, a plurality of communications, wherein each communication indicates a number comprising a sum of weights of services currently available for access via a local area network connected to one of the plurality of appliances.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises receiving at regular intervals, by the first appliance from a second appliance, a communication indicating a second number of services currently available for access via a local area network connected to the second appliance;

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) comprises determining, by the first appliance, a weight to be assigned to the second appliance, wherein the weight is determined in response to the ratio of the second number to the first number.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) comprises determining, by the first appliance, a weight to be assigned to the second appliance, wherein the weight is determined in response to the ratio of the second number to the first number and at least one number received from a third appliance.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) comprises determining, by the first appliance, a weight to be assigned to the second appliance, wherein the determination is responsive to the second number.

11. A computer implemented system for enabling decentralized dynamic load balancing among a plurality of appliances providing access to a plurality of sites, each site comprising a local area network and at least one service, the system comprising:

a first appliance which determines a first number of services currently available for access via a local area network connected to the first appliance;

receives, from a second appliance, a communication indicating a second number of services currently available for access via a local area network connected to the second appliance;

receives a plurality of requests to connect to a service;

determines a weight to be assigned to the second appliance, wherein the determination is responsive to the second number; and

forwards, to the second appliance, a subset of the plurality of requests, wherein the number of requests comprising the subset is determined in response to the determined weight.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the first appliance determines, at a regular interval, a first number of services currently available for access via a local area network connected to the first appliance.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the first appliance receives, from a second appliance, a communication indicating a second number, the second number comprising a sum of weights of services currently available for access via a local area network connected to the second appliance.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the first appliance receives, from a plurality of appliances, a plurality of communications, wherein each communication indicates a number of services currently available for access via a local area network connected to one of the plurality of appliances.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the first appliance transmits, to the second appliance, a communication indicating the first number of services currently available for access via a local area network connected to the first appliance

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the first appliance receives, from a plurality of appliances, a plurality of communications, wherein each communication indicates a number comprising a sum of weights of services currently available for access via a local area network connected to one of the plurality of appliances.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the first appliance receives at regular intervals, from a second appliance, a communication indicating a second number of services currently available for access via a local area network connected to the second appliance;

18. The system of claim 11 wherein the first appliance determines a weight to be assigned to the second appliance, wherein the weight is determined in response to the ratio of the second number to the first number.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein the first appliance determines a weight to be assigned to the second appliance, wherein the weight is determined in response to the ratio of the second number to the first number and at least one number received from a third appliance.

20. The system of claim 11 wherein the first appliance determines a weight to be assigned to the second appliance, wherein the determination is responsive to the second number.