Network Appliance

• US 20080183854A1
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aventail LLC
• Original Assignee: Aventail LLC
• Inventors: Erickson, Rodger D., Brooke, John, Tomlinson, Gary B., Burdge, Jonathan, Brown, Derek W., Hopen, Chris A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,438,254 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2007 using redundant communication media
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/121 by minimising delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• 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 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1017 based on a round robin mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 Reaction to server failures by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1038 Load balancing arrangements to avoid a single path through a load balancer

Abstract

A network appliance is described that can provide a variety of software services, including both platform services, such as access method services, and a load balancing service. A network may include a network appliance that both provides one or more platform services and acts as a load balancer. When two or more such appliances are used together, they can replace a substantial portion of a conventional network. For example, when a network appliance receives a client communication, its load balancer service can determine whether one of its own platform services will process the communication or forward the communication to another network appliance for processing. Moreover, if the load balancing service of a network appliance fails, another network appliance can provide load balancing. Similarly, if another service of a network appliance fails, then the network appliance may continue to provide load balancing but forward communications requiring the failed service to another network appliance for processing.

Claims

1. A network appliance, comprising:

at least one platform service;

a load balancing process that performs load balancing on communications received by the network appliance; and

a service monitoring process that monitors a status of the at least one platform service using interprocess communications.

2-25. -25. (canceled)