MULTI-FACTOR OPTIMIZED ROUTING

• US 20090109854A1
• Filed: 10/26/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rajpathak, Vidyanand
• Granted Patent: US 8,699,349 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/238
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/124 using a combination of metrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• 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 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer

Abstract

A multi-factor optimized routing can select a computing device, from among multiple computing devices associated with a domain, to receive communications and thereby optimize one or more factors associated with such communications. Such multi-factor optimized routing can likewise specify a particular route, such as through the specification of one or more sub-networks. A performance monitoring system, comprising a performance monitoring framework that can support service-specific performance monitors can collect performance data to be used in the selection of a multi-factor optimized route. Additional data can be collected from other sources and the multi-factor optimized routing can be provided to a name resolution and routing system to ultimately route communications in an optimized manner.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions for determining a multi-factor optimized network routing, the computer-executable instructions directed to steps comprising:

obtaining performance data regarding network-centric services being provided by multiple computing devices associated with a domain;

obtaining economic data associated with communications to the multiple computing devices associated with the domain;

obtaining a specification of one or more factors from among optimizable factors that are to be optimized, the optimizable factors comprising performance of the network-centric services and economic factors associated with the economic data;

selecting one or more computing devices from among the multiple computing devices associated with the domain to receive communications directed to the domain, such that a route taken by the communications would optimize the one or more specified factors; and

providing routing information specifying the selected one or more computing devices.

2. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the performance data regarding network-centric services comprises executing one or more performance monitors in accordance with registered options, the one or more performance monitors each monitoring an aspect of the network-centric services.

3. The computer-readable media of claim 2, wherein the executing the one or more performance monitors is performed in a periodic manner specified in the registered options.

4. The computer-readable media of claim 1 comprising further computer-executable instructions directed to identifying a change in a state of a network-centric service based on the obtained performance data and storing the identified change in a database.

5. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the routing information accounts for time-varying factors from among the specified one or more factors by limiting a determined routing to a determined time period.

6. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the economic data associated with communications to the multiple computing devices comprises geo-political-based costs.

7. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the economic data associated with communications to the multiple computing devices comprises load balancing.

8. A system for determining a multi-factor optimized network routing, the system comprising:

one or more performance monitors that monitor network-centric services being provided by multiple computing devices associated with a domain;

a performance monitoring framework that executes the performance monitors;

a database comprising performance monitoring data regarding the network-centric services and economic data associated with communications to the multiple computing devices associated with the domain; and

a decision system that references the database, selects one or more computing devices among the multiple computing devices to receive communications directed to the domain, such that a route taken by the communications would optimize the one or more specified factors, and provides routing information specifying the selected one or more computing devices.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the specified factors are specified from among factors determined by the performance monitoring data and the economic data associated with communications to the multiple computing devices.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the performance monitoring framework comprises one or more registered options for each of the performance monitors specifying how the performance monitors are to be executed by the performance monitoring framework.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the routing information accounts for time-varying factors from among the one or more specified factors by limiting a determined routing to a determined time period.

12. The system of claim 8 further comprising a performance monitoring system that receives performance information from the performance monitoring framework, determines if a state of the network-centric services has changed, and, if the state of the network-centric service has changed, updates the performance monitoring data in the database.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the economic data associated with communications to the multiple computing devices comprises load balancing.

14. A method determining a multi-factor optimized network routing comprising the steps of:

obtaining performance data regarding network-centric services being provided by multiple computing devices associated with a domain;

obtaining economic data associated with communications to the multiple computing devices associated with the domain;

obtaining a specification of one or more factors from among optimizable factors that are to be optimized, the optimizable factors comprising performance of the network-centric services and economic factors associated with the economic data;

selecting one or more computing devices from among the multiple computing devices associated with the domain to receive communications directed to the domain, such that a route taken by the communications would optimize the one or more specified factors; and

providing routing information specifying the selected one or more computing devices.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the obtaining the performance data regarding network-centric services comprises executing one or more performance monitors in accordance with registered options, the one or more performance monitors each monitoring an aspect of the network-centric services.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the executing the one or more performance monitors is performed in a periodic manner specified in the registered options.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising the steps of:

identifying a change in a state of a network-centric service based on the obtained performance data; and

storing the identified change in a database.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the routing information accounts for time-varying factors from among the specified one or more factors by limiting a determined routing to a determined time period.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the economic data associated with communications to the multiple computing devices comprises geo-political-based costs.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the economic data associated with communications to the multiple computing devices comprises load balancing.