SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING STATIC PROXIMITY IN MULTI-CORE GSLB APPLIANCE

• US 20110153938A1
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Shetty, Anil, Verzunov, Sergey, Suganthi, Josephine
• Granted Patent: US 8,635,367 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/502 Proximity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5083 Techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system

Abstract

The present invention is directed towards systems and methods for providing static proximity load balancing via a multi-core intermediary device. An intermediary device providing global server load balancing identifies a size of a location database comprising static proximity information. The intermediary device stores the location database to an external storage of the intermediary device responsive to determining the size of the location database is greater than a predetermined threshold. A first packet processing engine on the device receives a domain name service request for a first location, determines that proximity information for the first location is not stored in a first memory cache, transmits a request to a second packet processing engine for proximity information of the first location, and transmits a request to the external storage for proximity information of the first location responsive to the second packet processing engine not having the proximity information.

Claims

1. A method of providing static proximity load balancing via a multi-core intermediary device, the method comprising:

(a) identifying, by an intermediary device providing global server load balancing (GSLB), a size of a location database comprising static proximity information, the intermediary device comprising a plurality of packet processing engines, each of the plurality of packet processing engines executing on a corresponding core of a plurality of cores of the intermediary device;

(b) storing, by the intermediary device, the location database to an external storage of the intermediary device responsive to determining the size of the location database is greater than a predetermined threshold;

(c) receiving, by a first packet processing engine of a plurality of packet processing engines operating on a first core of the plurality of cores, a domain name service request for a first location;

(d) determining, by the first packet processing engine, that proximity information for the first location is not stored in a first memory cache of the first packet processing engine;

(e) transmitting, by the first packet processing engine, a request to a second packet processing engine for proximity information of the first location; and

(f) transmitting, by the first packet processing, a request to the external storage for proximity information of the first location responsive to the second packet processing engine not having the proximity information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises determining the size of the location database is greater than a predetermined threshold comprising a predetermined size of memory multiplied by a number of the plurality of packet processing engines.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises determining the size of the location database is greater than a predetermined threshold comprising a selected portion of memory available to the plurality of packet processing engines.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises storing, by the intermediary device, a predetermined portion of the location database into each memory cache of the plurality of packet processing engine.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising storing the same predetermined portion of the location database into each memory cache.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising allocating a selected portion of the location database to each of the plurality of packet processing engines and distributing each selected portion to a corresponding packet processing engine.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (e) further comprises determining, by the first packet processing engine, that the first location was allocated to the second packet processing engine.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (0 further comprises determining, by the second packet processing engine, that the first location is not stored in a second memory cache of the second packet processing engine.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein step (f) further comprising receiving a response from the external storage comprising the proximity information for the first cache.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing, by the first packet processing engine, the proximity information of the first location to the first memory cache and communicating the proximity information of the first location to the second packet processing engine.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising selecting, by the first packet processing engine, a server for the DNS request based on the proximity information.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises establishing a first ending IP address that overlaps with another start IP address.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises determining that the first IP address does not fall within a first start IP address and a first ending IP address of the first packet processing engine.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises determining that the first IP address falls within a second start IP address and a second ending IP address of the second packet processing engine.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises determining by the first packet processing engine that the first IP address is not stored in a memory cache of the first packet processing engine.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein step (f) further comprises storing by the first packet processing engine the proximity information for the first IP address in a memory cache of the first packet processing engine.

12. A method of distributing a location database of static proximity information among a plurality of packet processing engines operating in a multi-core intermediary device, the method comprising:

(a) identifying, by an intermediary device providing global server load balancing (GSLB), an internet protocol (IP) address range of a location database comprising static proximity information, the intermediary device comprising a plurality of packet processing engines, each of the plurality of packet processing engines executing on a corresponding core of a plurality of cores of the intermediary device;

(b) establishing, by the intermediary device, an allocation of a start IP address and an ending IP address in the IP address range for each of the plurality of packet processing engines;

(c) receiving, by a first packet processing engine of a plurality of packet processing engines operating on a first core of the plurality of cores, a domain name service request for a first IP address;

(d) determining, by the first packet processing engine, that the first IP address is allocated to a second packet processing engine of the plurality of packet processing engines;

(e) transmitting, by the first packet processing engine, a request to the second packet processing engine for proximity information of the first IP address; and

(f) determining, by the first packet processing engine, a server for responding to the domain name service request based on the proximity information of the first IP address received from the second packet processing engine.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein step (b) further comprises propagating, by the intermediary device, a load of the location database to each of the plurality of packet processing engines.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising storing, by each of the plurality of packet processing engine, in a memory at least the location information for the start IP range and ending IP range allocated to that packet processing engine.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising storing, by each of the plurality of packet processing engine, in a corresponding cache a portion of the location information allocated to one or more other packet processing engine.