System and Method for Distributing Application Traffic to Servers Based on Dynamic Service Response Time

• US 20120144015A1
• Filed: 12/02/2010
• Published: 06/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A10 Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: A10 Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Jalan, Rajkumar, Szeto, Ronald Wai Lun, Xu, Feilong
• Granted Patent: US 9,609,052 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/55 Testing of service level quality, e.g. simulating service usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2475 for supporting traffic characterised by the type of applications
• 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 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements

Abstract

A service gateway processes a service request received from a host by: relaying the service request from the service gateway to a server over a service session between the service gateway and the server; determining a service request time for the service session; receiving by the service gateway a service response from the server; determining by the service gateway a service response time; calculating by the service gateway a service processing time for the service request from the service request time and the service response time; comparing the service processing time with an expected service processing time; and updating a server busy indicator for the server in response to the comparing. If the service processing time exceeds the expected service processing time, the server busy indicator is updated to indicate that the server is busy. Otherwise, the server busy indicator is updated to indicate that the server is not busy.

Claims

1. A method for processing a service request received from a host, comprising:

(a) relaying the service request from a service gateway to a server over a service session between the service gateway and the server;

(b) determining by the service gateway a service request time for the service session;

(c) receiving by the service gateway a service response from the server;

(d) determining by the service gateway a service response time;

(e) calculating by the service gateway a service processing time for the service request from the service request time and the service response time;

(f) comparing the service processing time with an expected service processing time; and

(g) updating a server busy indicator for the server in response to the comparing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating (g) comprises:

(g1) in response to determining that the service processing time exceeds the expected service processing time, updating the server busy indicator by the service gateway to indicate that the server is busy; and

(g2) in response to determining that the service processing time does not exceed the expected service processing time, updating the server busy indicator by the service gateway to indicate that the server is not busy.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating (e) comprises:

(e1) calculating by the service gateway the service processing time for the service request as a duration between the service request time and the service response time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the service response comprises an error indication, wherein the service gateway does not calculate the service processing time if the error indication indicates an error.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparing (f) comprises:

(f1) configuring the expected service processing time by the service gateway according to a service attribute of the service request or the server.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the expected service processing time is associated with the service attribute and stored in a datastore, wherein the configuring (f1) comprises:

(f1i) comparing by the service gateway the service request or the server with the service attribute in the datastore; and

(f1ii) if the service request or the server matches the service attribute in the datastore, retrieving the expected service processing time associated with the matching service attribute.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the comparing (f) further comprises:

(f2) calculating an adjusted expected service processing time based on the service processing times of previous service sessions between the secure gateway and the server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the relaying (a) comprises:

(a1) receiving the service request from the host by the service gateway;

(a2) checking the server busy indicator for the server by the service gateway;

(a3) in response to determining that the server busy indicator indicates that the server is busy, placing the service request in a service request buffer by the service gateway; and

(a4) in response to determining that the server busy indicator indicates that the server is not busy, relaying the service request from the service gateway to the server over the service session between the service gateway and the server.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the relaying (a4) comprises:

(a4i) checking if the service request buffer is empty by the service gateway;

(a4ii) in response to determining that the service request buffer is empty, relaying the service request from the service gateway to the server over the service session between the service gateway and the server; and

(a4iii) in response to determining that the service request buffer is not empty, placing the service request in the service request buffer by the service gateway.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the placing (a3) comprises:

(a3i) determining by the service gateway if a timer at the service gateway has expired; and

(a3ii) in response to determining that the timer has expired, relaying the service request from the service gateway to the server over the service session between the service gateway and the server.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the service request is associated with a priority, wherein the server request buffer is configured to store service requests associated with the priority, wherein the placing (a3) comprises:

(a3i) placing the service request in the service request buffer by the service gateway; and

(a3ii) relaying the service request in the service request buffer from the service gateway to the server according to the associated priority.

12. A computer program product for processing a service request received from a host, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code configured to;

relay the service request from a service gateway to a server over a service session between the service gateway and the server;

determine a service request time for the service session;

receive a service response from the server;

determine a service response time;

calculate a service processing time for the service request from the service request time and the service response time;

compare the service processing time with an expected service processing time; and

update a server busy indicator for the server in response to the comparing.

13. The product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program code configured to update the server busy indicator for the server in response to the comparing is further configured to:

in response to determining that the service processing time exceeds the expected service processing time, update the server busy indicator to indicate that the server is busy; and

in response to determining that the service processing time does not exceed the expected service processing time, update the server busy indicator to indicate that the server is not busy.

14. The product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program code configured to calculate the service processing time for the service request from the service request time and the service response time is further configured to:

calculate the service processing time for the service request as a duration between the service request time and the service response time.

15. The product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program code configured to compare the service processing time with the expected service processing time is further configured to:

configure the expected service processing time according to a service attribute of the service request or the server.

16. The product of claim 15, wherein expected service processing time is associated with the service attribute and stored in a datastore, wherein the computer readable program code configured to configure the expected service processing time according to a service attribute of the service request or the server is further configured to:

compare the service request or the server with the service attribute in the datastore; and

if the service request or the server matches the service attribute in the datastore, retrieve the expected service processing time associated with the matching service attribute.

17. The product of claim 15, wherein the computer readable program code configured to compare the service processing time with the expected service processing time is further configured to:

calculate an adjusted expected service processing time based on the service processing times of previous service sessions between the secure gateway and the server.

18. The product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program code configured to relay the service request from the service gateway to the server over the service session between the service gateway and the server is further configured to:

receive the service request from the host;

check the server busy indicator for the server;

in response to determining that the server busy indicator indicates that the server is busy, place the service request in a service request buffer; and

in response to determining that the server busy indicator indicates that the server is not busy, relay the service request from the service gateway to the server over the service session between the service gateway and the server.

19. The product of claim 18, wherein the computer readable program code configured to relay the service request from the service gateway to the server over the service session between the service gateway and the server in response to determining that the server busy indicator indicates that the server is not busy is further configured to:

check if the service request buffer is empty;

in response to determining that the service request buffer is empty, relay the service request from the service gateway to the server over the service session between the service gateway and the server; and

in response to determining that the service request buffer is not empty, place the service request in the service request buffer.

20. The product of claim 18, wherein the computer readable program configured to place the service request in the service request buffer in response to determining that the server busy indicator indicates that the server is busy is further configured to:

determine if a timer at the service gateway has expired; and

in response to determining that the timer has expired, relay the service request from the service gateway to the server over the service session between the service gateway and the server.

21. The product of claim 18, wherein the service request is associated with a priority, wherein the server request buffer is configured to store service requests associated with the priority, wherein the computer readable program configured to place the service request in the service request buffer in response to determining that the server busy indicator indicates that the server is busy is further configured to:

place the service request in the service request buffer; and

relaying the service request in the service request buffer from the service gateway to the server according to the associated priority.

22. A system, comprising:

a server for processing service requests; and

a service gateway comprising a processor and a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, wherein when the computer readable program code is executed by the processor, causes the service gateway to;

relay the service request to the server over a service session between the service gateway and the server;

determine a service request time for the service session;

receive a service response from the server;

determine a service response time;

calculate a service processing time for the service request from the service request time and the service response time;

compare the service processing time with an expected service processing time; and

update a server busy indicator for the server in response to the comparing.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the update the server busy indicator for the server in response to the comparing comprises:

in response to determining that the service processing time exceeds the expected service processing time, update the server busy indicator to indicate that the server is busy; and

in response to determining that the service processing time does not exceed the expected service processing time, update the server busy indicator to indicate that the server is not busy.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the compare the service processing time with the expected service processing time comprises:

configure the expected service processing time according to a service attribute of the service request or the server.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein expected service processing time is associated with the service attribute and stored in a datastore, wherein the configure the expected service processing time according to a service attribute of the service request or the server comprises:

compare the service request or the server with the service attribute in the datastore; and

if the service request or the server matches the service attribute in the datastore, retrieve the expected service processing time associated with the matching service attribute.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the compare the service processing time with the expected service processing time comprises:

calculate an adjusted expected service processing time based on the service processing times of previous service sessions between the secure gateway and the server.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein the relay the service request from the service gateway to the server over the service session between the service gateway and the server comprises:

receive the service request from the host;

check the server busy indicator for the server;

in response to determining that the server busy indicator indicates that the server is busy, place the service request in a service request buffer; and

in response to determining that the server busy indicator indicates that the server is not busy, relay the service request from the service gateway to the server over the service session between the service gateway and the server.