Load Balancing for SIP Services
First Claim
1. A method for balancing a processing load between a plurality of SIP server instances, a SIP server instance being mapped to a SIP process by a load balancer such that messages relating to the SIP process are passed between a communicating device and the SIP server instance, a SIP server instance actively processing, in use, a number of SIP processes, the method comprising:
- maintaining, at the load balancer, a data structure mapping one or more SIP processes to a SIP server instance from the plurality of SIP server instances;
receiving, at the load balancer, state data for a set of SIP processes from the SIP server instance, the state data indicating one or more states of said SIP processes on the SIP server instance; and
updating, at the load balancer, the data structure based on the received state data, including using said state data to remove SIP processes from the data structure that have an inactive state.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods of operating an SIP load balancer, one or more SIP server nodes and/or one or more SIP server instances are provided that efficiently manage a processing load. Configurations for an SIP load balancer, one or more SIP server nodes and/or one or more SIP server instances to enable efficient management of a processing load are also described. In certain ones of these, state data for a set of SIP processes may be sent from a SIP server instance and used by a SIP load balancer to remove inactive SIP processes from a data structure. The management of a processing load comprising a number of SIP processes following the failure of a SIP server node and/or a SIP server instance is also provided.
9 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method for balancing a processing load between a plurality of SIP server instances, a SIP server instance being mapped to a SIP process by a load balancer such that messages relating to the SIP process are passed between a communicating device and the SIP server instance, a SIP server instance actively processing, in use, a number of SIP processes, the method comprising:
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maintaining, at the load balancer, a data structure mapping one or more SIP processes to a SIP server instance from the plurality of SIP server instances; receiving, at the load balancer, state data for a set of SIP processes from the SIP server instance, the state data indicating one or more states of said SIP processes on the SIP server instance; and updating, at the load balancer, the data structure based on the received state data, including using said state data to remove SIP processes from the data structure that have an inactive state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An apparatus for balancing a processing load between a plurality of SIP server instances, a SIP server instance actively processing a number of SIP processes, the apparatus comprising:
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a data structure for mapping one or more SIP processes to at least one of the plurality of SIP server instances; an interface for receiving state data for a set of SIP processes from said at least one SIP server instance, the state data indicating one or more states of said SIP processes on said at least one SIP server instance; and an update manager for updating the data structure based on received state data, the update manager being arranged to use said state data to remove SIP processes from the data structure that have an inactive state. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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11. A method for communicating with a SIP load balancer, the method being performed by a SIP server instance that is arranged to receive one or more SIP messages from a communicating device, the one or more SIP messages forming part of a SIP process assigned to the SIP server instance by the SIP load balancer, the method comprising:
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determining whether a SIP processing update is required; if a SIP processing update is required, generating state data for a set of SIP processes, the state data indicating one or more states of SIP processes being processed by the SIP server instance; and sending said state data to the SIP load balancer. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. An apparatus for handling SIP messages comprising:
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a first interface for receiving one or more SIP messages from a communicating device; a processing component arranged to handle said received messages as part of a SIP process; a second interface for sending state data for a set SIP processes to a load balancer, the state data indicating a state of said SIP processes on said apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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Specification