DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM TO DETERMINE A SERVER'S HEALTH

• US 20150333988A1
• Filed: 05/16/2014
• Published: 11/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A10 Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: A10 Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Jalan, Rajkumar, Sankar, Swaminathan, Kamat, Gurudeep
• Granted Patent: US 9,906,422 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments for a distributed system for determining a server'"'"'s health are disclosed. The systems and methods provide for a network controller to direct one or more servicing nodes to check the health of one or more servers, and report a health score to the network controller. The network controller may then calculate, update and maintain a health score for each server in the network from the various health scores reported to it from the servicing nodes. This allows a distributed system to be used to facilitate network operations, as a single device is not relied on for periodically determining each server'"'"'s health.

Claims

1. A method for determining, at a network controller, a health score of a server, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a service session from a server;

directing a plurality of servicing nodes to determine a health score of the server;

receiving a health score of the server from each of the plurality of servicing nodes;

calculating an aggregated health score using the received health scores from the plurality of servicing nodes; and

sending the aggregated health score to a servicing node designated to process the service session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the aggregated health score to the servicing node designated to process the service session enables the servicing node to use the aggregated health score to select the server or not to select the server for the service session.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the servicing node designated to process the service session is one of the plurality of servicing nodes, and the aggregated health score conflicts with the health score determined by the servicing node.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the servicing node designated to process the service session does not select the server based on the aggregated health score when the servicing node designated to process the service session would have selected the server if using the health score determined by the servicing node.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the servicing node designated to process the service session is not one of the plurality of servicing nodes that reported a health score to the network controller.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, based on the aggregated health score, the servicing node designated to process the service session does not select the server, when the servicing node would have selected the server without using the aggregated health score.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the aggregated health score is based on a majority of health scores received by the network controller.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the majority of received health scores indicate that the server is in good health, or the majority of received health scores indicate that the server is in poor health.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating is based on an average of the received health scores, or a weighted average of the received health scores.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving one or more updated health scores from at least one of the plurality of servicing nodes;

calculating an updated aggregated health score based on the one or more updated health scores; and

sending the updated aggregated health score to the servicing node designated to process the service session.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the received health scores comprises one or more scores related to connectivity, system resource utilization, number of connections, and load of a service application.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed by one or more processors of a network controller, perform a method for determining a health score of a server, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a service session from a server;

directing a plurality of servicing nodes to determine a health score of the server;

receiving a health score of the server from each of the plurality of servicing nodes;

calculating an aggregated health score using the received health scores from the plurality of servicing nodes; and

sending the aggregated health score to a servicing node designated to process the service session.

13. A system for determining a health score of a server, the system comprising:

a plurality of servicing nodes; and

a network controller configured to;

receive a request for a service session from a server;

direct at least one servicing node to determine a health score of a server;

receive a health score of the server from each of the at least one servicing nodes;

calculate an aggregated health score using the received health scores; and

send the aggregated health score to a servicing node designated the process the service session.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the network controller configured to send the aggregated health score to a servicing node designated to process the service session enables the servicing node to use the aggregated health score to select the server or not select the server for the service session.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the servicing node designated to process the service session is one of the at least one servicing nodes, and the aggregated health score conflicts with the health score determined by the servicing node.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the servicing node designated to process the service session is not one of the at least one servicing nodes that reported a health score to the network controller.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the aggregated health score is based on a majority of health scores received by the network controller.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the aggregated health score is based on an average of the received health scores, or a weighted average of the received health scores.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the network controller is further configured to:

receive one or more updated health scores from the at least one servicing nodes;

calculate an updated aggregated health score based on the one or more updated health scores; and

send the updated aggregated health score to the servicing node designated to process the service session.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the received health scores comprises one or more scores related to connectivity, system resource utilization, number of connections, and load of a service application.