Method and apparatus for balancing processing requests among a plurality of servers based on measurable characteristics off network node and common application

• US 5,915,095 A
• Filed: 08/08/1995
• Issued: 06/22/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation (NCR Voyix Corporation)
• Inventors: Miskowiec, Norman L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Harold J.
• Application Number:
  US08/512,738
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: 364/280, 364/281.3, 364/284.4, 395/200.01, 395/200.03, 395/200.09, 395/610, 395/680, 395/200.53, 395/200.33, 395/200.36, 395/200.57, 395/200.48, 395/675, 370/255
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5021 Priority
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• 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

Abstract

Apparatus and methods are provided for balancing a plurality of received processing requests among a plurality of servers of a processing system network. At least a subset of the processing requests are received from one or more of a plurality of network nodes of the processing system network. Storage means are provided for storing one or more measurable characteristics for at least each of a first server and a second server, both of which are operative to run a common application. A control circuit is also provided and is operative to receive a processing request to run the common application from a particular network node. The control circuit is further operative, in response to the processing request, to allocate either the first and/or the second server to run the common application as a function of the one or more measurable characteristics.

Claims

1. An apparatus for balancing a plurality of received processing requests among a plurality of servers of a processing system network, said processing system network further including at least one network node, said apparatus comprising:

a plurality of communication ports, wherein a subset of said plurality of communication ports are in operative communication with at least a first server, a second server and a first network node;

storage means for storing one or more measurable characteristics for at least each of said first server and said second server, wherein at least each of said first server and said second server are operative to run a plurality of common applications, said one or more measurable characteristics comprising network node measurable characteristics related to a number of network nodes being serviced by each of said first server and said second server and common application measurable characteristics related to a number of network nodes requesting each of said plurality of common applications; and

a control circuit operative to receive a first processing request to run a selected one of said plurality of common applications from said first network node and, in response to said processing request, to determine which of said first server and said second server are capable of running said selected common application as a function of said network node measurable characteristics and said common application measurable characteristics and to select at least one of said first server and said second server to run said selected common application, said selection causing said selected at least one of said first server and said second server to run said selected common application.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said storage means is further operative to store a plurality of processing instructions and said control circuit comprises a processing unit operative to retrieve and execute at least a subset of said plurality of processing instructions from said storage means, said subset of processing instructions directing said control circuit to allocate at least one of said first server and said second server to run said selected common application.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first network node is one of a processing system, a local area network and a wide area network.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least one of said one or more stored measurable characteristics is selected from the group consisting of server processing capacity, server remaining processing capacity, server memory capacity, server remaining memory capacity, server capacity, server priority, server on/off, current network nodes servicing, current common application requests servicing, and application priority.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least one of said one or more measurable characteristics is stored in said storage means using a subset of a plurality of linked list data cells.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein said control circuit further comprises means for traversing ones of said subset of linked list data cells to retrieve said one or more linked measurable characteristics.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said control circuit is further operative to receive a signal indicating that said selected at least one of said first and second server is unavailable to run said selected common application, and, in response to said received signal, to select at least one of said first server and said second server to run said selected common application as a function of said one or more measurable characteristics.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said control circuit is further operative, in response to said first processing request, to select at least one of said first server and said second server as a function of at least one of balancing ones of said plurality of processing requests among ones of said plurality of servers and overall server response time.

9. A method for balancing a plurality of received processing requests among a plurality of servers of a processing system network, said processing system network further including at least one network node, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first processing request to run a selected common application from a first network node, wherein at least each one of a first server and a second server is operative to run a plurality of common applications;

in response to said first processing request, determining which of said first server and said second server are capable of running said selected common application as a function of one or more measurable characteristics, said one or more measurable characteristics comprising network node measurable characteristics related to a number of network nodes being serviced by each of said first server and said second server and common application measurable characteristics related to a number of network nodes requesting each of said plurality of common applications; and

selecting at least one of said first server and said second server to run said selected common application, said step of selecting causing said selected at least one of said first server and said second server to run said selected common application.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9 further comprising the step of storing one or more of said plurality of measurable characteristics for at least a subset of said plurality of servers.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10 further comprising the step of retrieving said subset of said plurality of measurable characteristics.

12. The method as set forth in claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of processing instructions; and

retrieving and executing at least a subset of said plurality of stored processing instructions to allocate at least one of said first server and said second server to run said selected common application.

13. The method as set forth in claim 9 wherein at least one of said plurality of stored measurable characteristics is selected from the group consisting of server processing capacity, server remaining processing capacity, server memory capacity, server remaining memory capacity, server capacity, server priority, server on/off, current network nodes servicing, current application requests servicing, and application priority.

14. The method as set forth in claim 9 further comprising the step of utilizing a subset of a plurality of linked list data cells to store at least one of said plurality of stored measurable characteristics.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14 further comprising the step of traversing ones of said subset of linked list data cells to retrieve at least one of said subset of linked measurable characteristics.

16. The method as set forth in claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

receiving a signal indicating that at least one of said selected at least one of said first server and said second server is unavailable to run said selected common application; and

selecting, in response to said received signal, at least one of said first server and said second server to run said selected common application as a function of at least one of said measurable characteristics.

17. The method as set forth in claim 9 further comprising the step of selecting, in response to said first processing request, at least one of said first server and said second server as a function of at least one of balancing ones of said plurality of processing requests among ones of said plurality of servers and overall server response time.

18. An apparatus for balancing a plurality of processing requests among a plurality of servers, said plurality of processing requests received from a plurality of network nodes, said apparatus comprising:

storage means for storing one or more measurable characteristics for at least a subset of said plurality of servers, wherein at least a first server and a second server are members of said subset and are operative to run a selected one of a plurality of common applications, and wherein said one or more stored measurable characteristics comprises network node measurable characteristics related to a number of network nodes being serviced by each of said first server and said second server and common application measurable characteristics related to a number of network nodes requesting each of said plurality of common applications; and

processing means for determining, in response to a first processing request, which of said first server and said second server are capable of running said selected common application as a function of said one or more measurable characteristics and selecting at least one of said first server and said second server to run said selected common application, said selection causing said selected at least one of said first server and said second server to run said selected common application.

19. The apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein said processing means further includes means for receiving a first request to run said selected common application.

20. The apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein said processing means is further operative to direct said selected at least one of said first server and said second server to run said selected common application.

21. The apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein said storage means is further operative to store a plurality of processing instructions and said processing means is further operative to retrieve and execute a subset of said plurality of processing instructions from said storage means, said subset of processing instructions directing said processing means to select at least one of said first server and said second server to run said selected common application.

22. The apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein at least a subset of said plurality of network nodes is one of a processing system, a local area network and a wide area network.

23. The apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein at least one of said one or more measurable characteristics is stored in said storage means using a plurality of linked list data cells.

24. The apparatus as set forth in claim 23 wherein said processing means includes means for traversing said subset of said plurality of linked list data cells to retrieve said one or more linked measurable characteristics.

25. The apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein said processing means further comprises:

means for receiving a signal indicating that said selected at least one of said first server and said second server is unavailable to run said selected common application; and

means, responsive to said received signal, for selecting at least one of said first server and said second server to run said selected common application as a function of said one or more measurable characteristics.

26. The apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein said processing means is further operative, in response to said first processing request, to select at least one of said first server and said second server as a further function of at least one of balancing ones of said plurality of processing requests among ones of said plurality of servers and overall server response time.