Method and apparatus for maintaining connection state between a connection manager and a failover device

• US 6,366,558 B1
• Filed: 06/30/1998
• Issued: 04/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kersey, Edward C., Jordan, James A., Foss, Andrew L., Leblanc, William M., Wong, Bruce F., Howes, Richard A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marcelo, Melvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEHRA, INDER P
• Application Number:
  US09/107,261
• Time in Patent Office: 1,372 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/254, 370/410, 370/475, 370/219, 370/220, 370/389, 370/392, 370/401, 370/402, 370/403, 370/404, 370/397, 370/399, 370/400, 709/100, 709/104, 709/105, 709/106, 709/201, 709/219, 709/220, 709/221, 709/223, 709/224, 709/227, 709/229, 709/231, 713/100
• US Class Current: 370/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2005 using redundant communication controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/04 for network, e.g. LAN connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 31/005 Intermediate parts for distributing signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/74 for increasing reliability, e.g. using redundant or spare channels or apparatus replacing by standby devices for amplifiers H03F1/52, H03F1/542
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/663 Transport layer addresses, e.g. aspects of transmission control protocol [TCP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] ports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2517 using port numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1031 Controlling of the operation of servers by a load balancer, e.g. adding or removing servers that serve requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 Reaction to server failures by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for maintaining the state of a virtual connection supported by an active connection manager on a standby connection manager. The method includes configuring the standby connection manager to include a physical machine object that stores a physical IP address of a physical machine that is available to the active connection manager and a virtual machine object that stores a virtual IP address of a virtual machine that is implemented on the connection manager. A replication packet is received at the standby connection manager from the active connection manager wherein the replication packet includes a foreign IP address, the virtual IP address and the physical IP address. A standby connection object is stored in the connection manager. The standby connection object includes the foreign IP address, the virtual IP address and the physical IP address from the replication packet on the standby connection manager.

Claims

1. A fault tolerant connection manager system comprising:

an active connection manager that implements a virtual machine on a physical machine by translating destination IP addresses of incoming packets that have a packet source address that matches a designated foreign IP address and a packet destination address that matches a designated virtual IP address into a designated physical IP address;

a standby configuration connection that transfers configuration information about the virtual machine and the physical machine from the active connection manager to a standby connection manager; and

the standby connection manager configured to implement the virtual machine on the physical machine, the standby connection manager including a standby connection object that includes the designated foreign IP address, the designated virtual IP address and the designated physical IP address from the replication packet on the standby connection manager.

2. A fault tolerant connection manager system as recited in claim 1, a fault tolerant connection manager system including:

wherein the active connection manager is configured to send the standby connection manager a replication packet and the replication packet includes the designated foreign IP address, the designated virtual IP address and the designated physical IP address.

3. A fault tolerant connection manager system comprising:

means for an active connection manager that implements a virtual machine on a physical machine by translating destination IP addresses of incoming packets that have a packet source address that matches a designated foreign IP address and a packet destination address that matches a designated virtual IP address into a designated physical IP address;

means for a standby configuration connection that transfers configuration information about the virtual machine and the physical machine from the active connection manager to the standby connection manager; and

means for a standby connection manager configured to implement the virtual machine on the physical machine, the standby connection manager including a standby connection object that includes the designated foreign IP address, the designated virtual IP address and the designated physical IP address from the replication packet on the standby connection manager.

4. A method for fault tolerant connection manager comprising:

implementing a virtual machine on a physical machine by translating destination IP addresses of incoming packets that have a packet source address that matches a designated foreign IP address and a packet destination address that matches a designated virtual IP address into a designated physical IP address, wherein the implementation is performed by an active connection manager;

transferring configuration information about the virtual machine and the physical machine from the active connection manager to a standby connection manager, wherein the transfer is performed by a standby configuration connection;

implementing the virtual machine on the physical machine by the standby connection manager, the standby connection manager including a standby connection object that includes the designated foreign IP address, the designated virtual IP address and the designated physical IP address from the replication packet on the standby connection manager.

5. A computer program product for a fault tolerant connection manager comprising:

computer code implementing a virtual machine on a physical machine by translating destination IP addresses of incoming packets that have a packet source address that matches a designated foreign IP address and a packet destination address that matches a designated virtual IP address into a designated physical IP address, wherein the implementation is performed by an active connection manager;

computer code transferring configuration information about the virtual machine and the physical machine from the active connection manager to a standby connection manager, wherein the transfer is performed by a standby configuration connection;

computer code implementing the virtual machine on the physical machine by the standby connection manager, the standby connection manager including a standby connection object that includes the designated foreign IP address, the designated virtual IP address and the designated physical IP address from the replication packet on the standby connection manager; and

a computer readable medium that stores the computer codes.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the computer readable medium is selected from the group consisting of CD-ROM, floppy disk, tape, flash memory, system memory, hard drive, and data signal embodied in a carrier wave.