Method and apparatus for portraying a cluster of computer systems as having a single internet protocol image

• US 6,370,583 B1
• Filed: 08/17/1998
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Monks, Stuart, Fishler, Leonard, Zargham, Bahman
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDELMAN, BRADLEY E
• Application Number:
  US09/136,008
• Time in Patent Office: 1,331 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/238, 709/245, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10015 Access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. using brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1027 Persistence of sessions during load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and apparatus for presenting the multiple processors of a cluster as a single virtual host to a network wherein the processors are communicatively coupled among themselves and to a network interface. The network interface is communicatively coupled to the network. One of the processors is designated a primary parallel I/O processor. One address is advertised on said network for said multiple processors, and filter trees in the network interface direct the interface to forward packets from the network addressed to that address to the primary parallel I/O processor. Later, the filter tree is modified to direct the network interface to forward a specific subset of the packets directly to a particular processor.

Claims

1. A method of directly routing network packets with headers to destination processors in a cluster of processors, wherein the cluster is connected to a network by one or more network adapters, said method comprising the steps of:

assigning a selected network address to the cluster;

configuring a network adapter to direct all network traffic addressed to said selected network address to a primary management process running on a first processor in said cluster;

listening at a second processor in said cluster to a selected port;

informing the primary management process that the second processor is listening to the selected port;

causing a network monitor process running on said second processor to configure said adapter to route packets attempting to connect with said selected port to a queue in said second processor;

processing, at said second processor, a packet from a client, having a client network address, the packet requesting a connection between a connection port pair including said selected port and a designated port on the client;

causing said network monitor process running on said second processor, to modify said network adapter to test source and destination network addresses and a port pair in packet;

if the source and destination network address match the selected and client network address and the port pair matches the selected and designated ports, routing the packet directly from the network adapter to the queue at the second processor without inter-processor copying; and

otherwise, routing the packet directly from the network adapter to the primary management process.

2. A method for presenting a plurality of processors as a single virtual host to a network having at least one client connected thereto, the method comprising the steps of:

communicatively coupling the plurality of processors to the network by means of a network adapter;

establishing on the network one network address for the plurality of processors;

designating a first processor to run a primary management process;

registering a filter in the network adapter to cause all packets containing the one network address to be sent to the first processor;

causing a second processor to listen on a selected port and to so inform the primary management process;

designating the second processor to run a monitor process that registers a filter in the network adapter to cause packets from a particular client connected to the network containing the selected port to be sent to the second processor;

receiving a packet having a network address and client port from the particular client and requesting a connection to the selected port at the second processor; and

upon receiving the request packet, causing the monitor process on the second processor to register one or more filters in the network adapter that cause only packets containing the one network address, the selected port, the client network address and the client port to be thereafter sent to the selected port on the second processor.

3. A method for presenting a plurality of processors as a single virtual host as recited in claim 2,

wherein the step of causing the second processor to listen on a selected port includes setting up a queue in the second processor to receive packets bound for the selected port; and

wherein the step of designating the second processor includes causing the filter that sends packets to the second processor to send the packet to the queue in the second processor.

4. A method for presenting a plurality of processors as a single virtual host as recited in claim 2,

wherein packets directed to the one network address and received by the network adapter are fragmented;

and

further comprising;

receiving and storing all of the fragments of each said packet at the network adapter;

assembling the fragments in the network adapter to re-form said packet; and

sending, according to the filters in the network adapter, said packet from the network adapter to a destination processor in the plurality of processors.

5. A method for presenting a plurality of processors as a single virtual host as recited in claim 2,

wherein packets directed to the one network address and received by the network adapter each include a first fragment and subsequent fragments;

and

further comprising;

receiving said first packet fragment at the network adapter;

routing said first packet fragment to a destination processor in the plurality of processors, according to the filters in the network adapter;

creating an additional filter in the network adapter based on said first packet fragment; and

routing, according to the additional filter, said subsequent packet fragments to said destination processor based on the additional filter.

6. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for directly routing network packets with headers to destination processors in a cluster of processors, wherein the cluster is connected to a network by one or more network adapters, the computer readable program code means in said computer program product comprising;

computer readable code means for assigning a selected network address to the cluster;

computer readable code means for configuring a network adapter to direct all network traffic addressed to said selected network address to a primary management process running on a first processor in said cluster;

computer readable code means for listening at a second processor in said cluster to a selected port;

computer readable code means for informing the primary management process that the second processor is listening to the selected port;

computer readable code means for causing a network monitor process running on said second processor to configure said adapter to route packets attempting to connect with said selected port to a queue in said second processor;

computer readable code means for processing, at said second processor, a packet from a client, having a client network address, the packet requesting a connection between a connection port pair including said selected port and a designated port on the client;

computer readable code means for causing said network monitor process running on said second processor, to modify said network adapter to test source and destination network addresses and a port pair in packet;

computer readable code means for routing the packet directly from the network adapter to the queue at the second processor without inter-processor copying, if the source and destination network address match the selected and client network address and the port pair matches the selected and designated ports; and

computer readable code means for routing the packet directly from the network adapter to the primary management process, otherwise.

7. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for presenting a plurality of processors as a single virtual host to a network having at least one client connected thereto, the plurality of processors being communicatively coupled to the network by means of a network adapter, the computer readable program code means in said computer program product comprising;

computer readable code means for establishing on the network one network address for the plurality of processors;

computer readable code means for designating a first processor to run a primary management process;

computer readable code means for registering a filter in the network adapter to cause all packets containing the one network address to be sent to the first processor;

computer readable code means for causing a second processor to listen on a selected port and to so inform the primary management process;

computer readable code means for designating the second processor to run a monitor process that registers a filter in the network adapter to cause packets from a particular client connected to the network containing the selected port to be sent to the second processor;

computer readable code means for receiving a packet having a network address and client port from the particular client and requesting a connection to the selected port at the second processor; and

computer readable code means for causing, upon receiving the request packet, the monitor process on the second processor to register one or more filters in the network adapter that cause only packets containing the one network address, the selected port, the client network address and the client port to be thereafter sent to the selected port on the second processor.

8. A system for communication with a client on a network, comprising:

a plurality of processors grouped as a cluster; and

a network adapter configured to connect said plurality of processors to said network, and to route network packets with headers that include a selected network address to said cluster;

wherein a first processor in said plurality is configured to;

assign a selected network address to the cluster;

configure a network adapter to direct all network traffic addressed to said selected network address to a primary management process running on said first processor; and

wherein a second processor in said plurality is configured to;

listen to a selected port;

inform the primary management process that said second processor is listening to the selected port;

cause a network monitor process running on said second processor to configure said adapter to route packets attempting to connect with said selected port to a queue in said second processor;

process a packet from a client, having a client network address, the packet requesting a connection between a connection port pair including said selected port and a designated port on the client;

cause said network monitor process, to modify said network adapter to test source and destination network addresses and a port pair in packet;

route the packet directly from the network adapter to the queue at the second processor without inter-processor copying, if the source and destination network address match the selected and client network address and the port pair matches the selected and designated ports; and

route the packet directly from the network adapter to the primary management process, otherwise.

9. A system for communication with a client on a network, comprising:

a plurality of processors grouped as a cluster; and

a network adapter configured to connect said plurality of processors to said network, and to route network packets with headers that include a selected network address to said cluster;

wherein a first processor in said plurality is configured to;

establish on the network one network address for the plurality of processors;

run a primary management process;

register a filter in said network adapter to cause all packets containing the one network address to be sent to said first processor; and

wherein a second processor in said plurality is configured to;

listen on a selected port and to so inform the primary management process;

run a monitor process that registers a filter in said network adapter to cause packets from a particular client connected to the network containing the selected port to be sent to said second processor;

receive a packet having a network address and client port from the particular client and requesting a connection to the selected port at said second processor; and

register, upon receiving the request packet, one or more filters in said network adapter that cause only packets containing the one network address, the selected port, the client network address and the client port to be thereafter sent to the selected port on said second processor.