Load balancing in a distributed computer enterprise environment

• US 6,581,104 B1
• Filed: 10/01/1996
• Issued: 06/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bereiter, Thomas William
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, THONG H
• Application Number:
  US08/724,662
• Time in Patent Office: 2,450 Days
• Field of Search: 395/650, 395/750, 395/200.53, 395/200, 370/60, 370/234, 370/395, 370/232, 370/235, 370/253, 370/389, 370/227, 709/224, 709/219, 709/203, 709/201, 709/229, 709/232, 709/200, 709/105, 709/213, 709/233, 703/21, 705/9
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13164 Traffic (registration, measurement,...)
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13166 Fault prevention
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13349 Network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13376 Information service, downloading of information, 0800/0900 services
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/62 for connecting to private branch exchanges

Abstract

A method of balancing loads during data distribution in a managed network environment wherein at least one gateway machine services a plurality of endpoints. System management tasks include data distributions, which are normally initiated at the gateway and distributed to all managed endpoints. Load balancing is achieved by setting a load parameter for each subnet of each network path between the gateway machine and an endpoint machine serviced thereby. The load parameter is selectable and identifies an amount of network bandwidth that may be used by a particular data distribution over the segment. Prior to initiating a distribution, the effective load that a given subnet will “see” when the operation begins is then calculated. If that effective load for any subnet exceeds that subnet'"'"'s respective load parameter, the data distribution rate is altered for the overall network path. This technique effectively balances network loads and makes more efficient use of resources.

Claims

1. A method of regulating data distribution in a managed network environment managed by a management server servicing a set of gateways, each of which services a set of endpoints, comprising the steps of:

for each subnet of each network path between a gateway and an endpoint, setting a load parameter identifying an amount of network transmission capacity that may be consumed by a particular data distribution over that subnet;

in response to a method invocation that initiates a data distribution from the gateway, determining an effective transmission load for each subnet affected by the data distribution; and

if the effective transmission load in a given subnet is greater than the load parameter for the given subnet, altering a characteristic of the data distribution.

2. The method of regulating data distribution as described in claim 1 wherein the characteristic is the rate at which data is distributed in the path.

3. The method as described in claim 2 wherein the rate of data distribution is reduced when the effective transmission load exceeds the load parameter.

4. The method as described in claim 3 wherein the rate of data distribution is reduced by inserting delays in data transmission from the gateway to the endpoint along the network path.

5. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the step of setting a load parameter is performed in the gateway.

6. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the step of determining the effective transmission load is carried out before the data distribution is initiated.

7. A method of regulating data distribution in a managed network environment having a source node that distributes data to a set of endpoints, comprising the steps of:

(a) for each subnet of each network path between the source node and an endpoint, setting a load parameter identifying an amount of network transmission bandwidth that may be consumed by a particular data distribution over that subnet;

(b) prior to initiating a data distribution from the source node, determining an effective transmission load for each subnet that is affected by the data distribution;

(c) determining whether the effective transmission load in any subnet that is affected by the data distribution exceeds the load parameter for that subnet; and

(d) if the effective transmission load in any subnet exceeds the load parameter for that subnet, altering a characteristic of the data distribution.

8. The method as described in claim 7 wherein the data distribution is altered by inserting one or more delays in the rate at which data is transmitted over the affected network path from the gateway.

9. The method as described in claim 7 further including the step of repeating steps (b)-(d) for a new data distribution.

10. A computer connectable into a large distributed enterprise having a source node that manages endpoints over one or more network paths each having one or more subnets, the computer comprising:

a processor;

an operating system; and

a load balancing mechanism comprising;

means for setting a load parameter identifying an amount of network transmission bandwidth that may be consumed by a particular data distribution over each subnet of at least one network path;

means responsive to invocation of a write operation for calculating an effective transmission load in each subnet affected by the write operation; and

means for determining whether the effective transmission load in any subnet affected by the write operation is greater than the load parameter for that subnet and, in response thereto, altering a characteristic of a data distribution.

11. The computer as described in claim 10 wherein the characteristic is the rate at which data is distributed along the network path.

12. The computer as described in claim 11 wherein the means for altering reduces the rate at which data is distributed when the effective transmission load in any subnet affected by the write operation exceeds the load parameter for that subnet.

13. The computer as described in claim 12 further including an interface means for setting the load parameter.

14. The computer as described in claim 10 further including a threads mechanism run by the operating system for executing multiple execution threads.

15. The computer as described in claim 14 wherein process control for each network path controlled by the load balancing mechanism is provided by one of the multiple execution threads.

16. A computer program product for use in a computer having a processor, a memory and means for connecting the computer into a large distributed enterprise wherein computing resources are organized into one or more managed regions, each region being managed by a management server servicing one or more gateway machines, each gateway machine servicing a plurality of endpoint machines, the computer program product comprising:

means for setting a load parameter identifying an amount of network transmission bandwidth that may be consumed by a particular data distribution over a given subnet of a network path between a gateway and an endpoint;

means responsive to invocation of a write operation for calculating an effective transmission load in each subnet affected by the write operation; and

means for determining whether the effective transmission load in any subnet affected by the write operation has a predetermined relationship to the load parameter for that subnet and, in response thereto, altering a characteristic of a data distribution.