System, method and apparatus for network service load and reliability management

• US 6,760,775 B1
• Filed: 03/06/2000
• Issued: 07/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Anerousis, Nikolaos, Hjalmtysson, Gisli
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Application Number:
  US09/519,468
• Time in Patent Office: 1,583 Days
• Field of Search: 709/229, 709/235, 709/236, 709/238, 709/240, 709/243, 709/105, 370/389
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• 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 67/01 Protocols
• 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 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and system that enables a network and components of the network to be aware of the services existing at the edges of the network and to route connection requests for these services to appropriate servers within the network based on a variety of criteria. By making the network and network components service-aware, routing functions can be implemented in a more scalable and efficient way.

Claims

1. A system for state failure and recovery, the system comprising:

at least one first router that performs routing of data packets based on an address associated with the data packets and a first routing policy for routing data packets based on a service associated with the data packets;

a plurality of host servers providing the service associated with the data packets; and

a plurality of tunnels coupling the at least one first router and the plurality of host servers, respectively,

wherein, a flow state corresponding to an application-level state at a terminal originating the data packets is maintained at the at least one first router for each data flow of data packets to direct the data flow of data packets into a selected tunnel from among the plurality of tunnels to a selected host server from among the plurality of host servers so as to maintain consistency at the application level such that packets destined for the originating terminal from the host server do not have to travel through the at least one first router.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the flow state also corresponds to an application level state at the selected server.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the flow state is maintained by the at least one first router recreating the flow state in an alternative first router.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the flow state is maintained by the at least one first router switching the routing of the data packets to an alternative first router that includes identical routing policy information relating to how data packets are routed as is included in the at least one first router.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the flow state is maintained by including routing policy information relating to how data packets are routed at a plurality of first routers that are coupled to a terminal originating the data packets and, if data packets are sent to an alternative first router of the plurality of first routers, the alternative first router routes the data packets to the at least one first router that routes the data packets to the selected host server.

6. A method for state failure and recovery, the method comprising:

receiving data packets at a first router from an originating terminal, the data packets including information about a service associated with the data packets;

selecting a host server to which the data packets are routed based on an address associated with the data packets and a first routing policy for routing data packets based on the service associated with the data packets;

routing the received data packets from the first router to the selected host server via an associated tunnel; and

maintaining a flow state corresponding to an application-level state at the terminal originating the data packets at the first router for each data flow of data packets to direct the data flow of data packets into the tunnel associated with the host server so as to maintain consistency at the application level such that packets destined for the originating terminal from the host server do not have to travel through the at least one first router.

7. A network in which tunneling of data packets associated with a particular service is performed using arbitrary policies to route the data packets from an originating terminal generating at least a portion of the data packets to a host server providing the particular service, the network comprising:

at least one router that receives the data packets from the originating terminal through a first tunnel and routes the received data packets to a server providing the particular service through a second tunnel wherein packets destined for the originating terminal from the host server do not have to travel through the at least one router.

8. The network of claim 7, wherein the arbitrary policies are based on a load, cost or proximity metric.