Replicated server discovery in client-proxy servers

• US 6,795,434 B1
• Filed: 11/18/1998
• Issued: 09/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Krishnamurthy, Lakshman, Keany, Bernard N., Bakshi, Sanjay, Kumar, Harlharan
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, BRENDA H
• Application Number:
  US09/195,344
• Time in Patent Office: 2,134 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230, 370/233, 370/234, 370/235, 370/252, 370/389, 370/393, 370/471, 370/474, 370/392, 370/395.42, 709/203, 709/105, 709/219, 709/226
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• 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 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1038 Load balancing arrangements to avoid a single path through a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

A replicated server discovery (“RSD”) provides optimal or best-replicated servers to Web users without users'"'"' intervention. In one embodiment, the RSD is configured to receive server addresses using Domain Name System (“DNS”) lookup, where the server addresses include replicated server addresses. The RSD further records responses from servers addressed by the server addresses and then sorts the server addresses according to the responses and data types involved in transactions.

Claims

1. A method for network communication comprising:

receiving server addresses;

requesting network transactions using said server addresses;

receiving responses of said network transactions;

recording responses of said network transactions using said server addresses;

sorting said server addresses according to said responses and data types used in said network transactions lo establish a prioritized list of said server addresses for the future network transactions; and

deleting said server addresses from said prioritized list if said server addresses are unavailable.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving server addresses further includes identifying replicated server addresses.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising using DNS lookup to obtain said server addresses.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein sorting further includes indicating an optimal server address from the prioritized list of said server addresses for the future transactions.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing a sorted server addresses in a memory, wherein said sorted server addresses are used for identifying an optimal server.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising retrieving said server addresses, wherein one of said server addresses is an optimal server.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating status for said server addresses.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising discovering said responses by performing replicated server discovery (“

RSD”

) metrics.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein performing metrics include performing any one of Ping, Traceroute, Opening a connection to port 80 metrics, measure actual file transfer rate, and classify transfer rate by file type.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein performing metrics further includes performing a combination of any one of Ping, Traceroute, Opening a connection to port 80 metrics, measure actual file transfer rate, and classify transfer rate by file type.

11. An apparatus for network communication comprising:

means for receiving server addresses;

means for requesting network transactions using said server addresses;

means for receiving responses of said network transactions;

means for recording responses of said network transactions using said server addresses;

means for sorting said server addresses according to said responses and data types used in said network transactions to establish a prioritized list of said server addresses for the future network transactions; and

means for deleting said server addresses from said prioritized list if said server addresses are unavailable.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said receiving server addresses further includes means for identifying replicated server addresses.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 further includes means for using DNS lookup to obtain said server addresses.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said sorting further comprising means for indicating an optimal server address from the prioritized list of said server addresses for the future transactions.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising means for storing a sorted server addresses in a memory, wherein said sorted server addresses is used for identifying an optimal server.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising means for retrieving said server addresses, wherein one of said server addresses is an optimal server.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising means for updating status of said server addresses.

18. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising means for identifying said responses by performing replicated server discovery (“

RSD”

) metrics.

19. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a replicated server discovery (“

RSD”

) coupled to said processor, said RSD configured to select an optimal server by retrieving a server address from a prioritized list of server addresses, wherein said server addresses include replicated server addresses, and said RSD configured to delete said server address from the prioritized list if said server address is unavailable.

20. The system of claim 19 further comprising a database for storing said server addresses.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein said RSD is further configured to sort said prioritized list in response to server response times.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein said RSD is further configured to use DNS lookup to obtain said server addresses.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein said RSD is further configured to update said prioritized list.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein said RSD is further configured to record responses from servers addressed by said server addresses.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein said RSD is further configured to use RSD metrics to obtain responses from servers addressed by said server addresses.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein said RSD metrics include any one of Ping, Traceroute, Opening a connection to port 80, measure actual file transfer rate, and classify transfer rate by file type.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein said RSD metrics include a combination of any one of Ping, Traceroute, Opening a connection to port 80, measure actual file transfer rate, and classify transfer rate by file type.

28. An article of manufacture for use in a computer system for improving data transfer in communication networks, the article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in the medium, the program code comprising:

code for receiving server addresses;

code for recording responses of network transactions using said server addresses;

code for sorting said server addresses according to said responses and data types used in said network transactions to establish a prioritized list of said server addresses for the future network transactions; and

code for deleting said server addresses from said prioritized list when said server addresses are unavailable.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 28, wherein said receiving server addresses further comprising means embodied in the computer usable medium for causing a computer to discover replicated server addresses.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 28 further comprising means embodied in the computer usable medium for causing a computer to use DNS lookup to obtain said server addresses.

31. The article of manufacture of claim 28 further comprising means embodied in the computer usable medium for causing a computer to retrieve an optimal server address.

32. The article of manufacture of claim 28 further comprising means embodied in the computer usable medium for causing a computer to perform RSD metrics to obtain responses from servers addressed by said server addresses.

33. The article of manufacture of claim 28 further comprising means embodied in the computer usable medium for causing a computer to sort said server addresses in response to said responses.

34. The article of manufacture of claim 28 further comprising means embodied in the computer usable medium for causing a computer to prioritize said server addresses according to said responses.