System and method for loadbalancing in a network environment using feedback information

• US 7,020,090 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2004
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Iyer, Jayaraman R., O'Rourke, Chris, Chandwadkar, Ashish A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phan, Tri H.
• Application Number:
  US10/873,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20050281205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/236, 370/468
• US Class Current: 370/249
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/726 Reserving resources in multiple paths to be used simultaneously by balancing the load H04L47/125
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/781 Centralised allocation of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/801 Real time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/822 Collecting or measuring resource availability data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• 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 67/1029 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

Abstract

A method for loadbalancing in a network environment is provided that includes receiving a request from an end user for a communication session at a central node. The method further includes identifying a selected one of a plurality of network nodes to facilitate the communication session for the end user based on feedback information provided by the selected network node. The feedback information is communicated from the selected network node and processed before making a decision to establish the communication session between the selected network node and the end user.

Claims

1. An apparatus for loadbalancing in a network environment, comprising:

a loadbalancer operable to receive a request from an end user for a communication session and to identify a selected one of a plurality of network nodes to facilitate the communication session for the end user based on feedback information provided by the selected network node, wherein the feedback information is communicated from the selected network node to the loadbalancer such that the loadbalancer process the feedback information before making a decision to establish the communication session between the selected network node and the end user, wherein the selected network node is operable to communicate with an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server before returning the feedback information to the loadbalancer, and wherein the AAA server provide resource information to the selected network node, which can use the resource information in order to determine if it can accommodate the communication session.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the loadbalancer includes a first feedback element that is coupled to a second feedback element which is included in the selected network node, the first feedback element being operable to receive the feedback information from the selected network node.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the loadbalancer includes a table operable to store the feedback information associated with the selected network node.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the loadbalancer is operable to reference the table before making a subsequent loadbalancing decision.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feedback information includes a selected one or more elements from a group of elements consisting of:

a) a quality of service parameter associated with the selected network node;

b) a quantity associated with a number of sessions to be accommodated by the selected network node;

c) an ability of the selected network node to accommodate voice data; and

d) an ability of the selected network node to accommodate video data.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the AAA server is operable to communicate with a database that includes the resource information which is provided in one or more profiles associated with the end user.

7. A method for loadbalancing in a network environment, comprising:

receiving a request from an end user for a communication session at a central node; and

identifying a selected one of a plurality of network nodes to facilitate the communication session for the end user based on feedback information provided by the selected network node, wherein the feedback information is communicated from the selected network node and processed before making a decision to establish the communication session between the selected network node and the end user, wherein the selected network node is operable to communicate with an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server before returning the feedback information, and wherein the AAA server provide resource information to the selected network node, which can use the resource information in order to determine if it can accommodate the communication session.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the central node includes a first feedback element that is coupled to a second feedback element which is included in the selected network node, the first feedback element being operable to receive the feedback information from the selected network node.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the central node includes a table operable to store the feedback information associated with the selected network node.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

referencing the table before making a subsequent loadbalancing decision.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the feedback information includes a selected one or more of a group of elements consisting of:

a) a quality of service parameter associated with the selected network node;

b) a quantity associated with a number of sessions to be accommodated by the selected network node;

c) an ability of the selected network node to accommodate voice data; and

d) an ability of the selected network node to accommodate video data.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the central node is an element selected from a group of elements consisting of:

a) a router;

b) a loadbalancer;

c) a switch;

d) a gateway; and

e) bridge.

13. A system for loadbalancing in a network environment, comprising:

means for receiving a request from an end user for a communication session; and

means for identifying a selected one of a plurality of network nodes to facilitate the communication session for the end user based on feedback information provided by the selected network node, wherein the feedback information is communicated from the selected network node and processed before making a decision to establish the communication session between the selected network node and the end user, wherein the selected network node is operable to communicate with an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server before returning the feedback information, and wherein the AAA server provide resource information to the selected network node, which can use the resource information in order to determine if it can accommodate the communication session.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

means for providing a table operable to store the feedback information associated with the selected network node.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

means for referencing the table before making a subsequent loadbalancing decision.

16. Software for loadbalancing in a network environment, the software being embodied in a computer readable medium and including code operable to:

receive a request from an end user for a communication session at a central node; and

identify a selected one of a plurality of network nodes to facilitate the communication session for the end user based on feedback information provided by the selected network node, wherein the feedback information is communicated from the selected network node and processed before making a decision to establish the communication session between the selected network node and the end user, wherein the selected network node is operable to communicate with an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server before returning the feedback information, and wherein the AAA server provide resource information to the selected network node, which can use the resource information in order to determine if it can accommodate the communication session.

17. The medium of claim 16, wherein the code is further operable to store the feedback information associated with the selected network node in a table.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein the code is further operable to reference the table before making a subsequent loadbalancing decision.

19. A method for loadbalancing in a network environment, comprising:

receiving a request from an end user for a communication session at a central node;

referencing a table; and

identifying a selected one of a plurality of network nodes to facilitate the communication session for the end user based on previously communicated feedback information associated with the plurality of network nodes, wherein the feedback information is stored in the table and processed by the central node before making a decision to establish the communication session between the selected network node and the end user, wherein the selected network node is operable to communicate with an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server before returning the feedback information, and wherein the AAA server provide resource information to the selected network node, which can use the resource information in order to determine if it can accommodate the communication session.