Dynamic allocation of computing tasks by second distributed server set

• US 7,111,300 B1
• Filed: 01/12/2001
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Radhakrishnan, Sanjeev, Salas, Jonathan C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Banankhah, Majid
• Assistant Examiner(s): To, Jennifer N.
• Application Number:
  US09/759,868
• Time in Patent Office: 2,076 Days
• Field of Search: 718 1-108, 709200-244
• US Class Current: 718/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5015 Service provider selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• 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 67/1036 Load balancing of requests to servers for services different from user content provisioning, e.g. load balancing across domain name servers

Abstract

A method for dynamic allocation of computing tasks includes requesting a computing task by a client; receiving the computing task by a first distributor server set; redirecting the computing task to a second distributor server set, the second distributor server set including a first server; and allocating the computing task from the first server to a second server that executes the computing task, where the allocation is based on matching an attribute of the second server to an attribute of the computing task.

Claims

1. A system to allocate a computing task comprising:

a first distributor server set comprising a first plurality of distributor servers;

a second distributor server set comprising a second plurality of distributor servers, wherein the first distributor server set is interposed between a client and the second distributor server set, wherein each of the second plurality of servers comprises a database, wherein at least one of the databases comprises an attribute associated with at least one of a plurality of application servers and a client attribute, wherein the client attributes corresponds to an attribute of the client;

the plurality of application servers, wherein the plurality of application servers is operatively connected to the second distributor server set; and

wherein each of the plurality of distributor servers in the first distributor server set is configured to receive the computing task from the client and redirect the computing task to at least one of the plurality of distributor servers in the second distributor server set,

wherein each of the plurality of distributor servers in the second distributor server set includes functionality to select one of the plurality of application servers to use to execute the computing task,

wherein the computing task is received from the client through a first virtual IP box, wherein the first virtual IP box sequentially redirects the computing task received from the client among the first plurality of distributor servers,

wherein one of the plurality of distributor servers in the second distributor server set sends an Internet Protocol (IP) address to the selected one of plurality of application servers, and

wherein the one of the plurality of application servers is selected using an attribute of the computing task and an attribute associated with at least one of the plurality of application servers,

wherein the client can directly communicate with the selected one of the plurality of application servers using the IP address.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the attribute associated with the at least one of the plurality of application servers is load capacity.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the attribute associated with the at least one of the plurality of application servers is type of application residing on the at least one of the plurality of application servers.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the attribute associated with the at least one of the plurality of application servers is idle computing power.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the attribute associated with the at least one of the plurality of application servers is computing power.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of servers in the second distributor server set comprising a database, wherein the database comprises the attribute associated with at least one of the plurality of application servers.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the database is dynamically updated with a current value of the attribute associated with at least one of the plurality of application servers.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the database further comprises a client attribute, wherein the user attributes corresponds to an attribute of the client.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the database further comprises a computing task attribute, wherein the computing task attribute is associated with the computing task.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein functionality to select one of the plurality of application servers to use to execute the computing task comprises functionality to:

query the database to determine the presence of an application server comprising an application required to service the computing task, wherein the application server corresponds to one of the plurality of application servers.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing task is received from one of the plurality of distributor servers in the second distributor server set through a second virtual IP box, wherein the second virtual IP box sequentially redirects the computing task received by the one of the plurality of distributor servers in the first distributor server set among the plurality of distributor servers in the second distributor server set.

12. A method for dynamic allocation of a computing task comprising:

receiving a computing task by one of a plurality of distributor servers in a first distributor server set from a client, wherein the computing task is received from the client through a first virtual IP box, wherein the first virtual IP box sequentially redirects the computing task received from the client among the plurality of distributor servers in the first distributor server set;

redirecting the computing task to one of a plurality of distributor servers in a second distributor server set from the one of the plurality of distributor servers in the first distributor server set, wherein each of the plurality of servers in the second distributor server set comprises a database, wherein at least one of the databases comprises an attribute associated with at least one of a plurality of application servers and a client attribute, wherein the client attributes corresponds to an attribute of the client;

selecting, by the one of the plurality of distributor servers in the second distributor server set, one of the plurality of application servers to service the computing task using an attribute of the computing task and the attribute associated with at least one of the plurality of application servers; and

forwarding an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the selected one of the plurality of application servers to the client,

wherein the client can directly communicate with the selected one of the plurality of application servers using the IP address.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the database is dynamically updated with a current value of the attribute associated with at least one of the plurality of application servers.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the database is dynamically updated with a current value of the attribute associated with at least one of the plurality of application servers.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the database is updated where response to a triggering event.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the database is updated periodically.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the database is updated using a broadcast message.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the database further comprises a computing task attribute, wherein the computing task attribute is associated with the computing task.