Server module for modularly designed server

• US 7,143,183 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2001
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Nie, Xiaoning
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M.
• Application Number:
  US09/817,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20010034794A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,072 Days
• Field of Search: 709/238, 709/240, 709/242, 709/232, 709200-203, 709217-227, 370/389, 370/392, 370355-356, 370/397, 370/399, 370/409, 370/395.31
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/70 Routing based on monitoring results
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1012 based on compliance of requirements or conditions with available server resources

Abstract

A server module for a modularly designed server (1) having at least one data processing unit (17) for data processing data packets, at least one addressable communication interface (19) for connecting the server module (2, 3, 4, 5) to an external network (13) via which the data packets are transmitted, a switching interface (20) for connecting the server module (2, 3, 4, 5) to a switching device (7) of the modularly designed server (1); and having a routing calculation unit (18) for calculating a server module address using a routing table on the basis of the utilization level of the data processing units of all the server modules (2, 3, 4, 5) of the modularly designed server (1).

Claims

1. A modularly designed server having a plurality of server modules, each server module of said plurality of server modules comprising:

at least one data processor that data processes a data packet;

at least one addressable communication interface that connects said server module to a first local network via which the data packet is transmittable; and

a switching interface that connects said server module to a switching device of the modularly designed server to forward the data packet received by the at least one addressable communication interface to a second server module of the modularly designed server connected to a second local network, said switching interface including a routing calculator that calculates an internal server module address using a routing table based upon a utilization level of data processors of said plurality of server modules of the modularly designed server, such that forwarding of the data packet requires no independent router;

wherein one server module of the plurality of server modules is provided as a routing server module that periodically updates the routing table in accordance with evaluated utilization data of other server modules, the routing server module transmitting a current routing table to the other server modules.

2. The modularly designed server of claim 1, wherein the at least one data processor of the server module processes data packets of a particular prescribed application type.

3. The modularly designed server of claim 2, wherein the data packet contains information of a particular prescribed application type, the server module address being calculated in accordance with the particular prescribed application type of the transmitted data packet.

4. The modularly designed server of claim 1, wherein said at least one addressable communication interface includes a buffer that temporarily stores a transmitted data packet.

5. The modularly designed server of claim 1, wherein said server module transmits the current routing table to the other server modules near the switching interface.

6. The modularly designed server of claim 5, wherein said server module collects and evaluates data relating to the utilization level of the data processors of all server modules of the modularly designed server.

7. The modularly designed server of claim 6, wherein the server module further updates the routing table on the basis of assigned application types of the other server modules and priority information data for the transmitted data packet.

8. The modularly designed server of claim 1, wherein a data processing process executed within one server module is transmitted to data processors of other server modules when the utilization level of the data processor of a particular server module exceeds a predetermined level.

9. The modularly designed server of claim 1, wherein each server module of said plurality of sever modules are connected together via an internal data bus.

10. The modularly designed server of claim 1, wherein each server module of said plurality of sever modules are connected together via a data line.