Scalable server architecture based on asymmetric 3-way TCP

• US 7,483,967 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2004
• Issued: 01/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SynKloud Technologies, LLC (SY Ventures)
• Original Assignee: Ximeta Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Kim, Han-Gyoo
• Primary Examiner(s): Jacobs, LaShonda T
• Application Number:
  US10/829,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20060155805A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,741 Days
• Field of Search: 709/230, 709/203, 709/238, 709/227, 709/223, 709/224, 370/392, 370/401, 370/466, 370/469
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A server architecture based on asymmetric 3-way TCP (ATCP) is disclosed that can distribute the work among multiple processors. In particular, the server system has a front-end server receiving a service request from a client. The server system also has a back-end server that receives a command from the front-end server. The back-end server sends the result back directly to the client in a pseudo packet that looks like a packet sent from the front-end server. The pseudo packet has the IP address and the port number of the front-end server. A scalable system is achieved because the bottleneck through the front-end server is avoided.

Claims

1. A server system for processing a service request from a client in a network processing environment, comprising:

a front-end server for receiving a service request from the client and for generating a data link frame containing a service command necessary to perform the service request; and

at least one back-end server connected to the front-end server through a data link, without establishing a transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) connection, for executing the service command in the data link frame received from the front-end server through the data link and for sending a result of the service command to the client bypassing the front-end server in a pseudo packet that would be recognized by the client as a packet originating from the front-end server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said pseudo packet contains an IP address and a port number corresponding to the front-end server.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said pseudo packet is a pseudo TCP packet containing a TCP header.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said pseudo packet is a pseudo user datagram protocol (UDP) packet containing a UDP header.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the front-end server is a database (DB) server.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the front-end server is a file server.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the front-end server is a mail server.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the front-end server is a printer server.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the front-end server is a firewall server.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the back-end server further comprises:

a state machine for controlling packet generation and transmission;

a command decoder for decoding a command received from the front-end server;

a pseudo packetizer for assembling said pseudo packets;

a network interface card (NIC) controller for controlling an NIC;

a disk controller for controlling a disk;

a compact disk (CD) controller for controlling an output from a CD; and

a memory controller for controlling memory.

11. An asymmetric 3-way TCP system for processing a service request from a client in a network processing environment, comprising:

a client issuing a service request;

a front-end server for receiving the service request from the client and for generating a data link frame containing a service command necessary to perform the service request; and

at least one back-end server connected to the front-end server, without establishing a TCP/IP connection, through a data link for receiving the service command contained in the data link frame from the front-end server through the data link and for sending a result of the service command to the client bypassing the front-end server in a packet containing a TCP header and an IP header that would be recognized by the client as a TCP packet originating from the front-end server, without modifying a port number included in the packet, wherein the port number is expected by the client.

12. An asymmetric 3-way UDP system for processing a service request from a client in a network processing environment, comprising:

a client issuing a service request;

a front-end server for receiving the service request from the client and for generating a data link frame containing a service command necessary to perform the service request; and

at least one back-end server connected to the front-end server through a data link, without establishing a TCP/IP connection, for receiving the service command contained in the data link frame from the front-end server through the data link frame and for sending a result of the service command to the client bypassing the front-end server in a packet containing a UDP header and an IP header that would be recognized by the client as a UDP packet originating from the front-end server.

13. A method for processing a service request from a client in a network processing environment, comprising the steps of:

receiving a service request from the client by a front-end server;

generating a data link frame containing a command necessary to perform the service request to a back-end server connected to the front-end server, without establishing a TCP/IP connection, through a data link;

executing the command contained in the data link frame received through the data link by the back-end server;

assembling, by the back-end server, a pseudo packet bearing a result of the command that would look like a packet originating from the front-end server; and

sending the pseudo packet by the back-end server to the client bypassing the front-end server.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said pseudo packet is a pseudo TCP packet containing a TCP header.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said pseudo packet is a pseudo UDP packet containing a UDP header.

16. A computer-readable medium containing a computer program which can be run in a computer to perform the steps of:

receiving a service request from a client;

generating, by the front-end server, a command necessary to perform the service request and sending the command to a back-end server connected to the front-end server, without establishing a TCP/IP connection, through a data link;

executing the command by the back-end server;

assembling a pseudo packet bearing a result of the command that would look like a packet originating from the front-end server by the back-end server; and

sending the pseudo packet by the back-end server to the client bypassing the front-end server.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein said pseudo packet is a pseudo TCP packet containing a TCP header.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein said pseudo packet is a pseudo UDP packet containing a UDP header.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the medium is a CD.