Balancing shared servers in virtual environments

• US 7,509,369 B1
• Filed: 11/18/2002
• Issued: 03/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cloudblue LLC
• Original Assignee: Swsoft Holdings, Ltd.
• Inventors: Tormasov, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Donaghue; Larry D
• Assistant Examiner(s): BHATIA, AJAY M
• Application Number:
  US10/298,441
• Time in Patent Office: 2,318 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 718/1
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/505 Clust
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1006 with static server selection, e.g. the same server being selected for a specific client
• 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 67/1014 based on the content of a request

Abstract

A system for organization of a service which provides computer hosting services to users is based on a virtual environment placed at the disposal of each user. The virtual environment is installed at an automated cluster of computers in a data center. Each virtual environment appears as a full service computer to the user.

Claims

1. A system for providing computer hosting services comprising:

a computer cluster including a plurality of physical cluster nodes, each node representing a stand-alone physical computer; and

a plurality of virtual execution environments running on the computer cluster,

wherein each virtual execution environment includes the following operating system components;

a unique administrative root user, a file system, and an IP address,

wherein the plurality of virtual execution environments are aggregated into a plurality of virtual execution environment sets, each set functioning as a server farm and providing services to the remote users, and different virtual execution environment sets provide different types of services to the remote users,

wherein each physical cluster node includes virtual execution environments that belong to different sets, and

wherein the computer cluster provides hosting services to owners of the server farms.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a load balancer for managing the cluster nodes,

wherein the load balancer receives connections from the users and distributes the connections based on any of TCP/IP address, TCP/IP port number, and information obtained from data transmitted by the user.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the load balancer is located at several cluster nodes.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the load balancer is located on a dedicated cluster node.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the load balancer shares the dedicated cluster node with at least one virtual execution environment.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the load balancer uses balancing rules to determine processing requirements and selects a virtual environment for responding to a request for service, and

wherein the request for service is redirected to the selected virtual environment.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein a response to a request for service from a user is processed using load balancing mediation.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the load balancer, when selecting a virtual execution environment for responding to the request for service, uses symmetric balancing, and determines load distribution using balancing rules and information about a current loading of a cluster node.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the balancing rules include any of static and dynamic information,

wherein the static information includes any of TCPIIP address and TCP/IP port number, and

wherein the static information is known prior to the connection.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the dynamic information is determined after connection based on information transmitted by the user, and

wherein the dynamic information depends upon a protocol type.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the dynamic information includes any of DNS name, URL, host field of http protocol request, SMTP/FTP protocol user name, and current workload information.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the load balancer, when selecting a virtual execution environment for responding to the request for service, uses an asymmetric balancing scheme, and determines load distribution using balancing rules and information about a current loading of a cluster node.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual execution environments act as a single logical common shared server that provides at least one service to the users.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein an IP address of each virtual execution environment that supports a hosting service is a public IP address.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein an IP address of each virtual execution environment that supports a hosting service is a private IP address of a virtual execution environment that responds to the request for service through the load balancer.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein an IP address of each virtual execution environment that supports a hosting service is a private IP address of a virtual execution environment that responds to a request for service via dedicated servers.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual execution environments have no dedicated hardware resources.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the different types of services include any of providing GIF files, video files, email, CGI scripts and HTML files.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the different types of services include serving HTTP requests directed to different URLs.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the different types of services include serving FTP requests directed to different URLs.

21. The system of claim 10, wherein the different types of services provided by the server farms include serving user requests directed to different domains.

22. A method for providing computer hosting services comprising:

forming a computer cluster from a plurality of physical cluster nodes, each node representing a stand-alone physical computer; and

running a plurality of virtual execution environments on the computer cluster,

wherein each virtual execution environment includes the following operating system components;

a unique administrative root user, a file system, and an IP address,

wherein the plurality of virtual execution environments are aggregated into a plurality of virtual execution environment sets, each set functioning as a server farm and providing services to the remote users, and different virtual execution environment sets provide different types of services to the remote users,

wherein each physical cluster node includes virtual execution environments that belong to different sets, and

wherein the computer cluster provides hosting services to owners of the server farms.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising activating a load balancer for managing the cluster nodes,

wherein the load balancer receives connections from the users and distributes the connections based on any of TCP/IP address, TCP/IP port number, and information obtained from data transmitted by the user.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the load balancer is located at several cluster nodes.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the load balancer is located on a dedicated cluster node.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the load balancer shares the dedicated cluster node with at least one virtual execution environment.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the load balancer uses balancing rules to determine processing requirements and selects a virtual execution environment for responding to a request for service, and

wherein the request for service is redirected to the selected virtual execution environment.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein a response to the request for service is processed using load balancer mediation.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the load balancer, when selecting a virtual execution environment for responding to the request for service, uses symmetric balancing, and determines load distribution using balancing rules and information about a current loading of a cluster node.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the load balancer, when selecting a virtual execution environment for responding to the request for service, uses an asymmetric balancing scheme, and determines load distribution using balancing rules and information about a current loading of a cluster node.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein the balancing rules include any of static and dynamic information,

wherein the static information includes any of TCP/IP address and TCP/IP port number, and wherein the static information is known prior to the connection.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the dynamic information is determined after connection based on information transmitted by the user, and

wherein the dynamic information depends upon a protocol type.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the dynamic information includes any of DNS name, URL, host field of http protocol request, SMTP/FTP protocol user name, and current workload information.

34. The method of claim 22, wherein the virtual execution environments act as a single logical common shared server that provides at least one service to the users.

35. The method of claim 22, wherein an IP address of each virtual execution environment that supports a hosting service is a public IP address.

36. The method of claim 22, wherein an IP address of each virtual execution environment that supports a hosting service is a private IP address of a virtual execution environment that responds to the request for service through the load balancer.

37. The method of claim 22, wherein an IP address of each virtual execution environment that supports a hosting service is a private IP address of a virtual execution environment that responds to a request for service via dedicated servers.

38. The method of claim 22, wherein the virtual execution environments have no dedicated hardware resources.