Method and system for establishing a data structure of a connection with a client

• US 7,512,686 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2001
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cloudrock LLC (Slingshot Technologies LLC)
• Original Assignee: Noatak Software LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Berg, Mitchell T.
• Primary Examiner(s): NEURAUTER, GEORGE C
• Application Number:
  US09/872,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20020112087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,860 Days
• Field of Search: 709227-229, 370/392, 370/401
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10015 Access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. using brokers
• 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 67/1012 based on compliance of requirements or conditions with available server resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1019 Random or heuristic server selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• 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 69/164 Adaptation or special uses of UDP protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

According to a first embodiment, a computing device receives an initialization packet originating from a client. In response to at least the initialization packet, the computing device establishes a data structure of a connection with the client, irrespective of whether an application of the computing device is associated with the data structure of the connection.

According to a second embodiment, a computing device receives a request packet originating from a client. In response to at least the request packet, the computing device associates an application of the computing device with a data structure of a connection with the client.

According to a third embodiment, a first computing device associates an application of the first computing device with a data structure of a connection with a client. Subsequently, the first computing device disassociates the application of the first computing device from the data structure of the connection. After such disassociation, the first computing device outputs the data structure of the connection to a second computing device for associating an application of the second computing device with the data structure of the connection.

According to a fourth embodiment, a first computing device receives an initialization packet and a request packet originating from a client. In response to at least the initialization packet, the first computing device establishes a data structure of a connection with the client. In response to at least the request packet and a state of at least one of the first computing device and a second computing device, the first computing device selectively performs one of the following: (a) associating the data structure of the connection with an application of the first computing device; and (b) outputting the data structure of the connection and the request packet to the second computing device for associating an application of the second computing device with the data structure of the connection.

Claims

1. An information processing system, comprising:

a first computing device configured to;

store an unbound data structure associated with a connection to a client in response to receiving an initialization packet from the client;

select a computing device to service the client;

when the first computing device is selected to service the client, bind the unbound data structure to an application of the first computing device; and

when a second computing device distinct from the first computing device is selected to service the client, migrate the unbound data structure to the second computing device by outputting an encapsulated packet including the unbound data structure to the second computing device to enable the second computing device to output packets to the client configured to appear to the client to have been sent from the first computing device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the encapsulated packet includes a group of sequence numbers associated with the connection.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the encapsulated packet includes an IP address of the client, a port of an application executed by the client, an IP address of the first computing device, and a port of the application executed by the first computing device.

7. The information processing system of claim 1 wherein in response to at least the initialization packet the first computing device is configured to generate an acknowledgement to the client before migrating the unbound data structure.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein the encapsulated packet comprises a connection endpoint.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein the first computing device is configured to migrate the unbound data structure by:

storing a reference to a second computing device; and

associating the stored reference with the unbound data structure.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein the first computing device is configured to select the computing device to service the client based at least in part on a state of the first computing device.

43. The information processing system of claim 1 wherein the first computing device is an intelligent network interface controller.

52. The system of claim 1 wherein the encapsulated packet includes a flag indicating that the packet is an encapsulated packet.

4. An information processing system, comprising:

a first computing device configured to;

receive a request packet originating from a client;

when the packet is associated with a connection that corresponds to an application of the first computing device, forward the packet and a reference to an associated connection endpoint to a network protocol stack of the first computing device that is external to an operating system of the first computing device; and

when the packet is associated with a connection that corresponds to an application of a second computing device distinct from the first computing device, selectively encapsulate the packet and forward the encapsulated packet to the second computing device, wherein the encapsulated packet includes a reference to a connection endpoint associated with the packet and an indication that the encapsulated packet is a forwarded packet.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the reference indicates a group of sequence numbers associated with the connection.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the reference indicates an IP address of the client, a port of an application executed by the client, an IP address of the first computing device, and a port of the application executed by the first computing device.

24. The system of claim 4 wherein the application of the first computing device is a socket-based application.

44. The information processing system of claim 4 wherein the first computing device is an intelligent network interface controller.

8. An information processing system, comprising:

a first computing device configured to;

associate an application of the first computing device with a data structure associated with a connection to a client; and

selectively;

disassociate the application of the first computing device from the data structure; and

subsequently output an encapsulated packet including a reference to the data structure to a second computing device to associate an application of the second computing device with the data structure, and to enable the second computing device to output packets to the client configured to appear to the client to have been sent from the first computing device.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the data structure includes a group of sequence numbers associated with the connection.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the data structure includes an IP address of the client, a port of an application executed by the client, an IP address of the first computing device, and a port of the application executed by the first computing device.

25. The system of claim 8 wherein the application of the first computing device is of a first type and the application of the second computing device is of a second type.

26. The system of claim 8 wherein the first computing device is configured to selectively disassociate the application of the first computing device from the data structure based at least in part on a state of at least one of the first computing device or the second computing device.

45. The information processing system of claim 8 wherein the first computing device is an intelligent network interface controller.

11. A method performed by a first server, the method comprising:

storing an unbound data structure associated with a connection to a client originating an initialization packet;

selecting a server to service the client;

when the first server is selected to service the client, binding the data structure to an application of the first server; and

when a second server distinct from the first server is selected to service the client, migrating the unbound data structure to the second server by outputting an encapsulated packet including the unbound data structure to the second server to enable the second server to output packets to the client configured to appear to the client to have been sent from the first server.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the encapsulated packet includes a group of sequence numbers associated with the connection.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the encapsulated packet includes an IP address of the client, a port of an application executed by the client, an IP address of the first server, and a port of an application executed by the first server.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

in response to at least the initialization packet;

generating an acknowledgment to the client.

27. The method of claim 11 wherein the bound data structure comprises a connection endpoint.

28. The method of claim 11 wherein the first server is configured to migrate the data structure by:

storing a reference to a second server; and

associating the reference with the unbound data structure.

29. The method of claim 11 wherein the selecting the server to service the client comprises selecting a server based at least in part on a state of the first server.

46. The method of claim 11 wherein the first server comprises an intelligent network interface controller, the intelligent network interface controller performing the method on behalf of the first server.

14. A method performed by a first computing device of an information processing system, the method comprising:

receiving a request packet originating from a client;

when the packet is associated with a connection that corresponds to an application of the first computing device, forwarding the packet and a reference to an associated connection endpoint to a network protocol stack of the first computing device that is external to an operating system of the first computing device; and

when the packet is associated with a connection that corresponds to an application of a second computing device distinct from the first computing device, selectively encapsulating the packet and forwarding the encapsulated packet to the second computing device, wherein the encapsulated packet includes a reference to a connection endpoint associated with the packet and an indication that the encapsulated packet is a forwarded packet.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the reference indicates a group of sequence numbers associated with the connection.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the reference indicates an IP address of the client, a port of an application executed by the client, an IP address of the first computing device, and a port of an application executed by the first computing device.

30. The method of claim 14 wherein the application of the first computing device is a socket-based application.

47. The method of claim 14 wherein the first computing device is an intelligent network interface controller.

18. A method performed by a first computing device of an information processing system, the method comprising:

associating an application of the first computing device with a data structure associated with a connection to a client; and

selectively;

disassociating the application of the first computing device from the data structure; and

subsequently outputting an encapsulated packet including a reference to the data structure to a second computing device to associate an application of the second computing device with the data structure, and to enable the second computing device to output packets to the client configured to appear to the client to have been sent from the first computing device.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the data structure includes a group of sequence numbers associated with the connection.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the data structure includes an IP address of the client, a port of an application executed by the client, an IP address of the first computing device, and a port of the application executed by the first computing device.

31. The method of claim 18 wherein the application of the first computing device is of a first type and the application of the second computing device is of a second type.

32. The method of claim 18 wherein selectively disassociating the application of the first computing device from the data structure comprises selectively disassociating based at least in part on a state of at least one of the first computing device or the second computing device.

48. The method of claim 18 wherein the first computing device is an intelligent network interface controller.

33. A computer-readable memory medium containing instructions for controlling a processor of a first server to selectively load balance and direct network requests among a plurality of servers by:

receiving a request packet originating from a client;

selectively;

when the packet is associated with a connection endpoint bound to a socket of an application of the first server, forwarding the packet and a reference to the associated connection endpoint to a protocol stack of the first server that is external to an operating system of the first server; and

when the packet is associated with a connection endpoint bound to a socket of an application of a second server, encapsulating the packet and forwarding the encapsulated packet to a second server, the encapsulated packet including a reference to the associated connection endpoint bound to the socket of the application of the second server and an indication that the encapsulated packet is a forwarded packet.

34. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 33 further comprising instructions that control the processor of the first server by:

including in the reference that is forwarded to the protocol stack an indication of a group of sequence numbers associated with the connection.

35. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 33 further comprising instructions that control the processor of the first server by:

including in the reference of the encapsulated packet an indication of a group of sequence numbers associated with the connection.

36. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 33 further comprising instructions that control the processor of the first server by:

including in the reference that is forwarded to the protocol stack an indication of an IP address of the client, a port of an application executed by the client, an IP address of the first server, and a port of an application executed by the first server.

49. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 33 wherein the first server comprises an intelligent network interface controller, and the processor of the first server is a processor of the intelligent network interface controller.

37. A computer-readable memory medium containing instructions for controlling a processor of a first server to selectively load balance and direct network requests among a plurality of servers by:

associating an application of the first server to a data structure associated with a connection with a client;

selectively disassociating the application of the first server from the data structure; and

subsequently outputting an encapsulated packet including a reference to the data structure to a second server for associating an application of the second server with the data structure, and to enable the second server to output packets to the client configured to appear to the client to have been sent from the first server.

38. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 37 further comprising instructions that control the processor of the first server by:

including in the data structure a group of sequence numbers associated with the connection.

39. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 37 further comprising instructions that control the processor of the first server by:

including in the outputted reference an indication of a group of sequence numbers associated with the connection.

40. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 37 further comprising instructions that control the processor of the first server by:

including in the outputted reference an indication of an IP address of the client, a port of an application executed by the client, an IP address of the second server, and a port of an application executed by the second server.

41. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 37 further comprising instructions that control the processor of the first server by:

re-associating the application of the first server to the data structure associated with the connection with the client.

50. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 37 wherein the first server comprises an intelligent network interface controller, and the processor of the first server is a processor of the intelligent network interface controller.

42. A first server, comprising:

a memory configured to store an unbound data structure associated with a connection to a client originating an initialization packet;

a network protocol stack external to an operating system of the first server; and

a module configured to selectively bind the data structure associated with the connection to the client to an application of the first server, and, when the first server is not selected to service the client, to migrate the data structure to a second server by outputting an encapsulated packet including the unbound data structure to the second server to enable the second server to output packets to the client configured to appear to the client to have been sent from the first server.

51. The first server of claim 42 further comprising an intelligent network interface controller, wherein the intelligent network interface controller comprises the memory, the network protocol stack, and the module.