System, network device, method, and computer program product for active load balancing using clustered nodes as authoritative domain name servers

• US 7,548,945 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2005
• Issued: 06/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Asnis, Jim
• Primary Examiner(s): Jacobs, LaShonda T
• Application Number:
  US11/169,375
• Publication Number:
  US 20060235972A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,448 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/201, 709/203, 709/208, 718/105
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• 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 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1017 based on a round robin mechanism

Abstract

A cluster of devices is provided that shares a domain name and functions as the authoritative name server for the domain. Each device or node in the cluster would typically repeatedly announce status information to all the other nodes in the cluster, such that all the nodes in the cluster are aware of the status information of all other nodes. One of the nodes in the cluster would be designated as a master node. The master node would be assigned an IP address as an authoritative name server, and as such would receive DNS queries for the domain. The master node would select one of the nodes in the cluster to communicate with the client as a result of the DNS query, using the status information of each of the nodes to balance the load on the nodes. The master node would communicate the IP address of the selected node.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of network devices grouped in a cluster, wherein each network device has a different respective device internet protocol (IP) address;

wherein one of the network devices is designated as a master device;

wherein the master device is assigned an IP address corresponding to an IP address of an authoritative domain name server;

wherein each network device is configured to communicate status information to at least the master device in the cluster;

wherein the master device is configured to receive a domain name service (DNS) query based upon a client request, select one of the network devices to communicate with the client based on the status information of each of the network devices, and return a device IP address of the selected one of the network devices in response to the DNS query.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each network device selects the status information from the group comprising network device presence, load percentage, number of active connections, and device IP address.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the master device selects one of the network devices according to a predefined load balancing algorithm.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising an additional network device grouped in the cluster, the additional network device configured to communicate status information to at least the master device in the cluster such that the additional network device is thereafter considered for selection to communicate with the client.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a different network device may be designated as the master device, such that the authoritative domain name server IP address is transferred to the different designated master device.

6. An apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to receive status information from each of a plurality of network devices grouped in a cluster;

the processor further configured to receive a domain name service (DNS) query based upon a client request;

select one network device from among the cluster of the network devices including the network device itself to communicate with a client based on the status information of each of the network devices, and return a device internet protocol (IP) address of the selected one of the network devices in response to the DNS query,

wherein the network device is designated as a master device and is assigned an IP address corresponding to an IP address of an authoritative domain name server.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor receives status information selected from the group comprising network device presence, load percentage, number of active connections, and device IP address.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor selects one of the network devices according to a predefined load balancing algorithm.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to receive status information from an additional network device grouped in the cluster and then considering the additional network device for selection to communicate with the client.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor no longer receives status information from a network device removed from the cluster, wherein the processor is further configured to select one of the network devices other than the removed network device to communicate with the client.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to transfer master device designation to a different network device, such that the authoritative domain name server IP address is transferred to the different designated master device.

12. A method comprising:

designating one network device, among a plurality of network devices grouped in a cluster, as a master device, wherein the master device is assigned an internet protocol (IP) address corresponding to an IP address of an authoritative domain name server;

communicating status information from each network device to at least the master device in the cluster;

receiving a domain name service (DNS) query based upon a client request;

selecting one of the network devices to communicate with the client, based on the status information of each of the network devices; and

returning a device IP address of the selected one of the network devices in response to the DNS query.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the status information is selected from the group comprising network device presence, load percentage, number of active connections, and device IP address.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the one of the network devices is selected according to a predefined load balancing algorithm.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

grouping an additional network device in the cluster, wherein the additional network device communicates status information to at least the master device in the cluster such that the additional network device is thereafter considered for selection to communicate with the client.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

removing one of the plurality of network devices from the cluster wherein the removed network device no longer communicates status information to at least the master device in the cluster such that the removed network device is no longer eligible to be selected to communicate with the client.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

designating a different network device as the master device, such that the authoritative domain name server IP address is transferred to the different designated master device.

18. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion configured to designate one network device, among a plurality of network devices grouped in a cluster, as a master device and assign the master device an internet protocol (IP) address that corresponds to an IP address of an authoritative domain name server;

a second executable portion configured to communicate status information from each of the plurality of network devices to at least the master device;

a third executable portion configured to communicate a domain name service (DNS) query, based upon a client request, to the master device;

a fourth executable portion configured to select one network device from among the cluster of the network devices to communicate with a client based on the status information of each of the network devices; and

a fifth executable portion configured to return the device IP address of the selected one of the network devices in response to the DNS query.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the second executable portion receives status information selected from the group comprising network device presence, load percentage, number of active connections, and device IP address.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the fourth executable portion selects one of the network devices according to a predefined load balancing algorithm.

21. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the second executable portion is further configured to communicate status information from an additional network device in the cluster to the master device, such that the fourth executable portion considers the additional network device for selection to communicate with the client.

22. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein a network device removed from the cluster is no longer considered by the fourth executable portion for selection to communicate with the client if the second executable portion no longer communicates status information from the removed network device.