Method and system for scaling network traffic managers

• US 7,702,809 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Inventors: Li, Ning X., Schmitt, David D., Szabo, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): SALAD, ABDULLAHI ELMI
• Application Number:
  US11/929,603
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 709/245, 709/238, 370229-235
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]

Abstract

A method and system is directed to routing a flow of packets over a network to multiple traffic management devices. An apparatus receives each packet from a network and forwards the packet to one of a group of traffic management devices. The apparatus also may receive packets from servers for which the traffic management devices are managing communications. When forwarding packets, a traffic management device is selected from the group of traffic management devices by employing a hash of an IP address and port number. The IP address and port number are selected from source or destination information in the packet that has a greater port number. When the traffic management device performs a network address translation, further actions may be performed so that packets that are part of a flow between two network devices are delivered to the same traffic management device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for routing a packet over a network, comprising:

(a) a transceiver that receives and forwards each packet; and

(b) coupled to the transceiver, a means for routing each received packet to a corresponding traffic manager, wherein the routing means determines the corresponding traffic manager based in part on hashing either source information or destination information in each received packet to determine a hash key useable as an index into an allocation table of traffic managers, wherein a response packet to each received packet is forwarded to the same corresponding traffic manager.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein source information further comprises a source IP address and a source port number in the received packet, and wherein destination information further comprises a destination IP address and a destination port number in the received packet.

3. A method for routing packets between a first device and a second device on a network, comprising:

(a) receiving a packet;

(b) extracting a source IP address and port of the first device and a destination IP address and port of the second device from the received packet;

(c) determining a traffic manager corresponding to a combination of the first device and the second device, based in part on a comparison of the extracted source port and extracted destination port, wherein the combination is determined by hashing at least one of the source IP address and port or the destination IP address and port to generate a hash key that is useable to determine the traffic manager; and

(d) forwarding the received packet to the determined traffic manager.