Distributed intelligent virtual server

• US 7,734,778 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2002
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sheng Tai Tsao
• Inventors: Tsao, Sheng (Ted) Tai
• Primary Examiner(s): Dollinger, Tonia L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shin, Kyung H
• Application Number:
  US10/116,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20030191838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,986 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 709/226, 709227-228, 709/222
• US Class Current: 709/225
• 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 67/1034 Reaction to server failures by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

An intelligent distributed virtual server for providing distributed services to a plurality of clients, including one or more servers units, each server units storing data and providing services for accessing by one or more clients; a switch for connecting the clients to the server units and to provide a communication link; and a distribution control station connected to the clients and the server units via the switch, wherein the distribution control station receives a request for a service from a client, and automatically, selectively establishes a data link between that client and an server unit, which stores the requested data and provides services, such that the server unit provides the data stream to the client via the communication link, independent of other server units. The capacity of the intelligent distributed virtual server can be dynamically expanded without interrupt the normal server operation. Due to the non-shared accessing between server units, it represents a more efficient model for computing in terms of the resources usages. It can provide distributed computing cross intra-net or Internet. In addition, it provides scalability and all intelligent services such as real time fault handling, security and others.

Claims

1. A control system for a virtual server comprising:

a plurality of physical resources including CPU, memory, storage and network devices,

the control system interconnecting and operatively coupled to one or more server units via a network of LAN, Intranet, and Internet to dynamically form a scalable virtual server for providing one or more services to one or more clients via communication links of the network, wherein

the control system including

a client interface for receiving service requests from one or more clients via communication links over the network, and including

a virtual distributor communicating to each server unit and coupling to the client interface for selectively distributing each received client service request to an identified available server unit having the requested service data, and further for the identified server unit providing the service data to the requested client via the communication link independent of other server units;

wherein

the control system is also

maintaining a client and server unit mapping list, and authenticating each client before allowing the client to access the server units,

controlling fault handling by detecting fault server unit and deploying spare server units for providing service replacement to the clients, and

monitoring and managing the scalable virtual server with capability of controlling the dynamic adding or removing one or more server units without interrupting normal operation of the scalable virtual server.

2. An intelligent central controlled distributed scalable virtual machine (server) comprises:

a control system (“

control station”

) comprising a plurality of physical resources including CPU, memory, storage and network communication devices; and

one or more server units, and each one is stored with services and data information for providing services;

wherein

the control system interconnecting and controlling each server unit over a network of LAN, Intranet, and Internet to dynamically form a virtual server, and providing centralized operations for the virtual server;

wherein

the control system including

a client interface for receiving service requests from one or more clients via the communication links of the network, and including

a virtual distributor communicating to each server unit and coupling to the client interface for selectively distributing each received client service request to an identified available server unit having the requested service data, and further for the identified server unit providing the service data to the client via the communication link of the network independent of other server units;

wherein

the control station is also

maintaining a client and server mapping list,

authenticating each client before allowing the client to access server units,

controlling fault handling by detecting any fault server unit and deploying spare server unit for providing service replacement to the clients, and

monitoring and managing the virtual server with capability of controlling the dynamic adding or removing one or more server units without interrupting normal operation of the virtual server.

3. The virtual server of claim 2, wherein said each server unit storing service and data information further includes:

configuring each server unit with a service control for communicating to the control system and each client via the network, and for providing corresponding services including storage volume and block data services, video service, file service, web service, and email service.

4. The virtual server of claim 3, further includes

configuring a virtual server with one or more server units for providing one or more services.

5. The virtual server of claim 3 further includes

configuring a virtual server with one or more server units for providing a dedicated service.

6. The virtual server of claim 2, wherein said server unit further includes:

providing at least one server unit to be configured with one or more data storage devices and a storage control for coordinating access to the data storage devices;

wherein, said server unit includes video server, file server, email server, web server, PC (“

personal computer”

), NAS, and SAN.

7. The virtual server of claim 2, wherein said server units further includes:

facilitating at least one server unit concurrently providing multiple service data streams to multiple clients up to its maximum concurrent service data streams that the server unit can provide.

8. The virtual server of claim 7, wherein said server unit further includes:

providing service for reading data from said server unit and sending the data to the requesting client via a communication link; and

providing service for receiving data form client and write to the server unit'"'"'s storage media.

9. The virtual server of claim 7 wherein said server unit further includes:

providing each thread sharing equal amount of data bandwidth with other threads in a server unit if said threads handling similar client requests for the server unit.

10. The virtual server of claim 7, wherein said server unit further includes:

providing service in response to the control station'"'"'s request for the status, identification, and configuration information of the server unit.

11. The virtual server of claim 2, wherein said control station interconnects and controls each server unit further includes:

interconnecting a said control station and one or more said server units via one or more switches and routers to form a said virtual server on a Intranet to be accessed by the plurality of clients via said network of Internet, Intranet or LAN.

12. The virtual server of claim 11 further includes:

interconnecting a said control station and one or more said server units via a switch to form a said virtual server on a LAN to be accessed by the clients via the network of LAN, Intranet or Internet.

13. The virtual server of claim 11 further includes:

interconnecting a said control station and one or more said server units via one or more switches and routers to form a said virtual server over internet to be accessed by the clients via said network of LAN, intranet or internet.

14. The virtual server of claim 2, wherein said providing services to clients via communication links further includes:

providing communication connections including IP to ADSL router to deliver service data stream from the server unit to the plurality of clients equipped with TV displaying unit.

15. The virtual server of claim 2 wherein said providing services to clients via communication links further includes:

providing communication connections including IP switch and router to deliver service data stream from the server unit to the plurality of clients equipped with IP network interface.

16. The virtual server of claim 2, wherein said controlling the dynamic adding or removing one or more server units further includes:

detecting each server unit going online;

obtaining the identification, configuration, and data information from each server unit; and

adding the identification, configuration, and data information of each server unit into a server unit information list on the control station as the information of a server unit pool of the virtual server.

17. The virtual server of claim 16 further includes

controlling dynamically adding one or more new server units into the server unit pool in response to the demand for the virtual server to process more client requests when each server unit of the virtual server has reached its maximum allowed concurrent service data streams.

18. The virtual server of claim 16 wherein said server unit information list further includes:

updating the server unit information list on the control station in response to the requirement of managing the operation and monitoring the changing status of each server unit.

19. The virtual server of the claim 16, further includes:

dynamically adding or removing server units for the virtual server pool of the scalable virtual server in response to the data bandwidth, data rate, and data throughput requirement of the virtual server.

20. The virtual server of claim 2, wherein said client interface of the control station further includes:

exposing one or more services information of the virtual server to each client in response to the requirement of providing one or more services, wherein said exposing includes exposing services information to each client'"'"'s web browser.

21. The virtual server of claim 2, wherein said control station further provides

hosting the virtual server'"'"'s web site for facilitating admin users performing administration tasks for the virtual server via web.

22. The virtual server of claim 2 wherein said maintaining a client and server mapping further includes:

receiving a client request and assigning the request to an identified available server unit, which is capable to provide the requested service data stream to the client;

adding information of the identified server unit and the assigned client into a mapping list; and

updating the mapping list by removing a client from the assigned server unit in response to the server unit finishing the requested service to the client.

23. The virtual server of claim 2, wherein said providing fault handling further includes:

providing one or more spare server units in the virtual server pool to be stored with corresponding data for providing service replacement to each corresponding server unit.

24. The virtual server of claim 2 wherein said providing fault handling further includes the steps of:

(1) detecting a fault in a server unit, which currently in providing requested data to each client;

(2) identifying a spare server unit storing that requested data; and

(3) selectively re-establishing said data stream between each client and the spare server unit storing the requested data such that the spare server unit provides the service replacement data stream to each client via the communication link independent of other server units.

25. The virtual server of claim 2 wherein said receiving service requests from one or more clients further includes steps of:

receiving authentication information from each client, verifying the authentication information, and providing the requested data streams to the client only if the authentication information is verified.

26. The virtual server of claim 2, wherein said distributing each received service request further includes:

means for communicating content to a plurality of clients, comprising;

(a) means for providing multiple said server units to be controlled by the control station and dynamically form a virtual server;

(b) means for storing data information on each server units for accessing by one or more clients;

(c) means for receiving a request for data information from a client via a communication link;

(d) means for selecting one of the server units that stores the requested data information;

(e) means for establishing a data link between that client and the selected server unit; and

(f) means for providing the requested data from the selected server unit to the requesting client via the communication link, independent of other server units.

27. The virtual server of claim 2, wherein said scalable virtual server further includes

providing the control station to be configured with computation and communication capacity for supporting the designated number of client requests.

28. The virtual server of claim 2, wherein said providing one or more services to each client via communication links further includes:

said communication links includes wireless and non-wireless communication links.

29. The virtual server of the claim 2, wherein said central controlled accessing of the control station further includes:

hiding said each server unit from one or more clients and exposing the control station as an accessing point of the virtual server for the clients'"'"' centralized accessing of the virtual server.

30. The virtual server of the claim 2, wherein said control station distributes each received service request to an identified server unit further includes:

distributing client requests to the identified server unit up to the maximum service data streams that server unit can provided.

31. The virtual server of the claim 2, wherein said switches and routers further includes:

deploying the numbers of switches and routers to the virtual server in response to the requirement of the bandwidth and data streams capacity for the scalable virtual server.

32. A method for communicating content to a plurality of clients, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing multiple server units to be controlled by a control station for dynamically forming a virtual server;

(b) storing data information on each server units for accessing by one or more clients;

(c) instructing the control station to receive a request for data information from a client via a communication link;

(d) instructing the control station to select one of the server units that stores the requested data information;

(e) instructing the selected server unit to establish said data link between that client and the selected server unit; and

(f) instructing the selected server unit providing the requested data from the selected server unit to the requesting client via the communication link, independent of other server units.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein

step (d) further includes the steps of instructing the control station to determine if one of the said server unit stores the requested data information, and if so, selecting that server unit and performing steps (e) and (f).

34. The method of claim 32, wherein:

said step (a) further includes the steps of instructing the control station obtaining identification information from each server unit and maintaining that said information;

said step (b) further includes the steps of instructing the control station obtaining and maintaining said data information corresponding to each identified server unit; and

said step (d) further includes the steps of instructing the control station checking the data information to determine if one of the identified said server unit stores the requested data information, and if so, selecting that server unit and performing steps (e) and (f).

35. The method of claim 32, wherein:

said step (a) further includes the steps of providing one or more spare server units to be controlled by the control station;

said step (b) further includes the steps of storing corresponding data on said spare server units for service replacement; and

the method further including the sequence of steps of;

(g) instructing the control station detecting a fault in a server unit currently providing requested data to a client;

(h) instructing the control station identifying a spare server unit storing that requested data; and

(i) instructing the control station selectively re-establishing said data stream between that client and the spare server unit storing the requested data, wherein that spare server unit provides the data stream to the client via the communication link, independent of other server unit units.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein step (e) further includes:

the steps of authenticating the identity of the client before providing the requested service data to the client.

37. The method of claim 32, wherein step (f) further includes:

the steps of receiving authentication information from that client, verifying the authentication information, and providing the requested data streams only if the authentication information is verified.

38. The method of claim 32, wherein:

said step (c) further includes the steps of;

instructing the control station receiving multiple requests for data streams from multiple clients;

said step (d) further includes the steps of;

for each requesting client, instructing the control station selecting one of the server units that stores the data streams requested by that client;

said step (e) further includes the steps of;

establishing a data stream between each requesting client and the selected server unit for that client; and

said step (f) further includes the steps of providing each requested data stream from a selected server unit to the requesting client via the corresponding communication link, independent of other server units.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein said multiple requests further includes

said multiple requests can be random in time.