Configurable geographic prefixes for global server load balancing

• US 7,756,965 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2009
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Foundry Networks Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Joshi, Prajakta S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jacobs; Lashonda T
• Application Number:
  US12/353,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20100115133A1
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/225, 709/226, 709/237, 709/239, 709/245, 370/352, 370/401, 718/105
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/60 Types of network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/668 Internet protocol [IP] address subnets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/695 using masks or ranges of addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 based on client or server locations

Abstract

In a load balancing system, user-configurable geographic prefixes are provided. IP address prefix allocations provided by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) and associated geographic locations are stored in a first, static database in a load balancing switch, along with other possible default geographic location settings. A second, non-static database stores user-configured geographic settings. In particular, the second database stores Internet Protocol (IP) address prefixes and user-specified geographic regions for those prefixes. The specified geographic region can be continent, country, state, city, or other user-defined region. The geographic settings in the second database can override the information in the first database. These geographic entries help determine the geographic location of a client and host IP addresses, and aid in directing the client to a host server that is geographically the closest to that client.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing first address prefix information and corresponding first geographic region information;

storing second address prefix information and corresponding second geographic region information; and

for network addresses that have first address prefix information that matches the second address prefix information, associating these network addresses to the second geographic region information, which is different from said corresponding first geographic region information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said storing first address prefix information and corresponding first geographic region information includes storing Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA)-allocated first address prefix information and corresponding IANA-designated first geographic region information, and wherein said second geographic region information specifies a geographic region that is different from a geographic region specified by said corresponding IANA-designated first geographic region information.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said storing IANA-designated first geographic region information includes storing IANA-designated continent designations, and wherein said geographic region specified by said second geographic region information includes continent designations that are different than said IANA-designated continent designations for said matching address prefix information.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of storing the first and second address prefix information and geographic region information includes storing such information in a database.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining the first geographic region information for network addresses that have first address prefix information that does not match the second address prefix information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising for each of the network addresses:

determining whether the network address is a real or virtual address;

if the network address is determined to be a real address, determining whether the real address matches the second address prefix information;

if the real address matches the second address prefix information, Updating geographic location information associated with the real address with the second geographic region information; and

if the network address is determined to be a virtual address;

finding a site address associated with the virtual address;

determining whether the site address matches the second address prefix information; and

if the site address matches the second address prefix information, Updating geographic location information associated with the virtual address to the second geographic region information.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said selecting includes using specified second geographic region information for a site of a domain associated with said network addresses to load balance the traffic to the site.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting one of said network addresses associated to the second geographic region information as an optimum address to provide to a query from a client having a network address that corresponds to the second geographic region information.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining a geographic region of a server through which the client can access a domain associated with the optimum address.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising directing a request from the client to a server of a domain that is geographically close to the client using at least one of:

the client and server are in a same continent;

the client and server are in a same country;

the client and server are in a same state;

the client and server are in a same city; and

the client and server are in a same user-defined area.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said selecting includes:

determining said network address of the client;

determining whether the network address of the client corresponds to the second geographic region information;

if the second geographic region information is determined to correspond to the network address of the client, selecting a server associated with the second geographic region information to receive traffic from the client;

if the second geographic region information is determined to not correspond to the network address of the client, determining whether the network address of the client corresponds to the first geographic region information; and

if the network address of the client is determined to correspond to the first geographic region information, selecting a server associated with the first geographic region information to receive the traffic from the client.

12. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a storage medium having instructions stored thereon that are executable by a processor to;

read first address prefix information and corresponding first geographic Region information;

read second address prefix information and corresponding second Geographic region information; and

for network addresses that have first address prefix information that matches the second address prefix information, associate these network addresses to the second geographic region information, which is different from said corresponding first geographic region information; and

select one of said network addresses associated to the second geographic region information as an optimum address to provide to a query from a client having a network address that corresponds to the second geographic region information.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12 wherein said instructions to read said first address prefix information and corresponding first geographic region information include instructions executable by said processor to:

read Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA)-allocated first address prefix information and corresponding IANA-designated first geographic region information, and wherein said second geographic region information specifies a geographic region that is different from a geographic region specified by said corresponding IANA-designated first geographic region information.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 12 wherein the storage medium further includes instructions stored thereon that are executable by said processor to, for each of the network addresses:

determine whether the network address is a real or virtual address;

if the network address is determined to be a real address, determine whether the real address matches the second address prefix information;

if the real address matches the second address prefix information, update geographic location information associated with the real address with the second geographic region information; and

if the network address is determined to be a virtual address;

find a site address associated with the virtual address;

determine whether the site address matches the second address prefix information; and

if the site address matches the second address prefix information, update geographic location information associated with the virtual address to the second geographic region information.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 12 wherein the storage medium further includes instructions stored therein that are executable by said processor to:

select one of said network addresses associated to the second geographic region information as an optimum address to provide to a query from a client having a network address that corresponds to the second geographic region information.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein the instructions to select include instructions executable by said processor to:

determine said network address of the client;

determine whether the network address of the client corresponds to the second geographic region information;

if the second geographic region information is determined to correspond to the network address of the client, select a server associated with the second geographic region information to receive traffic from the client;

if the second geographic region information is determined to not correspond to the network address of the client, determine whether the network address of the client corresponds to the first geographic region information; and

if the network address of the client is determined to correspond to the first geographic region information, select a server associated with the first geographic region information to receive the traffic from the client.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein the instructions to select include instructions to use specified second geographic region information for a site of a domain associated with said network addresses to load balance the traffic to the site.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

a first storage unit to store first address prefix information and corresponding first geographic region information;

a second storage unit to store second address prefix information and corresponding second geographic region information; and

a controller coupled to the first and second storage units to, for network addresses that have first address prefix information that matches the second address prefix information, associate these network addresses to the second geographic region information, which is different from said corresponding first geographic region information.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said stored first address prefix information and corresponding first geographic region information includes Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA)-allocated first address prefix information and corresponding IANA-designated first geographic region information, and wherein said second geographic region information specifies a geographic region that is different from a geographic region specified by said corresponding IANA-designated first geographic region information.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein at least a portion of the first and second storage units are integrated in a single storage unit.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising software code executable by the controller to select one of said network addresses associated to the second geographic region information as an optimum address to provide to a query from a client having a network address that corresponds to the second geographic region information.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the software code includes:

code to determine, for each of the network addresses, whether the network address is a real or virtual address;

if the network address is determined to be a real address, code to determine whether the real address matches the second address prefix information;

if the real address matches the second address prefix information, code to update geographic location information associated with the real address with the second geographic region information; and

if the network address is determined to be a virtual address;

code to find a site address associated with the virtual address;

code to determine whether the site address matches the second address prefix information; and

if the site address matches the second address prefix information, code to update geographic location information associated with the virtual address to the second geographic region information.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the software code includes:

code to determine said network address of the client;

code to determine whether the network address of the client corresponds to the second geographic region information;

if the second geographic region information is determined to correspond to the network address of the client, code to select a server associated with the second geographic region information to receive traffic from the client;

if the second geographic region information is determined to not correspond to the network address of the client, code to determine whether the network address of the client corresponds to the first geographic region information; and

if the network address of the client is determined to correspond to the first geographic region information, code to select a server associated with the first geographic region information to receive the traffic from the client.