Load balance control method and load balance control apparatus in data-processing system

• US 7,779,416 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2004
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Inoue, Akinori, Koga, Kentaro
• Primary Examiner(s): An; Meng-Ai
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZHE, MENG YAO
• Application Number:
  US10/917,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20050081211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,197 Days
• Field of Search: 718/105
• US Class Current: 718/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine

Abstract

A load balancing method for processing a plurality of job requests from a plurality of clients includes receiving a first request from one of the clients at a load control module. The first request relates to performing a first function by one or more of a plurality of application servers that are coupled to the plurality of clients. The first request received is associated to one of a plurality of job categories that each of the servers is configured to perform, the one job category to which the first request is associated being a first job category. Whether or not a first condition associated with the first job category is satisfied is determined. The first request is sent to a load balancer if the first condition associated with the first job category is determined to be satisfied, so that the load balancer can assign the first request to one of the application server in order to perform the requested first function, wherein the load balancer is coupled to the servers and configured to balance loads of the servers by distributing requests to the servers. At the load control module first information from the load balancer, the first information relating to the time expended in processing the first request is received. The load control module uses second information relating to the first information to determine whether to send a second request received from one of the clients to the load balancer or to a queue, the second request relating to the same job category as the first request.

Claims

1. A load balancing method for processing a plurality of job requests from a plurality of clients, the method comprising:

receiving a first request from one of the clients at a load control module, the first request relating to performing a first function by one or more of a plurality of application servers that are coupled to the plurality of clients, the first request having an address being comprised of at least a first job category that one or more of the application servers is configured to perform and a second job category belonging hierarchically to the first job category, wherein the first request is associated with the first category based on an address of the first function indicated in the first request and wherein the first job category includes a first and second job types, the first job type relating to a batch process, the second job type relating to an on-line process;

analyzing the address included in the first request based on the first job category and updating a number of a current processes relating to the first job category stored in a request information table, wherein the request information table stores information associated with a number of current processes of a plurality of the first job categories at the one or more application servers and a threshold value corresponding to each of the plurality of first job categories;

determining whether to send the first request to a load balancer or to a waiting queue by determining whether the number of current processes relating to the first job category is below the corresponding threshold value;

sending the first request to the load balancer in the event that the number of current processes is below the threshold value so that the load balancer can assign the first request to one of the application servers in order to perform the requested first function, wherein the load balancer is coupled to the application servers and configured to balance loads of the application servers by distributing requests to the application servers;

sending the first request to the waiting queue in the event that the number of current processes is above the threshold value, wherein the first request is sent to the waiting queue until the number of current processes is below the threshold value; and

receiving at the load control module a processing result from the load balancer and updating the number of current processes, wherein the load control module determines whether to send a second request received from one of the clients to the load balancer or to the waiting queue, the second request relating to the same job category as the first request.

2. The load balancing method of claim 1, wherein the processing result relates to the time expended in executing the first request, wherein the load control module determines whether to send the second request based on an average time expended in executing requests relating to the first job category, the average time being derived using the processing result.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the address of the first function is a Universal Resource Locator (URL).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first request is not sent to the load balancer in the event that an average time for processing requests relating to the first job category is determined to be longer than a predefined time period.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the load control module updates the request information table upon receiving the first request, the request information table including information on an average time needed to complete the execution of requests relating to the first job category.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the load control module accesses a restriction information table to determine whether to send the first request to a the load balancer or to the waiting queue, the restriction information table includes a maximum number of requests that may be executed concurrently for requests relating to the first job category and a maximum delay time allowed for executing a request relating to the first job category.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the load control module is a load control apparatus that is remotely located from the load balancer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the load control module and the load balancer are provided within the same housing.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second request relates to performing a second function by one or more of the plurality of application servers, wherein the first function requested by the first request relates to a batch process and the second function requested by the second request relates to an on-line process.

10. A load controlling device provided in a data processing system, the data processing system including a plurality of clients and a plurality of application servers, the load controlling device comprising a plurality of computer-executable components that when executed by a processor cause the load controlling device to balance a load in the data processing system, the load controlling device comprising:

a memory;

a request registration component to receive a first request from one of the clients, the first request relating to performing a first function by one or more of the application servers that are coupled to the plurality of clients, the first request having an address being comprised of at least a first job category that one or more of the application servers is configured to perform and a second job category belonging hierarchically to the first job category, wherein the first request is associated with the first category based on an address of the first function indicated in the first request and wherein the first job category includes a first and second job types, the first job type relating to a batch process, the second job type relating to an on-line process and wherein the request registration component is configured to analyze the address included in the first request based on the first job category and to update a number of a current processes relating to the first job category stored in a request information table, the request information table storing information associated with a number of current processes of a plurality of the first job categories at the one or more application servers and a threshold value corresponding to each of the plurality of first job categories;

a load restriction component to determine whether to send the first request to a load balancer or to a waiting queue by determining whether the number of current processes relating to the first job category is below the corresponding threshold value, the load restriction component being configured to send the first request to the load balancer in the event that the number of current processes is below the threshold value so that the load balancer can assign the first request to one of the application servers in order to perform the requested first function, the load restriction component being configured to send the first request to the waiting queue in the event that the number of current processes is above the threshold value, wherein the first request is sent to the waiting queue until the number of current processes is below the threshold value, wherein the load balancer is coupled to the application servers and configured to balance loads of the application servers by distributing requests to the application servers; and

a process result registration component to receive a processing result from the load balancer and to update the number of current processes,

wherein the load controlling device determines whether to send a second request received from one of the clients to the load balancer or to the waiting queue, the second request relating to the same job category as the first request.

11. The load controlling device of claim 10, wherein the load balancer couples the load control device to the plurality of servers.

12. The load controlling device of claim 10, wherein the load controlling device and the load balancer are integrated as a single network device.

13. The load controlling device of claim 10, wherein the processing result relates to the time expended in executing the first request, wherein the load control module determines whether to send the second request based on an average time expended in executing requests relating to the first job category, the average time being derived using the processing result.

14. The load controlling device of claim 10, wherein the address of the first function is a Universal Resource Locator (URL).