Method and system to provide blade server load balancing using spare link bandwidth

• US 8,102,874 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2010
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lund, Martin, Baumer, Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, M.
• Application Number:
  US12/947,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20110066729A1
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 370230-255, 370389-395, 370332-342, 370351-360, 370463-468, 709221-235, 709244-249
• US Class Current: 370/465
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3433 for load management allocation of a server based on load conditions G06F9/505; load rebalancing G06F9/5083; redistributing the load in a network by a load balancer H04L67/1029
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/885 Monitoring specific for caches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/14 Channel dividing arrangements , i.e. in which a single bit stream is divided between several baseband channels and reassembled at the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/4908 using mBnB codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10015 Access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. using brokers
• 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 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A method for processing network information in a multi-server platform is disclosed and includes receiving by a blade server manager, capacity utilization information embedded in spare link bandwidth from a plurality of blade servers operably coupled to the blade server manager. Digital information received on a digital communication link may be forwarded to one of the plurality of blade servers. The blade servers may be selected based on the received capacity utilization information. The capacity utilization information may include blade server work load capacity, blade server power saving capacity, blade server CPU percent utilization, and/or data representing blade server interrupt utilization. The blade server manager may be operably coupled to an Ethernet network and/or an external network.

Claims

1. A method for processing network information in a multi-server platform, comprising:

receiving by a blade server manager, capacity utilization information from a plurality of blade servers operably coupled to said blade server manager, said capacity utilization information embedded in spare link bandwidth of a communication link between said blade server manager and at least one of said plurality of blade servers; and

forwarding to one of said plurality of blade servers, digital information received by said blade server manager using a digital communication link with a network external to the multi-server platform, wherein said one of said plurality of blade servers is selected based on said received capacity utilization information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said capacity utilization information comprises blade server work load capacity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said capacity utilization information comprises blade server power saving capacity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said capacity utilization information comprises data representing blade server CPU percent utilization.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said capacity utilization information comprises data representing blade server interrupt utilization.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said blade server manager is operably coupled to an Ethernet network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said blade server manager is operably coupled to an external network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said blade server manager is operably coupled to an external network at a link data rate of 10 Gigabits per second.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said blade server manager communicates with each of said plurality of blade servers over a dedicated link.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a data rate of said dedicated link is one of 1 Gigabit per second and 10 Gigabits per second.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said capacity utilization information is embedded in frame alignment information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said embedded capacity information is represented with at least two symbols.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said embedded capacity information is represented with expanded control characters.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said one of said plurality of blade servers is selected based on said received capacity utilization information and using a load balancing algorithm.

15. A server for processing network information in a multi-server platform, the server comprising:

a blade server manager operable to;

receive capacity utilization information from a plurality of blade servers, said plurality of blade servers operably coupled to said blade server manager, said capacity utilization information embedded in spare link bandwidth of a communication link between said blade server manager and at least one of said plurality of blade servers; and

forward to one of said plurality of blade servers, digital information received by said blade server manager using a digital communication link with a network external to the multi-server platform, wherein said blade server manager selects one of said plurality of blade servers based on said received capacity utilization information.

16. The server of claim 15, wherein said capacity utilization information comprises blade server work load capacity.

17. The server of claim 15, wherein said capacity utilization information comprises blade server power saving capacity.

18. The server of claim 15, wherein said capacity utilization information comprises data representing blade server CPU percent utilization.

19. The server of claim 15, wherein said capacity utilization information comprises data representing blade server interrupt utilization.

20. The server of claim 15, wherein said blade server manager is operably coupled to an Ethernet network.

21. The server of claim 15, wherein said blade server manager is operably coupled to an external network.

22. The server of claim 15, wherein said blade server manager is operably coupled to an external network at a link data rate of 10 Gigabits per second.

23. The server of claim 15, wherein said blade server manager communicates with each of said plurality of blade servers over a dedicated link.

24. The server of claim 23, wherein a data rate of said dedicated link is one of 1 Gigabit per second and 10 Gigabits per second.

25. The server of claim 15, wherein said capacity utilization information is embedded in frame alignment information.

26. The server of claim 25, wherein said embedded capacity information is represented with at least two symbols.

27. The server of claim 15, wherein said embedded capacity information is represented with expanded control characters.

28. The server of claim 15, wherein said one of said plurality of blade servers is selected based on said received capacity utilization information and using a load balancing algorithm.