Method and system for managing network traffic

• US 8,150,957 B1
• Filed: 07/15/2010
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Inventors: Masters, Richard Roderick, Hansen, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): JACOBS, LASHONDA T
• Application Number:
  US12/837,420
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/225, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers

Abstract

A system and method for directing network connections. The invention enables a network device to direct subsequent connections from a client to a server for accessing resources. A process extracts a persistence key from a received message, and employs the persistence key to identify the appropriate server. An interface is provided, enabling a user program to direct the process of extracting the persistence key. The invention also provides a way for multiple clients to persist to a common server.

Claims

1. A network device for managing communications between a client and a plurality of servers, network device comprising a processing unit for executing one or more programs that perform the actions, the actions comprising:

specifying a data item associated with a markup language header tag;

requesting a value representing an amount of content received from the client;

instructing a traffic manager to buffer additional data based on the value to obtain the specified data item;

receiving an other data item as part of a secure communication protocol handshake;

employing the specified data item and the other data item from the secure communication protocol handshake to create a persistence key; and

employing the persistence key to identify a target server within the plurality of servers to which to send received data items from the client.

2. The network device of claim 1, wherein the actions further comprising:

requesting a value representing an amount of buffered tcp content received; and

providing packet data and non-packet data to a user program.

3. The network device of claim 1, wherein the actions further comprising extracting data received at any position within a received application level communication.

4. A network device for managing communications between a client and a plurality of servers, the network device having a processor for performing actions, comprising:

receiving instructions from a user program and providing data to the user program;

enabling the user program to specify a data item received at any position with a received application level communication, based on the position of the data item relative to a corresponding application level header tag;

enabling the user program to control an amount of buffering of received packet data to perform;

receiving an other data item as part of a secure communication protocol handshake;

employing the specified data item and the other data item from the secure communication protocol handshake to create a persistence key; and

employing the persistence key to identify a target server within the plurality of servers to which to send received data items from the client.

5. The network device of claim 4, wherein enabling the user program to control an amount of buffering further comprises providing an instruction to accumulate and buffer additional packet data.