Systems and methods for load balancing via a plurality of virtual servers upon failover using metrics from a backup virtual server

• US 8,812,904 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2011
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Kamath, Sandeep, Suganthi, Josephine, Verzunov, Sergey, Raja, Murali, Shetty, Anil
• Primary Examiner(s): MASKULINSKI, MICHAEL C
• Application Number:
  US13/302,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072588A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: 714/4.11, 714/4.12, 714/10, 714/11, 714/13
• US Class Current: 714/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• 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 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1012 based on compliance of requirements or conditions with available server resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 Reaction to server failures by a load balancer

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and systems for performing load balancing via a plurality of virtual servers upon a failover using metrics from a backup virtual server. The methods and systems described herein provide systems and methods for an appliance detecting that a first virtual server of a plurality of virtual servers having one or more backup virtual servers load balanced by an appliance is not available, identifying at least a first backup virtual server of a one or more backup virtual servers of the first virtual server is available, maintaining a status of the first virtual server as available in response to the identification, obtaining one or more metrics from the first backup virtual server of a one or more backup virtual servers, and determining the load across the plurality of virtual servers using the metrics obtained from the first backup virtual server associated with the first virtual server.

Claims

1. A method of load balancing a virtual server using a metric from a backup virtual server, the method comprising:

(a) identifying, by a device intermediary to a plurality of clients and a plurality of servers, that a backup virtual server is available for a virtual server executing on the device that is detected as not available;

(b) maintaining, by the device, a status of the virtual server as available in response to identifying the backup virtual server is available; and

(c) determining, by the device, a load of the virtual server using a metric of the backup virtual server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises identifying that the backup virtual server, executing on the device, is available responsive to detecting that the virtual server is not available.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises detecting, by a monitoring agent of the device from monitoring the virtual server, that the virtual server is not available.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises not changing, by the device, the status of the virtual server responsive to detecting that the virtual server is not available.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises obtaining, by the device, one or more metrics from the backup virtual server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises load balancing, by the device, the virtual server based on the load determined using the metric of the backup virtual server.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting, by the device, that the backup virtual server is no longer available.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising identifying, by the device, a second backup virtual server to the virtual server is available while maintaining the status of the virtual server as available.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining a second load of the virtual server using a second metric from the second backup virtual server.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining a second load of the virtual server using a metric from the backup virtual server and a second metric from the second backup virtual server.

11. A system of load balancing a virtual server using a metric from a backup virtual server, the system comprising:

a device intermediary to a plurality of clients and a plurality of servers;

a virtual server executing on the device, the virtual server managing access to the plurality of servers by the plurality of clients;

a backup virtual server to the virtual server;

a monitor executing on the device detecting that the virtual server is not available;

wherein responsive to identifying that the backup virtual server is available, the device maintains a status of the virtual server as available and determines a load of the virtual server using a metric of the backup virtual server.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the backup virtual server executes on the device and the device identifies that the backup virtual server is available responsive to detecting that the virtual server is not available.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the monitor detects from monitoring the virtual server, that the virtual server is not available.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the device maintains the status of the virtual server by not changing the status of the virtual server responsive to detecting that the virtual server is not available.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the device obtains one or more metrics from the backup virtual server.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein a load balancer load balances the virtual server based on the load determined using the metric of the backup virtual server.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the device detects that the backup virtual server is no longer available.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the device identifies a second backup virtual server to the virtual server is available while maintaining the status of the virtual server as available.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the device determines a second load of the virtual server using a second metric from the second backup virtual server.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the device determines a second load of the virtual server using a metric from the backup virtual server and a second metric from the second backup virtual server.