Scalable network apparatus for content based switching or validation acceleration

• US 8,862,773 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2012
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Abjanic, John B., Marlatt, David A., Malo, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUOC H
• Application Number:
  US13/706,286
• Publication Number:
  US 20130173786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• Field of Search: 709/230, 709/238.246
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6852 Catheters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0266 using meta-data, objects or commands for formatting management information, e.g. using eXtensible markup language [XML]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/28 in relation to timing considerations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/31 by tagging of packets, e.g. using discard eligibility [DE] bits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/33 using forward notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/252 Store and forward routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0471 applying encryption by an intermediary, e.g. receiving clear information at the intermediary and encrypting the received information at the intermediary before forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/562 Brokering proxy services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A network apparatus is provided that may include one or more security accelerators. The network apparatus also includes a plurality of network units cascaded together. According to one embodiment, the plurality of network units comprise a plurality of content based message directors, each to route or direct received messages to one of a plurality of application servers based upon the application data in the message. According to another embodiment, the plurality of network units comprise a plurality of validation accelerators, each validation accelerator to validate at least a portion of a message before outputting the message.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a XML message at a first message director, the message including XML application data;

determining whether a condition is met;

forwarding the message to a second message director for processing if the condition is met;

otherwise, if the condition is not met, then processing the message at the first message director by;

parsing at least a portion of the message;

comparing the XML application data in the message to one or more patterns; and

directing or routing the message to a processing node based upon the comparing.

2. The method of claim 1, the XML application data comprises XML business transaction information.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising the condition associated with loading criteria for the first message director.

4. The method of claim 1, the condition comprises one or more of the following:

a traffic load at the first message director exceeds a threshold;

an address or port number or other field of the received message does not match one or more predetermined values;

a message queue in the first message director reaches a predetermined level of fullness;

the first message director is busy or resources are low;

a round-robin or other algorithm determines that the second message director should process the received message;

or

a failure has occurred in the first message director.

5. The method of claim 4, the traffic load measured on one of a per-connection, per-packet or per-message basis, the traffic load measured by the first message director.

6. A method comprising:

receiving, at a first validation accelerator, a message;

determining whether the message should be validated at the first validation accelerator based on whether a condition is met;

forwarding the message to a second validation accelerator if the condition is met;

otherwise, if the condition is not met, performing the following at the first validation accelerator;

parsing the message;

obtaining a validation template;

validating at least a portion of the message based on the validation template;

providing an indication in the message that the message has been validated; and

forwarding the message.

7. The method of claim 6, the message comprises XML application data and parsing and validating includes parsing and validating the XML data.

8. The method of claim 6, comprising the condition associated with loading criteria for the first validation accelerator.

9. The method of claim 6, the condition comprises one or more of the following:

a traffic load at the first validation accelerator exceeds a threshold;

an address or port number or other field of the received message does not match one or more predetermined values;

a message queue in the first validation accelerator reaches a predetermined level of fullness;

the first validation accelerator is busy or resources are low;

a round-robin or other algorithm determines that the second validation accelerator should process the received message;

a failure has occurred in the first validation accelerator; and

an inspection of the message indicates that the message has not yet been validated.

10. The method of claim 9, the traffic load measured on one of a per-connection, per-packet or per-message basis, the traffic load measured by the first validation accelerator.