Method and system for selecting a computing device for maintaining a client session in response to a request packet

• US 9,100,409 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2012
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cloudrock LLC (Slingshot Technologies LLC)
• Original Assignee: Noatak Software LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Berg, Mitchell T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Won, Michael Y
• Application Number:
  US13/674,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20130073739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/227, 709/238, 709/248
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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 67/101 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 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1019 Random or heuristic server selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1023 based on a hash applied to IP addresses or costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1027 Persistence of sessions during load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/164 Adaptation or special uses of UDP protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A server farm for processing client requests comprising a first server having a first processor and a first network interface controller communicatively coupled to the first processor, and a second server comprising a second processor and communicatively coupled to the first server, wherein the first network interface controller is configured to maintain a state table associated with at least the first server and the second server and respond to receipt of a request packet from a client by, initiating by the first processor execution of a software application associated with the request packet when the state table corresponds to a first state, and selectively forwarding the request packet to the second server when the state table corresponds to a second state.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a first computing device, a first packet, wherein the first packet is a request packet originating from a client, wherein the received request packet includes an identifier;

identifying a computing device associated with the identifier;

if the identified computing device is the first computing device, performing a first operation in response to the request packet; and

if the identified computing device is a second computing device, including, in a header of a second packet, a field that indicates the second packet is a forwarded packet, and communicating the second packet to the second computing device to perform the first operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the computing device associated with the identifier comprises determining whether the computing device stores a data structure of the connection with the client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second packet includes the request packet.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the header further comprises a reference, wherein the reference includes an IP address of the client and an IP address of the second computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the request packet through a global computer network.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising communicating the second packet to the second computing device through a local area network when the identified computing device is the second computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first operation is a socket-based application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computing device comprises a network interface card.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is a first destination server in a server farm and the second computing device is a second destination server in the server farm.

10. A system comprising:

a first computing device configured to;

receive a first packet, wherein the first packet is a request packet originating from a client, wherein the received request packet includes an identifier;

identify a computing device associated with the identifier;

if the identified computing device is the first computing device, perform a first operation in response to the request packet; and

if the identified computing device is a second computing device, include, in a header of a second packet, a field that indicates the second packet is a forwarded packet, and communicate the second packet to the second computing device to perform the first operation.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the identifier is a session identifier.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the session identifier is an HTTP session identifier.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the identifier is a URL identifier.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the identifier is an SSL identifier.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the first computing device is configured to identify the computing device associated with the identifier by determining whether the computing device stores a data structure of the connection with the client.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium containing computer-executable instructions stored thereon, execution of which by a network processor of an intelligent network interface controller of a first server of an information processing system causes the intelligent network interface controller to perform operations in handling requests from clients referencing a single session that is associated with multiple connections, the operations comprising:

receiving a first packet, wherein the first packet is a request packet originating from a client, wherein the received request packet includes an identifier;

identifying a computing device associated with the identifier;

if the identified computing device is the first computing device, performing a first operation in response to the request packet; and

if the identified computing device is a second computing device, including, in a header of a second packet, a field that indicates the second packet is a forwarded packet, and communicating the second packet to the second computing device to perform the first operation.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 16, wherein the header includes a reference, wherein the reference includes an IP address of the client and an IP address of the second computing device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 16, further comprising receiving the request packet through a global computer network.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 16, further comprising communicating the second packet to the second computing device through a local area network when the identified computing device is the second computing device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 16, wherein the first operation is a socket-based application.