Scalable network apparatus for content based switching or validation acceleration

• US 9,473,411 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2015
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• 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. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUOC H
• Application Number:
  US14/701,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20150236958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 system comprising:

a first message director comprising hardware, the first message director to;

receive a message written in an XML-based language, the message comprising application data;

determine whether one or more configuration patterns of at least one configuration pattern match the application data of the message;

if no configuration patterns of the at least one configuration pattern match the application data of the message, select a predetermined default application server of a plurality of application servers;

if a first configuration pattern of the at least one configuration pattern matches the application data of the message, select a first application server from the plurality of application servers based on the first configuration pattern;

direct the message towards the selected application server; and

block a second message written in an XML-based language when application data of the second message matches a second configuration pattern of the at least one configuration pattern.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a security accelerator to perform decryption of the message before the message is passed to the first message director.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a validation accelerator to validate the message against an XML schema.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the selection of the first application server is further to be based on a load balancing technique.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second message director to:

determine whether one or more configuration patterns of the at least one configuration pattern match application data of a second message written in the XML-based language; and

direct the second message towards an application server selected based on a match between a configuration pattern of the at least one configuration pattern and application data of the second message.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the second message is to be forwarded to the second message director when a spillover feature of the first message director is enabled and a loading criteria is met.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the loading criteria is based on whether the first message director can process the message within a predetermined time limit.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the loading criteria is based on processing capacity of the first message director.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the loading criteria is based on a traffic load of the first message director.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the loading criteria is based on a predetermined number of active connections.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the application data comprises business transaction information describing at least a portion of a transaction to occur with the selected application server.

12. At least one machine readable non-transitory storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions when executed by at least one processor to cause a first message director to:

receive a message written in an XML-based language, the message comprising application data;

determine whether one or more configuration patterns of at least one configuration pattern match the application data of the message;

if no configuration patterns of the at least one configuration pattern match the application data of the message, select a predetermined default application server of a plurality of application servers;

if a first configuration pattern of the at least one configuration pattern matches the application data of the message, select a first application server from the plurality of application servers based on the first configuration pattern;

direct the message towards the selected application server; and

block a second message written in an XML-based language when application data of the second message matches a second configuration pattern of the at least one configuration pattern.

13. The medium of claim 12, the instructions when executed by at least one processor to further cause a security accelerator to perform decryption of the message before the message is passed to the first message director.

14. The medium of claim 12, the instructions when executed by at least one processor to further cause a validation accelerator to validate the message against an XML schema.

15. The medium of claim 12, wherein the selection of the first application server is further to be based on a load balancing technique.

16. The medium of claim 12, the instructions when executed by at least one processor to further cause a second message director to:

determine whether one or more configuration patterns of the at least one configuration pattern match application data of a second message written in the XML-based language; and

direct the second message towards an application server selected based on a match between a configuration pattern of the at least one configuration pattern and application data of the second message.

17. The medium of claim 16, wherein the second message is to be forwarded to the second message director when a spillover feature of the first message director is enabled and a loading criteria is met.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein the loading criteria is based on whether the first message director can process the message within a predetermined time limit.

19. The medium of claim 17, wherein the loading criteria is based on processing capacity of the first message director.

20. The medium of claim 17, wherein the loading criteria is based on a traffic load of the first message director.

21. The medium of claim 17, wherein the loading criteria is based on a predetermined number of active connections.

22. The medium of claim 17, wherein the application data comprises business transaction information describing at least a portion of a transaction to occur with the selected application server.

23. A system comprising:

a plurality of application servers; and

a first message director comprising hardware, the first message director to;

receive a message written in an XML-based language, the message comprising application data;

determine whether one or more configuration patterns of at least one configuration pattern match the application data of the message;

if no configuration patterns of the at least one configuration pattern match the application data of the message, select a predetermined default application server of a plurality of application servers;

if a first configuration pattern of the at least one configuration pattern matches the application data of the message, select a first application server from the plurality of application servers based on the first configuration pattern;

direct the message towards the selected application server; and

block a second message written in an XML-based language when application data of the second message matches a second configuration pattern of the at least one configuration pattern.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the selected application server of the plurality of application servers is to perform a transaction specified by the application data.

25. The system of claim 23, further comprising a security accelerator to perform decryption of the message before the message is passed to the first message director.

26. The system of claim 23, further comprising a validation accelerator to validate the message against an XML schema.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the selection of the first application server is further to be based on a load balancing technique.

28. The system of claim 23, further comprising a second message director to:

determine whether one or more configuration patterns of the at least one configuration pattern match application data of a second message written in the XML-based language; and

direct the second message towards an application server selected based on a match between a configuration pattern of the at least one configuration pattern and application data of the second message.