Routing of communications to one or more processors performing one or more services according to a load balancing function

• US 9,736,234 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2016
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SonicWALL US Holdings, Inc. (SonicWall Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Aventail LLC
• Inventors: Hopen, Chris A., Tomlinson, Gary B., Brooke, John, Brown, Derek W., Burdge, Jonathan, Erickson, Rodger D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Joo, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US15/007,092
• Publication Number:
  US 20160164956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2007 using redundant communication media
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/121 by minimising delays
• 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
• 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 67/1017 based on a round robin mechanism
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1038 Load balancing arrangements to avoid a single path through a load balancer

Abstract

The present disclosure identifies topologies of a computer network where one network appliance may be configured as a master network appliance and where that master network appliance may communicate over a network communication interface with one or more slave network appliances. Computer networks of the present disclosure may include a switch and a firewall where the switch may be coupled to several network appliances via different network communication interfaces.

Claims

1. A method for routing communications in a computer network, the method comprising:

receiving a selection to provision a master network appliance on the computer network at management console service at the master network appliance,

identifying that communications can be sent over a backplane at a first network appliance to at least one other network appliance, wherein the backplane is a low latency network communication link between the first network appliance and the at least one other network appliance that provides a dedicated bandwidth for communications between the first network appliance and the at least one other network appliance;

identifying an internet protocol address of the at least one other network appliance, wherein the at least one other network appliance is a slave network appliance to the master network appliance; and

provisioning configuration data to the slave network appliance by the master network appliance, wherein;

the configuration data identifies a topology of the computer network,

the topology of the computer network including a first firewall and a switch,

the first firewall communicates with the switch over a first network communication interface at the switch, and

the switch communicates with the master network appliance over a second communication interface at the switch and communicates with the slave network appliance over a third network communication interface at the switch.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the low latency network communication link is a fourth network communication interface of the computer network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration data is stored at the master network appliance and at the slave network appliance.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the master network appliance sending updated configuration data to at least the slave network appliance.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network appliance is the master network appliance.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network appliance is a second slave network appliance.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the configuration data is sent from the master network appliance to the slave network appliance over the low latency network communication link.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program executable by a processor for performing a method for routing communications in a computer network, the method comprising:

receiving a selection to provision a master network appliance on the computer network at management console service at the master network appliance,

identifying that communications can be sent over a backplane at a first network appliance to at least one other network appliance, wherein the backplane is a low latency network communication link between the first network appliance and the at least one other network appliance that provides a dedicated bandwidth for communications between the first network appliance and the at least one other network appliance;

identifying an internet protocol address of the at least one other network appliance, wherein the at least one other network appliance is a slave network appliance to the master network appliance; and

provisioning configuration data to the slave network appliance by the master network appliance, wherein;

the configuration data identifies a topology of the computer network,

the topology of the computer network including a first firewall and a switch,

the first firewall communicates with the switch over a first network communication interface at the switch, and

the switch communicates with the master network appliance over a second communication interface at the switch and communicates with the slave network appliance over a third network communication interface at the switch.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the low latency network communication link is a fourth network communication interface of the computer network.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the configuration data is stored at the master network appliance and at the slave network appliance.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the program is further executable to send updated configuration data to at least the slave network appliance.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first network appliance is the master network appliance.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first network appliance is a second slave network appliance.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the configuration data is sent from the master network appliance to the slave network appliance over the low latency network communication link.

15. A system for routing communications in a computer network, the method comprising:

a first network appliance that receives a selection to provision a master network appliance on the computer network at management console service at a network appliance, wherein the first network appliance is provisioned as the master network appliance, the master network appliance includes a backplane, and the master network appliance identifies that communications can be sent over the backplane;

a second network appliance, wherein the backplane is included in a low latency network communication link for the communications between the master network appliance and the second network appliance, the low latency network communication link providing a dedicated bandwidth for communications between the master network appliance and the second network appliance, wherein;

an internet protocol address of the second network appliance is identified, and the second network appliance is a slave network appliance to the master network appliance,

configuration data is provisioned to the slave network appliance by the master network appliance, and

the configuration data identifies a topology of the computer network,

a first firewall; and

a switch, wherein;

the topology of the computer network includes the first firewall and the switch,

the first firewall communicates with the switch over a first network communication interface at the switch, and the switch communicates with the master network appliance over a second communication interface at the switch and communicates with the slave network appliance over a third network communication interface at the switch.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the low latency network communication link includes a fourth network communication interface of the computer network.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the configuration data is stored at the master network appliance and at the slave network appliance.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the master network appliance sends updated configuration data to at least the slave network appliance.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the configuration data is sent from the master network appliance to the slave network appliance over the low latency network communication link.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising a second slave network appliance that receives the configuration data from the master network appliance.