Combining stateless and stateful server load balancing

• US 10,484,465 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2017
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A10 Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: A10 Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Jalan, Rajkumar, Xu, Feilong, Kannan, Lalgudi Narayanan, Szeto, Ronald Wai Lun
• Primary Examiner(s): O Connor, Brian T
• Application Number:
  US15/858,578
• Publication Number:
  US 20180124169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• 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 67/1027 Persistence of sessions during load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• 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 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data

Abstract

The processing of data packets sent over a communication session between a host and a server by a service gateway includes processing a data packet using a current hybrid-stateful or hybrid-stateless processing method. The processing then checks whether a hybrid-stateless or hybrid-stateful condition is satisfied. When one of the sets of conditions is satisfied, the process includes changing from a hybrid-stateful to a hybrid-stateless processing method, or vice versa, for a subsequently received data packet. If the conditions are not satisfied, the process continues as originally structured.

Claims

1. A method for processing data packets sent over a communication session between a host and a server by a service gateway, comprising:

determining, by the service gateway, that a hybrid-stateless condition is satisfied; and

based on the determination that the hybrid-stateless condition is satisfied, processing a subsequently received data packet, by the service gateway, using a hybrid-stateless processing by matching data included in the subsequently received data packet to a service mapping table to determine, based on the match, a server to which the subsequently received data packet is to be sent.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining, by the service gateway, that the hybrid-stateless condition is satisfied comprises determining, by the service gateway, that a time duration stored in a memory exceeds a predetermined time duration.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining, by the service gateway, that the hybrid-stateless condition is satisfied comprises receiving, from an administrator, the hybrid-stateless condition.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the administrator comprises:

a human operator;

a network management system;

or

a storage medium storing the hybrid-stateless condition.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the service gateway, that the hybrid-stateless condition is not satisfied, and

based on the determination that the hybrid-stateless condition is not satisfied, processing, by the service gateway, the subsequently received data packet using a hybrid-stateful processing.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining that the hybrid-stateless condition is not satisfied includes determining that a time duration stored in a memory does not exceed the predetermined time duration.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the service gateway is configured to maintain a session table and the service mapping table in a storage.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid-stateless condition comprises a predetermined session rate, the determining by the service gateway that the hybrid-stateless condition is satisfied comprising:

calculating a session rate for a plurality of communication sessions received by the service gateway;

determining that the calculated session rate is greater than or equals the predetermined session rate by the service gateway; and

in response to determining that the calculated session rate is greater than or equals the predetermined session rate, determining, by the service gateway, that the hybrid-stateless condition is satisfied.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the calculated session rate comprises:

a difference between a count of received service requests and a count of received service termination requests over a predetermined period of time or

a count of service requests over the predetermined period of time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid-stateless condition comprises a predetermined session table utilization, wherein the determining, by the service gateway, that the hybrid-stateless condition is satisfied comprises:

counting a number of stored session entries in the session table by the service gateway;

determining that the number of stored session entries exceeds or is equal to the predetermined session table utilization by the service gateway; and

in response to determining that the number of stored session entries exceeds or is equal to the predetermined session table utilization, determining by the service gateway that the hybrid-stateless condition is satisfied.

11. A system, comprising:

a service gateway comprising a processor and a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code configured to;

determine that a hybrid-stateful condition is satisfied; and

in response to determining that the hybrid-stateful condition is satisfied, process a subsequently received data packet using a hybrid-stateful processing method by matching data included in the subsequently received data packet to a service mapping table to determine, based on the match, a server to which the subsequently received data packet is to be sent.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the determination that the hybrid-stateful condition is satisfied comprises:

comparing a time duration stored in a memory against a predetermined time duration by the service gateway; and

determining that the time duration stored in the memory exceeds the predetermined time duration.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the determination that the hybrid-stateful condition is satisfied comprises receiving, from an administrator, the hybrid-stateful condition by the service gateway.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the administrator comprises:

a human operator;

a network management system;

or

a storage medium storing the hybrid-stateful condition.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

determining that that the hybrid-stateful condition is not satisfied; and

based on the determination that the hybrid-stateful condition is not satisfied, process the subsequently received data packet using the hybrid-stateful processing method.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the hybrid-stateless processing method utilizes the session table and a service mapping table at the service gateway.

17. A method for processing data packets sent over a communication session between a host and a server by a service gateway, the method comprising:

determining, by the service gateway, that a hybrid-stateful condition is satisfied; and

in response to determining that the hybrid-stateful condition is satisfied, processing a subsequently received data packet by the service gateway using a hybrid-stateful processing method by matching data included in the subsequently received data packet to a session table to determine, based on the matching, a server to which the subsequently received data packet is to be sent.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the determining by the service gateway whether the hybrid-stateful condition is satisfied comprises:

comparing a time duration stored in memory against a predetermined time duration by the service gateway;

determining that the time duration stored in memory exceeds the predetermined time duration; and

in response to determining that the time duration stored in memory exceeds the predetermined time duration, determining by the service gateway that the hybrid-stateful condition is satisfied.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the hybrid-stateful condition comprises a predetermined session rate, wherein the determining, by the service gateway, that the hybrid-stateful condition is satisfied comprises:

calculating a session rate for a plurality of communication sessions received by the service gateway;

determining that the calculated session rate is less than the predetermined session rate by the service gateway; and

in response to determining that the calculated session rate is less than the predetermined session rate.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the calculated session rate comprises:

a difference between a count of received service requests and a count of received service termination requests over a predetermined period of time or

a count of service requests over the predetermined period of time.