Content Based Load Balancer

• US 20090157678A1
• Filed: 12/18/2007
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Turk, Mladen
• Granted Patent: US 8,554,790 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24552 Database cache management

Abstract

A content based load balancing system receives a request for data provided by a resource. The content based load balancing system searches a content history cache for a content history cache entry corresponding to the requested data. The content based history cache then selects a resource node to service the request based on the content history cache entry corresponding to the data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a request at a load balancing module for data provided by a resource;

searching a content history cache for a content history cache entry corresponding to the data; and

selecting a resource node to service the request based on the content history cache entry corresponding to the data.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein searching the content history cache comprises:

searching for an exact match to a data identifier from the request.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein searching the content history cache comprises:

searching for a pattern match to a data identifier from the request.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein selecting the resource node comprises:

selecting the resource node based on a weighting and validity of the content history cache entry.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating the content history cache entry with response data from the resource node.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the updating comprises:

modifying the weighting and validity of the content history cache entry.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a resource node based on a non-content based load balancing scheme in response to a cache miss during the searching.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying a validity of the content history cache entry in response to predetermined criteria.

9. A computer readable medium, having instructions stored therein, which when executed, cause a computer to perform a set of operations comprising:

receiving a request at a load balancing module for data provided by a resource;

searching a content history cache for a content history cache entry corresponding to the data; and

selecting a resource node to service the request based on the content history cache entry corresponding to the data.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein searching the content history cache comprises:

searching for an exact match to a data identifier from the request.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein searching the content history cache comprise:

searching for a pattern match to a data identifier from the request.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein selecting the resource node comprises:

selecting the resource node based on a weighting and validity of the content history cache entry.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 9, having further instructions therein, which when executed, cause the computer to perform a further set of operations, further comprising:

updating the content history cache entry with response data from the resource node.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the updating comprises:

modifying the weighting and validity of the content history cache entry.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 9, having further instructions stored therein, which when executed perform a set of operations, further comprising:

selecting a resource node based on a non-content based load balancing scheme in response to a cache miss during the searching.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 9, having further instructions stored therein, which when executed perform a set of operations, further comprising:

modifying a validity of the content history cache entry in response to predetermined criteria.

17. A system comprising:

a content history cache module to store a plurality of entries each of the plurality of entries indicating a resource node that serviced a prior request; and

a resource matching module to search the content history cache to find an entry indicating one of a plurality of resource nodes that previously serviced a request similar or identical to an incoming resource request.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a request parsing module to parse the incoming resource request to determine a requested data identifier.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a response update module to update a validity and weight of an entry in response to receiving a resource node response to the incoming resource request.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a cache maintenance module to periodically update the validity of the content history cache entries in response to predetermined criteria.