LOAD BALANCING UTILIZING ADAPTIVE THRESHOLDING

• US 20120254300A1
• Filed: 04/03/2012
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dan Mihai Dumitriu, Swaminathan Sivasubramanian, Vivek Rai
• Original Assignee: Dan Mihai Dumitriu, Swaminathan Sivasubramanian, Vivek Rai
• Inventors: Rai, Vivek, Dumitriu, Dan Mihai, Sivasubramanian, Swaminathan
• Granted Patent: US 8,576,710 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• 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

Abstract

Methods and systems for processing data requests in a client-server computing environment, such as the Web, are disclosed. A client device initially transmits a data request to a randomly selected first server device. The first server device may reject the data request if its request queue threshold is exceeded. The client device retransmits the data request, including the request queue threshold, to a randomly selected second server device. The second server device may reject the data request if the request queue threshold of the first server device is smaller than a request queue threshold of the second server device. The client device transmits the data request back to the first server device, including the request queue threshold of the second server device. The first server device processes the data request and adjusts its request queue threshold based on the request queue thresholds of the first and second server devices.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of operating a server computing device to process data requests, the method comprising:

receiving a first data request from a client computing device at a first server computing device, wherein the first data request includes a second queue threshold obtained from a second server computing device;

comparing, by the first server computing device, a first queue threshold associated with the first server computing device and the second queue threshold obtained from the second server computing device;

determining, by the first server computing device, whether to process the data request at the first server computing device based on the comparison of the first queue threshold and the second queue threshold; and

managing, by the first server computing device, the first queue threshold based on the comparison of the first and second queue thresholds; and

processing the data request, at the first server computing device, based on the comparison of the first and second queue thresholds.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a first data request comprises receiving the data request from a network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first queue threshold is indicative of a number of data requests that can be placed in a first request queue for processing by the first server computing device before the first server computing device rejects a data request.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second queue threshold is indicative of a number of data requests that can be placed in a second request queue for processing by the second server computing device before the second serving computing device rejects a data request.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first request queue is operable to hold a plurality of data requests.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the second request queue is operable to hold a plurality of data requests.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein managing the first queue threshold comprises determining whether the first queue threshold is less than or equal to the second queue threshold.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein processing the data request based on the comparison of the first and second threshold includes processing the data request at the first server device responsive to a determination that the first queue threshold is less than or equal to the second queue threshold.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein processing the data request based on the comparison of the first and second threshold includes rejecting the data request at the first server device responsive to a determination that the first queue threshold is not less than or equal to the second queue threshold.

10. A system for load balancing comprising:

a first server operable to receive and process data requests from client computers, wherein the first server includes a first data store coupled with the first server for storing information associated with a data request and a first request queue including a first queue threshold, the first request queue operable to store a first number of data requests, the first number of data requests being less than the first queue threshold; and

a second server, coupled with a network, operable to receive and process data requests from client computers, wherein the second server includes a second data store coupled with the second server for storing information associated with a data request and a second request queue including a second queue threshold, the second request queue operable to store a second number of data requests, the second number of data requests being less than the second queue threshold;

wherein the first server receives a first data request including the second queue threshold from a client computer and manages the processing of the data request based on a comparison of the first and second queue thresholds.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first server includes a queue processing application operable to manage the first request queue.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the second server includes a queue processing application operable to manage the second request queue.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the queue processing application is a stand-alone application.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first server increases the first queue threshold to be equal to the second queue threshold if the comparison of the first queue threshold and the second queue threshold indicates that the first queue threshold is less than the second queue threshold.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the first server increases the first queue threshold by a predetermined amount if the comparison of the first queue threshold and the second queue threshold indicates that the first queue threshold is equal to the second queue threshold.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the first server processes the first data request if the comparison of the first queue threshold and the second queue threshold indicates that the second queue threshold is greater than the first queue threshold.

17. A system for managing requests comprising:

a data store; and

a first server, coupled with the data store and a network, operable to obtain and process a data request from a client computer, the first server including;

a first request queue having a first queue threshold; and

a queue processing application operable to;

receive a first data request including a second queue threshold from the client computer, wherein the second queue threshold corresponds to a second server;

process the second queue threshold to compare the first queue threshold and the second queue threshold; and

provide a rejection message including the first queue threshold based on the comparison of the first queue threshold and the second queue threshold.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the data store comprises a local database.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the data store comprises a remote database.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the first server increases the first queue threshold to be equal to the second queue threshold if the first queue threshold is less than the second queue threshold.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the first server increases the first queue threshold by a predetermined amount if the first queue threshold is equal to the second queue threshold.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the first server processes the data request if the second queue threshold is greater than the first queue threshold.