Load-Balanced, Persistent Connection Techniques

• US 20140304418A1
• Filed: 04/08/2013
• Published: 10/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rawles, LLC (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Torok, Fred, Gundeti, Vikram Kumar, Deramat, Frederic Johan Georges, VanLund, Peter Spalding
• Granted Patent: US 9,781,214 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2503 Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1006 with static server selection, e.g. the same server being selected for a specific client
• 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 67/143 Termination or inactivation of sessions, e.g. event-controlled end of session
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/145 avoiding end of session, e.g. keep-alive, heartbeats, resumption message or wake-up for inactive or interrupted session
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/25 Maintenance of established connections

Abstract

Techniques for creating a persistent connection between client devices and one or more remote computing resources, which may form a portion of a network-accessible computing platform. This connection may be considered “permanent” or “nearly permanent” to allow the client device to both send data to and receive data from the remote resources at nearly any time. In addition, both the client device and the remote resources may establish virtual channels over this single connection. If no data is exchanged between the client device and the remote computing resources for a threshold amount of time, then the connection may be severed and the client device may attempt to establish a new connection with the remote computing resources.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

receiving, from a client device, a first request to establish a connection between the client device and a server instance;

establishing a connection between the client device and a first server instance of multiple server instances at least partly in response to receiving the first request;

dropping the connection at least partly based on an amount of data transferred between the client device and the first server instance over a period of time; and

receiving, from the client device at least partly in response to the dropping, a second request to establish a connection with a server instance.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, the acts further comprising, prior to the dropping, iterating between sending data from the client device over a first channel of the connection to first the server instance and receiving data at the client device over a second channel of the connection from the first server instance.

3. A system as recited in claim 1, the acts further comprising storing an indication that the client device has established the connection with the first server instance, the indication comprising a device identifier (DID) associated with the client device and an identifier of the first server instance.

4. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein dropping the connection at least partly based on an amount of data transferred between the client device and the first server instance over a period of time comprises dropping the connection when no data has been transferred between the client device and the first server instance for 15 minutes.

5. An apparatus comprising:

a microphone unit to detect sound and generate a first audio signal based on the sound;

a speaker to output sound corresponding to a second audio signal received from one or more network-accessible computing resources;

one or more processors; and

memory storing an address and computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

establishing, using the address, a connection between the apparatus and the one or more network-accessible computing resources;

sending, via the connection, the first audio signal to the one or more network-accessible computing resources;

receiving, via the connection, the second audio signal from the one or more network-accessible computing resources; and

severing the connection at least partly based on at least one of an amount of data transferred from the apparatus to the one or more network-accessible computing resources over a period of time or an amount of data transferred from the one or more network-accessible computing resources to the apparatus over a period of time.

6. An apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein the sending of the first audio signal and the receiving of second audio signal comprises iterating between sending one or more frames of the first audio signal over a first channel of the connection and receiving one or more frames of the second audio signal over a second channel of the connection.

7. An apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein the address comprises a virtual internet protocol (VIP) address that maps to multiple server instances of the one or more network-accessible computing resources.

8. An apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein the connection is a first connection, and the severing comprises:

determining that no data has been transferred between the apparatus and the one or more network-accessible computing resources for a period of time;

severing the first connection; and

establishing, using the address, a second connection between the apparatus and the one or more network-accessible computing resources.

9. One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

establishing a connection between a client device and a server instance;

generating, at a microphone of the client device, an audio signal that includes a voice command from a user;

providing the audio signal to the server instance;

receiving a response to the voice command from the server instance;

outputting the response via a speaker of the client device;

dropping the connection and re-establishing a subsequent connection based at least partly on a property of the connection.

10. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the property of the connection comprises:

an amount of data transferred between the client device and the server instance over a period of time, an amount of data transferred from the client device to the server instance over a period of time, an amount of data transferred from the server instance to the client device over a period of time, a duration of the connection, or a bandwidth of the connection.

11. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, the acts further comprising iterating between sending data from the client device over a first channel of the connection to the server instance and receiving data at the client device over a second channel of the connection from the server instance.

12. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the establishing of the connection occurs at least partly in response to the client device being powered on.

13. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the establishing of the connection comprises using a virtual internet protocol (VIP) address, the VIP address corresponding to a load-balancing service that balances load between the server instance and one or more other server instances.

14. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein:

the server instance forms a portion of a network-accessible computing platform; and

the establishing of the connection occurs regardless of whether the client device has data to send to the network-accessible computing platform.

15. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, the acts further comprising iterating between sending data from the client device over a first channel of the connection to the server instance and receiving data at the client device over a second channel of the connection from the server instance, and wherein the sending of the data from the client device over the first channel comprises sending an audio signal generated by the client device based on sound detected within an environment in which the client device resides.

16. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 9, wherein the re-establishing comprises attempting to re-establish a subsequent connection a certain amount of time after the dropping, the certain amount of time including a degree of randomness.

17. One or more computing devices comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

receiving, from a client device, a request to establish a connection with a server instance;

routing the request such that the client device establishes a connection with a first server instance of multiple server instances; and

severing the connection based at least partly in response to a property of the connection, a property of the first server instance, or a property of the client device.

18. One or more computing devices as recited in claim 17, wherein the property of the connection comprises an amount of data sent to the client device from the first server instance or received by the first server instance from the client device over a period of time.

19. One or more computing devices as recited in claim 17, wherein the property of the first server instance comprises an indication that a physical server hosting the first server instance is being shut down.

20. One or more computing devices as recited in claim 17, wherein the request is received by a load-balancing service that is associated with a virtual internet protocol (VIP) address called by the client device.

21. One or more computing devices as recited in claim 17, wherein the property of the client device is that the client device is not authorized to connect to the first server instance.

22. One or more computing devices as recited in claim 17, the acts further comprising storing an indication that the client device has established the connection with the first server instance, the indication comprising a device identifier (DID) associated with the client device and an identifier associated with the first server instance.

23. One or more computing devices as recited in claim 22, the acts further comprising:

accessing, by a computing device, the indication to obtain an identifier of the first server instance;

sending, by the computing device, data to the first server instance, the data intended for the client device; and

sending, by the first server instance, the data to the client device.

24. One or more computing devices as recited in claim 23, wherein the data comprises an audio signal for output on a speaker of the client device.

25. One or more computing devices as recited in claim 23, wherein the data comprises a control message instructing the client device to perform a particular operation.

26. One or more computing devices as recited in claim 17, the acts further comprising establishing, by the server instance, a first channel of the connection over which to send data to the client device and receiving data at the server instance and from the client device over a second channel of the connection.

27. One or more computing devices as recited in claim 26, wherein the first channel and the second channel are multiplexed.