IDENTITY-AWARE LOAD BALANCING

• US 20150244626A1
• Filed: 02/25/2014
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Childress, Rhonda L., Kumhyr, David B., Dods, Craig C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,577,940 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/622 Queue service order
• 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 67/1014 based on the content of a request

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product for identity-aware load balancing are provided in the illustrative embodiments. A sender of a packet is identified using an attribute communicated with the packet. The attribute is sufficient to identify a sender of the packet. The packet is directed to a set of resources managed by a load balancing application. A rule corresponding to the sender is selected. The rule is executed to identify a characteristic of an algorithm usable in a load balancing operation of the load balancing application. The packet and the identified characteristic of the algorithm are communicated to the load balancer. The communicating causes the load balancer to select an algorithm for a load balancing operation with the packet such that the selected algorithm includes the identified characteristic of the algorithm.

Claims

1. A method for identity-aware load balancing, the method comprising:

identifying, at an application executing in a data processing system, a sender of a packet using an attribute communicated with the packet, wherein the attribute is sufficient to identify a sender of the packet, and wherein the packet is directed to a set of resources managed by a load balancing application;

selecting a rule corresponding to the sender;

executing, using a processor and a memory, the rule to identify a characteristic of an algorithm usable in a load balancing operation of the load balancing application; and

communicating the packet and the identified characteristic of the algorithm to the load balancer, wherein the communicating causes the load balancer to select an algorithm for a load balancing operation with the packet such that the selected algorithm includes the identified characteristic of the algorithm.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the load balancer to switch from a previously selected algorithm for the load balancing operation to the selected algorithm having the identified characteristic of the algorithm, wherein the previously selected algorithm does not include the characteristic of the algorithm.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the algorithm identifies a specific algorithm.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the algorithm comprises a type of algorithm.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each resource in the set of resources is configured to perform at least one operation in a manner similar to one another, further comprising:

identifying, from executing the rule, a characteristic of a resource to select the resource from the set of resources for processing the packet.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the characteristic of the resource identifies a subset of resources, wherein each resource in the subset includes the characteristic of the resource.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the characteristic of the resource identifies a capability available at the resource.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

verifying, using an identity verification entity, an identity of the sender from the attribute.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining whether the sender is authorized to send the packet.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the packet; and

receiving the attribute, wherein the attribute identifies a role of the sender.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the sender is a user, and wherein the role is associated with the user.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the sender comprises an application associated with a user, wherein the role is associated with the user, and wherein the application presents the role in the attribute on behalf of the user.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the sender comprises a data processing system associated with a user, wherein the role is associated with the user, and wherein the data processing system presents the role in the attribute on behalf of the user.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is embodied in a computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and computer-readable program instructions which are stored on the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and executed by one or more processors.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is embodied in a computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and program instructions which are stored on the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices for execution by the one or more processors via the one or more memories and executed by the one or more processors.

16. A computer program product for identity-aware load balancing, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to identify, at an application executing in a data processing system, a sender of a packet using an attribute communicated with the packet, wherein the attribute is sufficient to identify a sender of the packet, and wherein the packet is directed to a set of resources managed by a load balancing application;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to select a rule corresponding to the sender;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to execute the rule to identify a characteristic of an algorithm usable in a load balancing operation of the load balancing application; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to communicate the packet and the identified characteristic of the algorithm to the load balancer, wherein the communicating causes the load balancer to select an algorithm for a load balancing operation with the packet such that the selected algorithm includes the identified characteristic of the algorithm.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to cause the load balancer to switch from a previously selected algorithm for the load balancing operation to the selected algorithm having the identified characteristic of the algorithm, wherein the previously selected algorithm does not include the characteristic of the algorithm.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the characteristic of the algorithm identifies a specific algorithm.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the characteristic of the algorithm comprises a type of algorithm.

20. A computer system for identity-aware load balancing, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories and one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to identify, at an application executing in a data processing system, a sender of a packet using an attribute communicated with the packet, wherein the attribute is sufficient to identify a sender of the packet, and wherein the packet is directed to a set of resources managed by a load balancing application;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to select a rule corresponding to the sender;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to execute the rule to identify a characteristic of an algorithm usable in a load balancing operation of the load balancing application; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to communicate the packet and the identified characteristic of the algorithm to the load balancer, wherein the communicating causes the load balancer to select an algorithm for a load balancing operation with the packet such that the selected algorithm includes the identified characteristic of the algorithm.