CUSTOMIZABLE HIGH AVAILABILITY SWITCHOVER CONTROL OF APPLICATION DELIVERY CONTROLLERS

• US 20150381407A1
• Filed: 06/25/2014
• Published: 12/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A10 Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: A10 Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Wang, Miao, Wang, Xin
• Granted Patent: US 10,075,329 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0668 by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0823 Errors, e.g. transmission errors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/586 of virtual routers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks

Abstract

System and method of determining active/standby statuses of an intermediary device with respect to a logic group based on a user defined switchover policy. A user is allowed to configure a template to determine respective health levels for multiple sets of delivery resources. Each set of resources associated with a function engine residing in a respective intermediary device. The multiple sets of resources, in conjunction with the associated function engines, are equivalently operable to provide the same service function. The template may include user-specified events and respective weight factors. The specified events are monitored and a health score is dynamically derived for each delivery resource based on the template. Based on an updated health score rank with respect to the service function, a switchover may automatically occur from an intermediary device of a lower health score to another device with a higher health score.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for determining active/standby status for device resources:

receiving user input identifying a first set of events and a policy related to said first set of events for computing a health score for a first resource associated with a first device, wherein a second resource of equivalent function is attached to a second device;

monitoring events with respect to said first device to determine if any of said first set of events occurs;

based on said monitoring, and said user input, determining a health score for said first resource;

based on said health score for said first resource, and a health score for a second resource, determining a status of said first resource as being one of either active or standby; and

routing service requests to either said first resource of said first device or said second resource of said second device based on said status.

2. A method as described in claim 1 wherein said first device and said second device comprise application delivery controllers.

3. A method as described in claim 1 wherein said first device and second device are carrier gateway networking gateways.

4. A method as described in claim 1 wherein said first set of events comprise failover events and resource usage events.

5. A method as described in claim 4 wherein said first set of events comprise events selected from a group consisting of:

a gateway disconnection, memory usage reaching a predetermined threshold, a virtual local area network (VLAN) traffic stop, an Ethernet data port failure, a firewall failure, a trunk failure, a link failure, a buffer location failure, and a selected route being unavailable in an associated data route table.

6. A method as described in claim 1 wherein said policy comprises:

a health score for each event of said first set of events; and

a weight value for each event of said first set of events, and further comprising compiling said user input into a template and wherein said determining a health score comprises;

based on said monitoring, and said template, determining a health score for said first resource.

7. A method as described in claim 1 wherein said user input comprises a script.

8. A method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving user input identifying a second set of events and a policy related to said second set of events for computing a health score for said second resource attached to said second device;

monitoring events within said second device to determine if any of said second set of event occurs; and

based on said monitoring, and said user input, determining said health score for said second resource.

9. A method as described in claim 1, wherein first resource is configured to perform a function selected from a group consisting of load balancing, caching, task offloading, accelerated compression, connection pooling, web application firewall, content transformation, transaction assurance, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) offloading, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) optimization, virtualization awareness, and address and protocol translation.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein said set of events are pertinent to resource usage and/or errors of infrastructures selected from a group consisting of memory, a virtual local area network (VLAN), an Ethernet data port, a firewall failure, a trunk, a link, a buffer, a router, a firewall, and a processing unit.

18. An application delivery intermediary device as described in claim 16, wherein said first device and said second device comprise application delivery controllers, and wherein further said first set of events comprise failover events and resource usage events.

19. An application delivery intermediary device as described in claim 16, wherein said policy comprises a health value for each event of said first set of events;

and a weight value for each event of said first set of events, and further comprising compiling said user input into a template and wherein said determining a health score comprises;

based on said monitoring, and said template, determining a health score for said first resource.

20. An application delivery intermediary device as described in claim 16, wherein said method further comprises:

receiving user input identifying a second set of events and a policy related to said second set of events for computing a health score for said second resource attached to said second device;

monitoring events within said second device to determine if any of said second set of event occurs; and

based on said monitoring, and said user input, determining said health score for said second resource.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium embodying instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform a method of facilitating application delivery, said method comprising:

receiving user input that identifies a first set of events and a policy to said first set of events for computing health scores for a first group of resources associated with a first device, wherein said first device is communicably coupled to a second device that is associated with a second group of resources, wherein said second group have equivalent logic with said first group;

monitoring said first set of events with respect to said first device to determine if any of said first set of events occurs;

determining a health score for said first group of resources based on said monitoring said first set of events;

accessing a priority rank that is determined based on a second set of events;

monitoring said second set of events;

determining a priority value for said first group of resources based on said monitoring said second set of events; and

determining a status of said first group of resources as being either active or standby based on said health score and said priority value; and

routing service requests to either said first group of resources or said second group of resources based on said status.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as described in claim 10, said health score takes precedence over said priority value during said determining said status.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as described in claim 10, wherein said first set of events are associated with respective weight factors specified by said user input, wherein said determining said health score comprises subtracting weight factors of detected events from a preset health score.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as described in claim 10, wherein each of said first group of resources is configured to serve a respective user group.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as described in claim 10, wherein said method further comprises determining a policy template in compliance with a Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP).

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as described in claim 10, wherein said receiving comprises receiving user selections from a plurality of events through a graphical user interface.

17. An application delivery intermediary device comprising:

communication circuits;

a processor; and

memory coupled to said processor and comprising instructions that, when executed by said processor, cause the system to perform a method of facilitating application delivery between client devices and server devices with high reliability, said method comprising;

receiving user input identifying a first set of events and a policy related to said first set of events for computing a health score for a first resource attached to a first device, wherein a second resource of equivalent function is attached to a second device;

monitoring events with respect to said first device to determine if any of said first set of events occurs;

based on said monitoring, and said user input, determining a health score for said first resource;

based on said health score for said first resource, and a health score for said second resource, determining a status of said first resource as being one of either active or standby; and

routing service requests to either said first resource of said first device or said second resource of said second device based on said status.