System and method for dynamic mirroring of a network connection

• US 7,197,661 B1
• Filed: 12/05/2003
• Issued: 03/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hughes, John R., Reynolds, Keith Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr.; Robert W
• Assistant Examiner(s): URICK, MATTHEW T
• Application Number:
  US10/729,720
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 714/4
• US Class Current: 714/4.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2048 where the redundant components share neither address space nor persistent storage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0654 using network fault recovery ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437

Abstract

Methods and systems are directed to dynamically mirroring a connection between network devices. Mirroring is managed by forwarding a packet between a first network device and a second network device. In one method, the first network device receives the packet from a client and communicates the packet to the second network device. A forwarding device, pre-determined from the first and second network devices, forwards the packet to a server. The first network device receives a response from the server, and communicates it to the second network device. The forwarding device forwards the response packet to the client. In one configuration, the first network device and forwarding device is an active device, and the second network device is a standby device. In another configuration, the first network device is a standby device, and the second network device and forwarding device is an active device.

Claims

1. A method for mirroring a connection in a network, comprising:

receiving, exclusively by a first network device, a packet from a resource;

communicating the packet to a second network device;

forwarding the packet to another network device, wherein the packet is forwarded exclusively by a single forwarding device that is determinable from the first network device or the second network device;

receiving, exclusively by the first network device, a response packet from the other network device;

communicating, by the first network device, the response packet to the second network device; and

forwarding, exclusively by the forwarding device, the response packet towards the resource.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network device is an active network device, the second network device is a standby network device, and the forwarding device is the active network device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network device is an active network device, the second network device is a standby network device, and the forwarding device is the standby network device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network device is a standby network device, the second network device is an active network device, and the forwarding device is the active network device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network device is a standby network device, the second network device is an active network device, and the forwarding device is the standby network device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network device and the second network device are each configured to balance a network load.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein forwarding the packet to the other network device, further comprises transforming the packet.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon communicating the packet to the second network device, sending, by the forwarding device, an acknowledgement packet to the resource; and

upon communicating the response packet to the second network device, sending, by the forwarding device, another acknowledgement packet to the other network device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein forwarding the packet to the other network device further comprises transforming the packet, and wherein forwarding the response packet further comprises transforming the response packet.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein transforming the packet further comprises sharing information associated with the transformation between the first network device and the second network device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the information shared is sent from an active network device to a standby network device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, determining if the connection is to be mirrored based in part on at least one of a duration of the connection, a size of the packet, a content of the packet, an application associated with the packet, and a characteristic associated with a user of the resource.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising, if it is determined that the connection is non-mirrored, determining the forwarding device as the first network device for communication.

14. A method for mirroring a connection in a network, comprising:

receiving exclusively, by an active network device, a packet from a resource;

forwarding, by the active network device, a copy of the packet to a standby network device;

forwarding the packet towards another network device, wherein the packet is forwarded exclusively by the active network device;

receiving, exclusively by the active network device, a response packet from the other network device;

forwarding, by the active network device, a copy of the response packet to the standby network device; and

forwarding, exclusively by the active network device, the response packet towards the resource.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein forwarding the packet towards the other network device further comprises transforming the packet, and wherein forwarding the response packet towards the resource further comprises transforming the response packet.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein transforming the packet further comprises performing at least one of a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) action, a security action, a compression action, a decompression action, an encryption action, and a decryption action.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

upon forwarding the copy of the packet to the standby network device, sending, by the active network device, an acknowledgement packet to the resource; and

upon forwarding the copy of the response packet to the standby network device, sending, by the active network device, an acknowledgement packet to the other network device.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

dynamically determining if the packet is to be mirrored based in part on at least one of a duration of a connection associated with the packet, a size of data associated with the packet, a characteristic associated with the packet, a characteristic associated with a user of the resource, and an application associated with the connection.

19. A method for mirroring a connection in a network, comprising:

receiving, exclusively by an active network device, a packet from a resource;

communicating a copy of the packet to a standby network device;

forwarding the copy of the packet to another network device, wherein the copy of the packet is forwarded exclusively by the standby network device;

receiving, exclusively by the active network device, a response packet from the other network device;

communicating a copy of the response packet to the standby network device; and

forwarding, exclusively by the standby network device, the copy of the response packet towards the resource.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

synchronizing the standby network device with the active network device by communicating pre-determined information about each active connection to the standby network device on a busiest connection first order of connections.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the pre-determined information includes at least one of a change in a sequence number, and a Network Address Translation (NAT), and a port address translation.

22. A method for mirroring a connection in a network, comprising:

receiving, exclusively by a standby network device, a packet from a resource;

forwarding a copy of the packet to an active network device;

forwarding a copy of the packet to another network device, wherein the copy of the packet is forwarded by the active network device;

receiving, by the standby network device, a response packet from the other network device;

forwarding a copy of the packet to the active network device; and

forwarding, exclusively by the active network device, the copy of the response packet towards the resource.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein forwarding the copy of the packet to the other network device further comprises transforming the copy of the packet, and wherein forwarding the copy of the response packet further comprises transforming the copy of the response packet.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein transforming the packet further comprises sharing information associated with the transformation between the active network device and the standby network device.

25. A network device, for mirroring a connection with another network device in a network, comprising:

a transceiver arranged to receive and forward a packet;

a processor, coupled to the transceiver, that is configured to perform actions, including;

receiving a packet from a resource, wherein the packet is sent exclusively towards the network device by the resource;

communicating the packet to the other network device;

if the network device is a forwarding device, exclusively forwarding the packet towards a server;

receiving a response packet from the server;

communicating the response packet to the other network device; and

if the network device is the forwarding device, exclusively forwarding the response packet towards the resource.

26. The network device of claim 25, further comprising:

if the other network device is the forwarding device, enabling the other network device to forward the packet towards the server, and to forward the response packet towards the resource.

27. The network device of claim 25, wherein the network device and the other network device are configured to operate as at least one of a load-balancer, a router, a firewall, a proxy, a bridge and a network address translation device.

28. A standby network device, for mirroring a connection with an active network device in a network, comprising:

a transceiver arranged to receive and forward a packet;

a processor, coupled to the transceiver, that is configured to perform actions, including;

receiving a packet exclusively from a resource;

communicating a copy of the packet to the active network device;

receiving a response packet from another resource, wherein the response packet is in response to the other resource receiving a copy of the packet exclusively from the active server; and

communicating a copy of the response packet to the active network device.

29. The standby network device of claim 28, wherein the active device is configured to communicate an acknowledgement packet to the resource in response to receiving the copy of the packet, and to further communicate another acknowledgement packet to the other resource in response to receiving the copy of the response packet.

30. A system for mirroring a connection in a network, comprising:

(a) a first network device, configured to perform actions, including;

receiving a packet from a resource wherein the packet is sent exclusively towards the first network device by the resource;

sending the packet to a second network device;

if the first network device is a pre-determined forwarding network device, forwarding the packet towards another resource, wherein the packet is sent towards the other resource exclusively by the first network device;

receiving a response packet from the other resource; and

if the first network device is the pre-determined forwarding network device, forwarding the response packet towards the resource, wherein the response packet is sent towards the resource exclusively by the first network device; and

(b) the second network device, coupled to the first network device, and configured to perform actions, including;

receiving the packet from the first network device; and

if the second network device is the pre-determined forwarding network device, forwarding the packet towards the other resource, and forwarding the response packet towards the resource, wherein the packet is sent towards the other resource exclusively by the second network device, and the response is sent towards the resource exclusively by the second network device.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the first network device is an active network device, the second network device is a standby network device, and the forwarding network device is the active network device.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the first network device is an active network device, the second network device is a standby network device, and the forwarding device is the standby network device.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the first network device is a standby network device, the second network device is an active network device, and the forwarding device is the active network device.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein forwarding the packet further comprises sharing information between the first network device and the second network device.

35. An apparatus, for mirroring a connection in a network, comprising:

a transceiver arranged to receive and forward a packet;

a processor, coupled to the transceiver, that is configured to perform actions, including;

receiving a packet from a resource, wherein the packet is sent by the resource exclusively towards the apparatus;

communicating the packet to another apparatus;

if the apparatus is a forwarding device, forwarding the packet towards another resource, wherein the packet is sent to the other resource exclusively by the apparatus;

receiving a response packet from the other resource;

communicating the response packet to the other apparatus; and

if the apparatus is the forwarding device, forwarding the response packet towards the resource, wherein the response packet is sent towards the resource exclusively by the apparatus.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the apparatus and the other apparatus are each configured to balance a network load.

37. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein forwarding the packet to the other apparatus, further comprises transforming the packet.

38. The apparatus of claim 35, further comprising:

upon communicating the packet to the other apparatus, sending, exclusively by the forwarding device, an acknowledgement packet to the resource; and

upon communicating the response packet to the other apparatus, sending, exclusively by the forwarding device, another acknowledgement packet to the other resource.

39. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein forwarding the packet to the other apparatus further comprises transforming the packet, and wherein forwarding the response packet further comprises transforming the response packet.

40. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein transforming the packet further comprises sharing information associated with the transformation between the apparatus and the other apparatus.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the information shared is sent from an active network device to a standby network device.

42. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the apparatus is an active network device, the other apparatus is a standby network device, and the forwarding device is the active network device.

43. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the apparatus is an active network device, the other apparatus is a standby network device, and the forwarding device is the standby network device.

44. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the apparatus is a standby network device, the other apparatus is an active network device, and the forwarding device is the active network device.

45. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the apparatus is a standby network device, the other apparatus is an active network device, and the forwarding device is the standby network device.