# US 10,484,465 B2 · Combining stateless and stateful server load balancing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,484,465 B2 - Document ID: US10484465B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/858,578 - Filed: 2017-12-29 - Published: 2018-05-03 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2011-10-24 - Assignees: A10 Networks, Inc. - Applicants: A10 Networks, Inc. - Inventors: Rajkumar Jalan; Feilong Xu; Lalgudi Narayanan Kannan; Ronald Wai Lun Szeto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10484465B2 ## CPC - H04L 67/1027: Persistence of sessions during load balancing - H04L 12/66: Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways - H04L 67/10: in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) - H04L 67/142: Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms - H04L 67/56: Provisioning of proxy services (store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54) - H04L 67/564: Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract The processing of data packets sent over a communication session between a host and a server by a service gateway includes processing a data packet using a current hybrid-stateful or hybrid-stateless processing method. The processing then checks whether a hybrid-stateless or hybrid-stateful condition is satisfied. When one of the sets of conditions is satisfied, the process includes changing from a hybrid-stateful to a hybrid-stateless processing method, or vice versa, for a subsequently received data packet. If the conditions are not satisfied, the process continues as originally structured. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for processing data packets sent over a communication session between a host and a server by a service gateway, comprising: determining, by the service gateway, that a hybrid-stateless condition is satisfied; and based on the determination that the hybrid-stateless condition is satisfied, processing a subsequently received data packet, by the service gateway, using a hybrid-stateless processing by matching data included in the subsequently received data packet to a service mapping table to determine, based on the match, a server to which the subsequently received data packet is to be sent. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the determining, by the service gateway, that the hybrid-stateless condition is satisfied comprises determining, by the service gateway, that a time duration stored in a memory exceeds a predetermined time duration. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the determining, by the service gateway, that the hybrid-stateless condition is satisfied comprises receiving, from an administrator, the hybrid-stateless condition. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the administrator comprises: a human operator; a network management system; or a storage medium storing the hybrid-stateless condition. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, by the service gateway, that the hybrid-stateless condition is not satisfied, and based on the determination that the hybrid-stateless condition is not satisfied, processing, by the service gateway, the subsequently received data packet using a hybrid-stateful processing. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the determining that the hybrid-stateless condition is not satisfied includes determining that a time duration stored in a memory does not exceed the predetermined time duration. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the service gateway is configured to maintain a session table and the service mapping table in a storage. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid-stateless condition comprises a predetermined session rate, the determining by the service gateway that the hybrid-stateless condition is satisfied comprising: calculating a session rate for a plurality of communication sessions received by the service gateway; determining that the calculated session rate is greater than or equals the predetermined session rate by the service gateway; and in response to determining that the calculated session rate is greater than or equals the predetermined session rate, determining, by the service gateway, that the hybrid-stateless condition is satisfied. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the calculated session rate comprises: a difference between a count of received service requests and a count of received service termination requests over a predetermined period of time or a count of service requests over the predetermined period of time. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid-stateless condition comprises a predetermined session table utilization, wherein the determining, by the service gateway, that the hybrid-stateless condition is satisfied comprises: counting a number of stored session entries in the session table by the service gateway; determining that the number of stored session entries exceeds or is equal to the predetermined session table utilization by the service gateway; and in response to determining that the number of stored session entries exceeds or is equal to the predetermined session table utilization, determining by the service gateway that the hybrid-stateless condition is satisfied. ### Claim 11 A system, comprising: a service gateway comprising a processor and a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code configured to: determine that a hybrid-stateful condition is satisfied; and in response to determining that the hybrid-stateful condition is satisfied, process a subsequently received data packet using a hybrid-stateful processing method by matching data included in the subsequently received data packet to a service mapping table to determine, based on the match, a server to which the subsequently received data packet is to be sent. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the determination that the hybrid-stateful condition is satisfied comprises: comparing a time duration stored in a memory against a predetermined time duration by the service gateway; and determining that the time duration stored in the memory exceeds the predetermined time duration. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the determination that the hybrid-stateful condition is satisfied comprises receiving, from an administrator, the hybrid-stateful condition by the service gateway. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the administrator comprises: a human operator; a network management system; or a storage medium storing the hybrid-stateful condition. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, further comprising: determining that that the hybrid-stateful condition is not satisfied; and based on the determination that the hybrid-stateful condition is not satisfied, process the subsequently received data packet using the hybrid-stateful processing method. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the hybrid-stateless processing method utilizes the session table and a service mapping table at the service gateway. ### Claim 17 A method for processing data packets sent over a communication session between a host and a server by a service gateway, the method comprising: determining, by the service gateway, that a hybrid-stateful condition is satisfied; and in response to determining that the hybrid-stateful condition is satisfied, processing a subsequently received data packet by the service gateway using a hybrid-stateful processing method by matching data included in the subsequently received data packet to a session table to determine, based on the matching, a server to which the subsequently received data packet is to be sent. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the determining by the service gateway whether the hybrid-stateful condition is satisfied comprises: comparing a time duration stored in memory against a predetermined time duration by the service gateway; determining that the time duration stored in memory exceeds the predetermined time duration; and in response to determining that the time duration stored in memory exceeds the predetermined time duration, determining by the service gateway that the hybrid-stateful condition is satisfied. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the hybrid-stateful condition comprises a predetermined session rate, wherein the determining, by the service gateway, that the hybrid-stateful condition is satisfied comprises: calculating a session rate for a plurality of communication sessions received by the service gateway; determining that the calculated session rate is less than the predetermined session rate by the service gateway; and in response to determining that the calculated session rate is less than the predetermined session rate. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein the calculated session rate comprises: a difference between a count of received service requests and a count of received service termination requests over a predetermined period of time or a count of service requests over the predetermined period of time.