Server load balancing using IP option field approach to identify route to selected server

Abstract

A router for routing data from a client through load-balancing nodes to a selected load-balanced server among a plurality of servers in a network involves: receiving, at a last load balancing node associated with a selected server among the plurality of servers, a first packet of a server reply to a request from the client; storing identifiers of ingress interfaces on which the packet arrives, in a send path list for server load balancing, as the first packet of the server reply is routed from the last load balancing node to the client using hop-by-hop decisions; receiving subsequent packets of the client request; and forwarding the subsequent packets to the selected server only on a route that is defined by the send path list and without hop-by-hop routing decisions. Packet flows are routed from the same client to the same server without hop-by-hop routing decisions or repeated load-balancing decisions.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.