Cross-platform server clustering using a network flow switch
AssigneeCyberIQ Systems
InventorSajit Bhaskaran
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Abstract
A network flow switch is provided for connecting a pool of IP routers to a cluster of IP servers sharing a single IP address without requiring translation of the IP address. Rather, all IP servers have the same IP address. The network flow switch routes packets to individual servers by writing the Data Link Layer address of the destination IP server in the destination Data Link Layer address field of the packet. However, no Data Link Layer address translation is required for packets transmitted from the IP servers to the IP routers. Since in a typical client-server environment, the number of packets sent from the server to the client is much greater than the number of packets sent from the client to the server, the Data Link Layer address translation requires very little overall processing time.
Claims35
A network flow switch for routing packets to and from a plurality of IF servers, the switch comprising:
- a processor;
- a memory connected to the processor;
- and
- a plurality of network ports connected to a network;
- wherein a packet received on a first network port is routed to a second network port by writing a Data Link Layer address of one of the IP servers into the packet in the network flow switch, wherein each of the IP servers has a same IP address and a Data Link Layer address that differs from the Data Link Layer address of the other IP servers.
A method for routing packets to and from a plurality of IP servers, the method comprising:
- receiving a packet in a network flow switch corresponding to an IP address of the IP servers;
- and
- routing the packet to at least one of the IP servers by writing the destination Data Link Layer address of the IP server into the packet in the network flow switch, wherein each of the IP servers has a same IP address and a Data Link Layer address that differs from the Data Link Layer address of the other IP servers.
A computer program for controlling a network flow switch, wherein the switch routes packets to and from a plurality of IP servers, the switch comprising:
- a processor executing the computer program;
- a memory connected to the processor;
- and
- a plurality of network ports connected to a network;
- the computer program comprising instructions for:
- receiving a packet on one of the network ports of the network flow switch;
- and
- routing the packet to at least one of the IP servers by writing the Data Link Layer address of the IP server into the packet in the network flow switch, each of the IP servers having a same IP address and a Data Link Layer address that differs from the Data Link Layer address of the other IP servers.
A method for performing fault-tolerant routing of packets to and from one of a plurality of IP servers, the method comprising:
- transmitting one or more packets from a client connected to a network to a network router;
- continuously monitoring in a network flow switch a status of each of the plurality of IP servers having a same IP address and a Data Link Layer address that differs from the Data Link Layer address of the other IP servers;
- and
- routing the packets through the network flow switch from the network router to one of the plurality of IP servers in an operational status.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.