US 8,553,542 B1 · Method and system for scaling network traffic managers using connection keys

Abstract

A method and system is directed to distributing a flow of packets over a network to multiple traffic management devices. An apparatus receives each packet from a network and may act as a layer 2 switch, or router, to distribute the packet to one of a group of traffic management devices. The apparatus also may receive packets from servers for which the traffic management devices are managing communications. When distributing packets, a target traffic management device is selected from the group of traffic management devices. A connection key associated with the received packet and an identifier associated with the selected traffic management device are saved such that subsequent received packets in the flow of packets are delivered to the same traffic management device.

Claims5

Dependent claims

A traffic manager for routing a flow of packets over a network, the traffic manager comprising:

(a) a transceiver arranged to receive and to send each packet in the flow of packets;
and
(b) a transcoder, coupled to the transceiver, that is arranged to perform actions, including:
(i) through the transceiver, receiving each packet in the flow of packets from a client through a first distributor;
(ii) associating a memorize signal with at least one received packet in the flow of packets;
and
(iii) through the transceiver, forwarding each received packet including the memorize signal to a second distributor, wherein the second distributor is configured to store a connection key and an identifier associated with the traffic manager in response to the received memorize signal.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

13/181,418Filed 12 Jul 2011 · division

Priority

24 May 2001

Granted

8 Oct 2013

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

H04L 47/125
Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion: by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
H04L 12/4625
LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone: single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
H04L 12/4641
Interconnection of networks: virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN]
H04L 47/2441
Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS: relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]

Family

Application60/293,466Us provisional application · filed 24 May 2001

Application10/119,433Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 9 Apr 2002

Application10/659,011Parent of this division · filed 10 Sep 2003

US 7,102,996 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 5 Sep 2006

US 8,004,971 B1Parent of this division · filed 23 Aug 2011

Application10/659,011Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 8,553,542 B1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Method and system for scaling network traffic managers using connection keys

Life of this patent

Method and system for scaling network traffic managers using connection keys

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims5