EP0817020A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
A name service for a redundant array of internet servers
Assignee: Sun Microsystems Inc
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Filing: 1997-07-01
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2017-07-01
Abstract
Abstract A self-reconfiguring name service that distributes workload among the available servers in a system. A Service Monitor for each host system of a site periodically broadcasts information about available servers. The broadcast message also indicates the workload of the host. Each name service (DNS) has an associated process called a Name Binder Modifier that receives the broadcast messages from the Service Monitors. Periodically, each Name Binder Modifier reviews the information it has received from various Service Monitors and updates zones that are used by the DNS to perform load balancing. The Service Monitor and the Name Binding Modifier have associated configuration files.
Inventors
- 👤 Swee B. Lim
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 08:24
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L67/00; H04L67/01; H04L67/10; H04L67/1001; H04L67/1029; G; G06; G06F; G06F11/00; G06F11/30; G06F11/34; G06F11/3466; G06F11/3495; G06F9/00; G06F9/06; G06F9/46; G06F9/50; G06F9/5005; G06F9/5027; G06F9/505; G06F9/5083; H04L67/1004; H04L67/1017; H04L67/1038; G06F2201/00; G06F2201/875
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 30
Claim 1
Independent Claim
86 words
A method for reconfiguring a load balancing system, comprising the steps,
performed by a data processing system, of: sending, by a Service Monitor, for a service of the data processing system, a
broadcast message containing a workload of a host on which the service is located and a list of
addresses of the host; receiving, by a Name Binding Modifier, the broadcast message; and updating, by the Name Binding Modifier, a zone file corresponding to the
service in accordance with the information in the broadcast message.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1,further including the step of performing a load balancing
operation in accordance with the updated zone file.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 2, wherein the load balancing operation is a round robin load
balancing operation.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 3, wherein the round robin load balancing operation is
performed in accordance with a value in the zone file indicating a type of load balancing
operation.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1, further including a plurality of zone files, each
corresponding to one of a plurality of services.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 1, further including the step of setting, by the Service Monitor, a timer for the
service, and wherein the sending step is performed when the timer times out.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 6, wherein the step of setting the timer is performed in
accordance with a configuration file for the Service Monitor.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 1, further including the step of setting, by the Name Binding Modifier, a timer for
the service, and wherein the updating step is performed when the timer times out.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 8, wherein the step of setting the timer is performed in
accordance with a configuration file for the Name Binder Modifier.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the sending step includes the steps of: determining if the service is available; and if the service is available, adding to the broadcast message the addresses that
can provide the service.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of claim 1,wherein the updating step includes the steps of: finding a current list for the service; determining whether each address in the list of addresses is in the current list;
and adding the address to the current list in accordance with the determining step.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 11, further including the step of comparing the current list to a previous list, and, wherein the updating step is performed when the current and previous lists
are not the same.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
80 words
An apparatus in a reconfiguring a load balancing system, comprising: a Service Monitor configured to send, for a service in a data processing system,
a broadcast message containing a workload of a host on which the service is located and a list
of addresses of the host; a Name Binding Modifier configured to receive the broadcast message; and an updating portion configured to update a zone file corresponding to the
service in accordance with the information in the broadcast message.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus of claim 13, further including a Domain Name Service configured
to perform a load balancing operation in accordance with the updated zone file.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
17 words
The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the Domain Name Service performs a round
robin load balancing operation.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
33 words
The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the Domain Name Service performs the
round robin load balancing operation in accordance with a value in the zone file indicating a
type of load balancing operation.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
21 words
The apparatus of claim 13, further including a plurality of zone files, each
corresponding to one of a plurality of services.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
36 words
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the Service Monitor includes: a timer setting portion configured to set a timer for the service; and a portion configured to send the broadcast message when the timer times out.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
23 words
The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the timer setting portion sets the timer in
accordance with a configuration file for the Service Monitor.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
37 words
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the Name Binding Modifier includes: a timer setting portion configured to set a timer for the service; and a portion configured to update the zone file when the timer times out.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the timer setting portion sets the timer is in
accordance with a configuration file for the Name Binding Modifier.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
42 words
The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the Service Monitor includes: a portion configured to determine whether the service is available; and a portion configured to add to the broadcast message, if the service is available,
the addresses that can provide the service.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
58 words
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the Name Binding Modifier includes: a portion configured to find a current list for the service; a portion configured to determine whether each address in the list of addresses
is in the current list; and a portion configured to add the address to the current list in accordance with
the determining portion.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 23, further including a portion configured to compare the
current list to a previous list, and wherein the updating portion includes a portion that updates the zone file
when the current and previous lists are not the same.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
116 words
A computer program product, comprising: a computer usable medium having computer readable code embodied therein
for reconfiguring a load balancing system, the computer program product comprising: computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to
effect sending, for a service of the data processing system, a broadcast message containing a
workload of a host on which the service is located and a list of addresses of the host; computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to
effect receiving the broadcast message; and computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to
effect updating a zone file corresponding to the service in accordance with the information in
the broadcast message.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
89 words
A method for reconfiguring a load balancing system, comprising the steps,
performed by a Service Monitor in a data processing system, of: setting a timer for the service of the data processing system, in accordance
with a configuration file for the Service Monitor; and sending, for the service, a broadcast message containing a workload of a host
on which the service is located and a list of addresses of the host, the broadcast message being
usable to update a record of a current status of the data processing system.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 26, wherein the sending step includes the steps of: determining if the service is available; and if the service is available, adding to the broadcast message the addresses that
can provide the service.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
76 words
A method for reconfiguring a load balancing system, comprising the steps,
performed by a Name Binder Modifier of a data processing system, of: receiving a broadcast message containing a workload of a host on which a
service is located and a list of addresses of the host; setting a timer for the service; and updating a zone file corresponding to the service, when the timer times out, in
accordance with the information in the broadcast message.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 28, further including the step of performing a load
balancing operation in accordance with the updated zone file.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 29, wherein the step of setting the timer is performed in
accordance with a configuration file for the Name Binder Modifier.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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