Scaling Internet services by dynamic allocation of connections

Author

Goldszmidt, G. ; Hunt, G.

Author_Institution

IBM T.J. Watson Res. Center, Hawthorne, NY, USA

fYear

1999

fDate

1999

Firstpage

171

Lastpage

184

Abstract

Network Dispatcher (ND) is a software tool that “routes” TCP connections to multiple TCP servers that share their workload. It exports a set of virtual IP addresses that are concealed and shared by the servers. It implements a novel dynamic load-sharing algorithm for allocation of TCP connections among servers according to their real-time load and responsiveness. ND forwards packets to the servers without performing any TCP/IP header translations, consequently outgoing server-to-client packets are not handled, and can follow a separate network route to the clients. Its allocation method was proven to be efficient in live tests, supporting Internet sites that served millions of TCP connections per hour. This paper describes the load management features of ND

Keywords

Internet; computer network management; resource allocation; telecommunication network routing; telecommunication traffic; transport protocols; Internet services; Internet sites; Network Dispatcher; TCP connection routing; dynamic connection allocation; dynamic load-sharing algorithm; load management; multiple TCP servers; real-time load; software tool; virtual IP addresses; Delay; Heuristic algorithms; Load management; Neodymium; Network servers; Software tools; TCPIP; Testing; Web and internet services; Web server;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Integrated Network Management, 1999. Distributed Management for the Networked Millennium. Proceedings of the Sixth IFIP/IEEE International Symposium on

Conference_Location

Boston, MA

Print_ISBN

0-7803-5748-5

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/INM.1999.770682

Filename

770682