Customizable Health Scoring for Application Delivery Controller Switchover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current redundancy management in communication networks and servers lacks the ability for administrators to efficiently configure failover processes, as detected events are treated indiscriminately, leading to inefficient selection of active devices for service delivery, not considering the specific delivery service or user policies.
Innovation Solution
A method that allows users to customize health scoring templates for application delivery intermediary devices based on user-defined events and weight factors, enabling dynamic health score calculation and automatic switchover to devices with higher health scores, with a secondary priority mechanism for ties, ensuring efficient resource utilization and tailored service delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a priority rank based failover mechanism is used, then automatic failover capability is provided, but administrators have limited ability to configure failover control and events are treated indiscriminately
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically calculates health scores for each device in the cluster based on multiple monitored events and user-defined weight factors. This dynamic scoring mechanism replaces static priority rankings, allowing the system to adapt to changing device conditions while maintaining automated failover control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces health score parameters with customizable weight factors that administrators can configure to reflect different event severities and priorities. By changing the parameters (weight factors) assigned to various events, administrators can tailor the failover behavior without increasing system complexity.
2Ease of operation
If health scoring with multiple events and weight factors is implemented, then granular control over device health ranking is achieved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary health score calculations continuously in the background, monitoring multiple events and applying weight factors before failover is needed. This preliminary action ensures that when failover is required, the system already has pre-computed health scores ready, simplifying the actual failover decision process.
Solution Approach 2:
The health score acts as an intermediary metric that aggregates multiple complex events and weight factors into a single comparable value. This intermediary simplifies the comparison between devices, making the system easier to operate despite the underlying complexity of multiple monitored events.
3Productivity
If automatic switchover based on health scores is implemented, then service delivery efficiency is optimized, but the mechanism requires continuous monitoring and dynamic score updates
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors device events and updates health scores in real-time, ensuring that the most current device status is always reflected in the failover decisions. This continuous useful action eliminates gaps in monitoring and ensures optimal service delivery without requiring periodic manual checks.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where device events are continuously monitored, health scores are dynamically recalculated based on new information, and failover decisions are adjusted accordingly. This feedback mechanism ensures that the system responds to changing conditions efficiently, optimizing service delivery while minimizing response time.
Data Source
AI summary
System and method of determining active/standby statuses of an intermediary device with respect to a logic group based on a user defined switchover policy. A user is allowed to configure a template to determine respective health levels for multiple sets of delivery resources. Each set of resources associated with a function engine residing in a respective intermediary device. The multiple sets of resources, in conjunction with the associated function engines, are equivalently operable to provide the same service function. The template may include user-specified events and respective weight factors. The specified events are monitored and a health score is dynamically derived for each delivery resource based on the template. Based on an updated health score rank with respect to the service function, a switchover may automatically occur from an intermediary device of a lower health score to another device with a higher health score.