Load Balancer Score for Server Utilization and Latency

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current load balancing techniques are inadequate for efficiently distributing client processing jobs across a large number of servers, particularly in mobile communication systems, as they do not effectively account for both server load and geographical separation, leading to potential overloading and performance issues.

Innovation Solution

A load balancer system that generates a load balancing score for each server based on client ID, server ID, processing load metric, and separation metric, preferring servers with lower separation but avoiding overload by considering network latency and geographic distance, and assigns jobs to servers with the lowest score.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If load balancing assigns client jobs to servers with lowest load (least load approach), then server utilization is improved, but geographical separation and network latency are not considered leading to potential performance degradation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveserver utilizationVSAvoidnetwork latency
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the load balancing parameter from simple load metrics to a composite score that incorporates both server load and geographical separation metrics. This allows the system to simultaneously optimize for server utilization and network latency by selecting servers based on the composite score rather than load alone.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a composite load balancing score that combines multiple factors (server load, geographical distance, network latency) into a single metric. This composite approach allows the system to balance multiple competing objectives simultaneously, resolving the contradiction between utilization and latency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Loss of time

If load balancing prefers servers with minimal geographical separation, then network latency is reduced, but servers may become overloaded

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork latencyVSAvoidserver load distribution
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent modifies the selection criterion from purely geographical proximity to a composite score that balances both proximity and server load. This ensures that while geographical separation is considered, it does not lead to server overload by incorporating load metrics into the scoring mechanism.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If round-robin load balancing is used to distribute jobs evenly, then server utilization is improved, but geographical separation and network latency are not considered

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvejob distributionVSAvoidresponse time
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the simple sequential assignment of round-robin with a score-based selection mechanism that incorporates both load and geographical metrics. This maintains even distribution while optimizing for response time by considering multiple parameters in the job assignment decision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

4Stability of the object's composition

If hash routing is used to assign jobs based on source-destination addresses, then job routing consistency is improved, but load balancing and geographical considerations are lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverouting consistencyVSAvoidload distribution
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the consistency aspect of hash routing with the load balancing and geographical considerations of score-based selection. By incorporating hash values into the composite score calculation, the system maintains routing consistency while simultaneously optimizing for load distribution and geographical separation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP2365675B1Communications system providing server load balancing based upon load and separation metrics and related methods
Publication Date: 2018.01.10 BLACKBERRY LTD
  • EP2365675B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2365675B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2365675B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A communications system may include a plurality of client devices configured to generate client processing jobs, each having a respective unique client ID associated therewith. A plurality of geographically spaced apart servers may be configured to process the client processing jobs, each having a respective unique server ID associated therewith. A load balancer may be configured to receive the client processing jobs from the plurality of client devices, and for each client processing job, generate a respective load balancing score for each server based upon the client ID of the client device requesting the client processing job, the server ID of each server, a processing load metric for each server, and a separation metric corresponding to a separation between the requesting client device and each server. The load balancer may also be configured to assign each client processing job to a respective server based upon the load balancing scores.