Service Load Balancer Virtual IP Address Rerouting
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Solution Overview
Problem
In computer networks, load balancing techniques struggle to smoothly transition real servers offline without disrupting subscriber connections, often resulting in dropped connections due to sudden traffic diversion.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a service load balancer that generates and manages virtual addresses to reroute network traffic from overloaded or maintenance-required servers, allowing existing connections to expire while new connections are directed to alternative servers, thereby reducing dropped connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If real servers are taken offline immediately for maintenance or upgrades, then server maintenance can be performed, but existing subscriber connections are abruptly terminated resulting in dropped connections
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by creating a new virtual address mapping before taking servers offline. The new virtual address is associated with a subset of real servers that excludes the servers to be maintained, and DNS records are updated in advance to resolve to this new virtual address, ensuring a smooth transition without connection drops
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual address system acts as an intermediary between subscriber devices and real servers. By introducing this intermediate layer, the system can redirect traffic from servers being maintained to alternative servers without the subscriber devices directly detecting or experiencing the server transition
2Productivity
If traffic is abruptly diverted from overloaded servers, then server overload is reduced, but existing connections are terminated causing service disruption
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary load redistribution by creating a new virtual address mapping that excludes overloaded servers before they become completely overwhelmed. This proactive approach allows traffic to be gradually shifted to alternative servers while existing connections continue uninterrupted
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual address mapping is dynamic and can be adjusted without disrupting existing connections. The system can modify which real servers are associated with a virtual address while maintaining the same virtual address for ongoing connections, allowing flexible load management
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques may include mapping, by a service node, a first virtual address for a particular service to private addresses that identify servers, wherein each server provides the particular service, and wherein a URL for the service resolves to the first virtual address. The techniques may include configuring a service load balancer of the service node to load balance network traffic for the first virtual address across the servers and forwarding network traffic for the first virtual address between the servers and subscriber devices. The techniques may include, associating a second virtual address with a subset of the private addresses that excludes the private address for the at least one server, and causing the URL to resolve to the second virtual address. The techniques may include forwarding network traffic for the first virtual address between the servers and the subset of the subscriber devices.