Temporary Protocol Port Allocation for Network Load Balancing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network load balancing techniques in cloud computing environments, such as those using Link Aggregation Groups (LAG) and Equal-Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) routing, often lead to congestion due to the consistent selection of egress links based on similar hash values generated from network packet parameters, resulting in uneven bandwidth utilization and reduced network throughput.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a port manager that temporarily modifies network parameter values to generate different hash values for packets, allocating temporary source protocol ports to distribute traffic across multiple egress links, thereby improving load balancing and reducing congestion by using telematics to analyze bandwidth utilization and select underutilized links.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional hash-based load balancing is used to route network packets, then routing decisions are simple and fast, but traffic congestion occurs on specific egress links due to similar hash values
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies network parameter values (source protocol ports) to generate different hash values for packets that would otherwise have similar hash values. This parameter change causes the hash function to distribute packets across different egress links, balancing bandwidth utilization and preventing congestion while maintaining the simplicity of hash-based routing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary component (port manager) that temporarily modifies packet parameters before routing. This intermediary alters source protocol ports to ensure better hash distribution across multiple egress links, acting as a mediator between the packet and the routing decision process to achieve more uniform traffic distribution.
2Ease of operation
If temporary protocol port allocation is implemented to improve load balancing, then bandwidth utilization is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses temporary protocol ports as disposable objects that are allocated for specific packet routing purposes and then discarded. These temporary ports are cheap to create and manage compared to permanent routing configurations, allowing the system to achieve better load balancing without significant long-term complexity or resource commitment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-calculating and allocating temporary protocol ports based on predicted traffic patterns and link utilization. This preliminary port allocation ensures that when packets are routed, the load balancing is already optimized, reducing the need for complex real-time routing decisions and simplifying the overall system operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A disclosed example apparatus to manage port allocations for network load balancing includes a telematics network information collector to collect bandwidth utilizations corresponding to physical links of network paths between a source and a destination, the network paths including at least one of a link aggregation group hop or an equal cost multi-path hop; a cost calculator to determine network path costs corresponding to unused protocol ports of a physical server host based on the bandwidth utilizations; a comparator to compare the network path costs; and a port allocator to, based on the comparison, allocate one of the unused protocol ports to an application.