Redundant Network IP Failover via Peer Fault Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing redundant computer systems in industrial control fields face challenges in maintaining system reliability and efficiency during IP address failover, particularly due to complex logic designs and potential IP conflicts, which can lead to transient dual-network interruptions and reduced redundancy when front-end processors or peer communication channels fail.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that incorporate a network status detecting module and a peer fault detecting module to facilitate smart IP address switching, allowing for real-time monitoring and allocation of public and private IP addresses across redundant network segments, ensuring seamless failover and enhanced redundancy by dynamically reallocating IP addresses based on network health statuses and peer operation exceptions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a communication front-end processor is additionally configured for the computer group, then the processing is simplified without considering a complex IP failover mechanism, but if the front-end processor fails, the native computer group would become unusable, lowering system reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the IP address management function from the front-end processor and implements it directly in the network ports of the computer group members. Each network port can independently obtain and use public IP addresses, eliminating the single point of failure represented by the front-end processor while maintaining simplified processing logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The network ports of computer group members are empowered to autonomously obtain public IP addresses from available peers without requiring a centralized front-end processor. This self-service capability ensures that even if one computer fails, others can independently maintain network connectivity, thereby improving reliability while avoiding complex centralized management.
2Reliability
If computer network ports are directly connected to the network with public IP address distribution, then system reliability is improved and front-end processor expense is saved, but the logic design becomes complex and IP failover may suspend when information check channel fails
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of having computers check peer information before obtaining IP addresses (conservative approach), the patent inverts the logic by allowing computers to directly obtain public IP addresses from available peers without prior information checking. This eliminates the failover suspension problem while maintaining appropriate conflict avoidance through the distributed acquisition mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary IP address acquisition where computers can obtain public IP addresses from peers before actual communication needs arise. This preliminary action ensures that IP addresses are already assigned and ready, eliminating the need for complex runtime information checking and failover suspension while maintaining system reliability.
3Reliability
If information check between computers is always required during IP failover process, then IP conflicts are avoided, but the operation becomes conservative and failover suspends when check channel fails
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses copying of public IP addresses from peer computers to enable failover. When a computer needs a public IP address, it directly copies/acquires one from an available peer without requiring information checking. This copying mechanism inherently avoids IP conflicts while eliminating the conservative information check requirement, thereby improving failover speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces the peer computer's network port as an intermediary that holds and provides public IP addresses. Instead of requiring direct information checking between computers, the intermediary peer port facilitates IP address transfer, simplifying the failover process while maintaining conflict avoidance through the structured peer-to-peer acquisition mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
A redundant network IP smart failover method and system based on a redundant computer. Each computer in any computer group comprises an IP address switching module, a network status detecting module, and a peer fault detecting module. The IP address switching module is configured to smoothly switch an IP address in the redundant network. The peer fault detecting module is configured to mutually exclusively and stably acquire operation statuses of peer computers and quickly obtain a correct redundant network IP when necessary. The network status detecting module is configured to determine statuses of local and remote networks to facilitate the IP address switching module to smartly switch the IP address. Configuring a network status detecting module and a peer fault detecting module to aid the IP address switching module to allocate IP addresses more smartly can significantly improve reliability of the redundant network and effectively reduce IP conflicts during the redundant network failover process.