Unified Workload Group for TCP/IP and SNA Load Balancing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current workload management systems lack the ability to monitor and balance workload connections between TCP/IP server applications and legacy SNA applications accessing the same data sources, as there are no existing methods to manage and switch connections for both types of applications effectively.
Innovation Solution
The method involves grouping TCP/IP server applications and SNA applications into a single workload group, allowing monitoring agents to verify their health and availability, and using this information to create a distribution policy for a load balancer to route workload connections to either one site or an alternate site, enabling load balancing decisions across both application types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If TCP/IP server applications and SNA applications are managed separately, then each application type can be monitored independently, but workload connections cannot be balanced across both application types
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines TCP/IP server applications and SNA applications into a single workload group, allowing the workload manager to monitor and balance connections for both application types together. This merging enables unified load balancing decisions that affect both TCP/IP and SNA applications, resolving the limitation of separate management while maintaining the ability to handle different protocols through a single cohesive system.
2Productivity
If a load balancer appliance is used for TCP/IP applications, then TCP/IP workload connections can be distributed effectively, but SNA application connections cannot be monitored or switched
Solution Approach 1:
The workload manager is designed to provide universal monitoring and load balancing capabilities for both TCP/IP and SNA applications through a single system. By making the workload manager multi-functional, it can handle different protocols (TCP/IP and SNA) and perform both monitoring and distribution functions for diverse application types, eliminating the need for separate specialized systems.
3Ease of operation
If applications accessing the same data sources are grouped together, then consolidated monitoring and switching is enabled, but disparate protocol applications (TCP/IP and SNA) cannot be included in the same workload group
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges TCP/IP server applications and SNA applications into the same workload group despite their protocol differences. This combination allows the workload manager to provide consolidated monitoring and unified switching capabilities for all applications accessing the same data sources, regardless of whether they use TCP/IP or SNA protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The workload manager implements universal functionality to handle multiple protocols (TCP/IP and SNA) within a single workload group. This multi-functional capability enables the system to monitor, manage, and switch connections for disparate protocol applications together, providing ease of operation while maintaining protocol compatibility.
Data Source
AI summary
Different protocol applications (e.g., TCP/IP server applications and SNA applications) are monitored and combined into a same workload, and load balancing decisions are made that affect both types of applications. In the approach, monitoring agents verify the health and availability of both the TCP/IP server applications and SNA applications, and such information is then used by a workload manager to create a distribution policy for the workload. The workload manager provides the distribution policy to a load balancing mechanism, which is operable to distribute workload connections to any of these applications. The TCP/IP connections and SNA sessions for a workload group are then routed to one site, or to an alternate site.