High performance load balancing of outbound internet protocol traffic over multiple network interface cards
US6567377B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 18, 1999 |
| Grant date | May 20, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 18, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L69/14
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method for selecting a network interface card (NIC) to be used to send an outgoing data packet from a server computer system having a plurality of NICs coupled thereto. The outgoing data packet is addressed using an Internet Protocol (IP) address and a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) port number. A load balancing scheme is executed in order to select a NIC from the plurality of NICs. In one embodiment, the load balancing scheme is a function of the IP address; in alternate embodiments, the load balancing scheme is a function of the IP address and either the destination or source TCP port number. The media access control (MAC) address that represents the selected NIC is inserted in the outgoing data packet. The data packet is then sent using the selected NIC.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.