Combining virtual local area networks and load balancing with fault tolerance in a high performance protocol
US6590861B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 18, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jul 8, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 18, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L69/329
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method to send and receive data packets over a network of computer systems (e.g., a plurality of virtual local area networks [VLANs] compliant with the IEEE 802.1Q standard) using a server computer system adapted to have a plurality of network interface cards (NICs) coupled thereto. An outgoing data packet is addressed using a first media access control (MAC) address, wherein the first MAC address is a virtual MAC address representing the plurality of NICs. A NIC is selected from the plurality of NICs using a load balancing scheme. The functionality of the selected NIC is verified using a fault tolerance scheme. The first MAC address in the outgoing data packet is replaced with a second MAC address, wherein the second MAC address represents the selected NIC. The outgoing data packet is then transmitted using the selected NIC. For an incoming data packet received at one of the plurality of NICs, the existing MAC address in the incoming data packet is replaced with the first MAC address. Thus, the present embodiment of the present invention provides a high performance method that supports multiple VLANs and elegantly combines a load balance scheme and a fault tolerance scheme into …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.