Transparent TCP connection failover
US7251745B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 11, 2003 |
| Grant date | Jul 31, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 19, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L69/16
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Methods of transparent connection failover allowing a remote computer (i.e., a client), to continue to use a network connection to communicate with one of at least two or more other computers (i.e., the backup servers) over a network, when one of the other computers (i.e., the primary server) fails. With the mechanisms of this invention, there is no need for the client to establish a new connection to a backup server when the primary server fails. The failover is preferably executed within a bridge layer between the TCP layer and the IP layer of the server's TCP/IP stack. No modifications are required to the network infrastructure, the client's TCP/IP stack, the client application or the server application. The methods support active or semi-active replication of the server application, and do not require rollback of the application during failover. The invention also provides mechanisms for bringing up new backup servers.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.