Patent · US Expired

Configurable geographic prefixes for global server load balancing

US7496651B1 · kind B1 · utility

374Cited by
80References
23Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMay 6, 2004
Grant dateFeb 24, 2009
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 20, 2026

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L2101/695
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

In a load balancing system, user-configurable geographic prefixes are provided. IP address prefix allocations provided by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) and associated geographic locations are stored in a first, static database in a load balancing switch, along with other possible default geographic location settings. A second, non-static database stores user-configured geographic settings. In particular, the second database stores Internet Protocol (IP) address prefixes and user-specified geographic regions for those prefixes. The specified geographic region can be continent, country, state, city, or other user-defined region. The geographic settings in the second database can override the information in the first database. These geographic entries help determine the geographic location of a client and host IP addresses, and aid in directing the client to a host server that is geographically the closest to that client.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.