Method for providing sticky load balancing

US9992103B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Cisco Technology, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Hendrikus G. P. Bosch · Aalsmeer, NL
• Peter Weinberger · Wallisellen, CH
• Praveen Bhagwatula · Abdulrahman Khaleefah Street, US
• Michael E. Lipman · Harvard, US
• Alessandro Duminuco · Milano, IT
• Louis Gwyn Samuel · Swindon, GB

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 24, 2014
• Grant date: Jun 5, 2018
• Expiry date: May 13, 2035

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04W24/02
• WIPO field: Digital communication
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Presented herein are techniques to reduce the number of redirected subscriber packet flows while performing sticky hierarchical load balancing. An Nth head end network element may be activated such that a plurality of N head end network elements are active and capable of receiving and processing one or more packet flows. A primary load balancer may then be directed to overwrite a portion of pointers of a hash table in an evenly distributed manner with pointers to the Nth head end network element such that packet flows are forwarded to the Nth head end network element, wherein the hash table retains a static number of entries as the number of head end network elements is modified.