Patent ID: 6996631
Filing Date: 2006-02-07
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of communicating with a plurality of application instances executing on a cluster of data processing systems having a plurality of communication protocol stacks associated therewith utilizing a single Internet Protocol (IP) address, the method comprising the steps of: establishing a first of the plurality of communication protocol stacks as a routing communication protocol stack associated with the single IP address; defining ones of the plurality of communication protocol stacks which are associated with the single IP address as candidate target communication protocol stacks; distributing among the plurality of communication protocol stacks an identification of protocol stacks which are associated with the single IP address and an identification of the routing communication protocol stack; notifying the routing communication protocol stack when an instance of the plurality of application instances associated with a candidate target communication protocol stack listens to a port of the single IP address so as to define the candidate target communication protocol stack as a current actual target stack; receiving a request to establish a connection to the single IP address and the port of the single IP address; establishing a routing table entry corresponding to the current actual target stack responsive to receiving a request to establish a connection to the single IP address and the port so as to define a routing path associated with the IP address and the port from the routing communication protocol stack to the current actual target stack; and routing communications for the connection to the port of the IP address received by the routing communication protocol stack based on the routing table.