Patent ID: 7913106
Filing Date: 2011-03-22
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented method for managing failover in a host supporting a plurality of virtual IP addresses on a network, comprising: assigning a plurality of adapters to the host; assigning a plurality of virtual internet protocol (IP) addresses to the host; configuring each adapter of the plurality of adapters of the host to concurrently support each virtual IP address of the plurality of virtual IP addresses assigned to the host by configuring a transport layer of a network stack on the host to compare an IP address specified in an ARP request received at the host with a list of the plurality of virtual IP addresses and by assigning a separate MAC hardware address to each of the plurality of adapters in an adapter layer of the network stack; responsive to the host receiving an ARP request from at least one requesting host for a particular IP address, comparing the particular IP address at the transport layer with the list of the plurality of virtual IP addresses; responsive to the particular virtual IP address matching a selected virtual IP address within the plurality of virtual IP addresses, triggering, from the transport layer, each of the plurality of adapters in the adapter layer to send an ARP response to the at least one requesting host with each separate MAC hardware address of each separate adapter for the particular virtual IP address, wherein each at least one requesting host stores one of the plurality of ARP responses from the plurality of adapters; responsive to detecting a failure of at least one particular adapter from among the plurality of adapters in the adapter layer, triggering, from the transport layer, each remaining adapter from among the plurality of adapters in the adapter layer to broadcast a separate ARP hardware address update for each virtual IP address of the plurality of virtual IP addresses over the network with each separate MAC address for each remaining adapter, such that for a failover in the host supporting the plurality of virtual IP addresses the host directs at least one other host accessible via the network to address any new packets for the plurality of virtual IP addresses to one of the separate hardware addresses of one of the remaining adapters; and responsive to the at least one requesting host receiving the plurality of updates, redirecting by the at least one requesting host a bound connection to one of the plurality of virtual IP addresses to a particular one of the separate MAC addresses of one of the remaining adapters.