Patent ID: 7296268
Filing Date: 2007-11-13
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method performed by a control client that communicates with a load-balancing cluster of server nodes configured to service application-layer requests sent by user clients to a virtual address common to the cluster, the method comprising: dynamically determining, by the control client, which server nodes are members of the load-balancing cluster; monitoring application-layer availability of the server nodes in the load-balancing cluster, the monitoring being performed by the control client generating and sending, from outside of the load-balancing cluster application-layer, requests to those server nodes determined to be members of the load-balancing cluster; and in accordance with the application-layer availability of a server node in the load-balancing cluster as determined by the application-layer monitoring of the control client, sending to the load-balancing cluster a message that is configured to control whether the server node handles application-layer requests sent to the load-balancing cluster by the user clients, where the application-layer requests sent by the control client to monitor application-layer availability conform to a same application-layer protocol that the user client requests conform to.