Patent ID: 8493858
Filing Date: 2013-07-23
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for an appliance to direct handling of transport layer connection requests from a first virtual server of the appliance managing a first plurality of services to a second virtual server of the appliance managing a second plurality of services upon exceeding, by the first virtual server, a maximum connection threshold determined dynamically from a status of the first plurality of services, the method comprising: (a) establishing, on an appliance, a first virtual server which directs transport layer connection requests from a plurality of clients to a first plurality of services; (b) establishing, via the appliance, a first dynamic threshold identifying a maximum number of active transport layer connections for the first virtual server, the first dynamic threshold comprising a sum of a predetermined transport layer connection capacity for each of the plurality of services that is currently identified as available, wherein the predetermined transport layer connection capacity of a particular service comprises a predetermined number of transport layer connections the particular service is configured to process; (c) monitoring, by the appliance, a status for each of the plurality of services; (d) determining, by the appliance, the status of a service of the plurality of services indicates the service is not available; (e) adjusting, by the appliance in response to the determination, the first dynamic threshold to comprise the sum of the predetermined transport layer connection capacity for each of the plurality of services having a status of available, the adjusted first dynamic threshold excluding the predetermined transport layer connection capacity of the service that is not available; (f) determining, by the appliance, a number of active transport layer connections to the first virtual server exceeds the first dynamic threshold; (g) establishing, by the appliance in response to the determination, a second virtual server which directs transport layer connection requests from the plurality of clients to a second plurality of services; (h) establishing, via the appliance, a second dynamic threshold identifying a maximum number of active transport layer connections for the second virtual server, the second dynamic threshold comprising a sum of a predetermined transport layer connection capacity for each of the plurality of services of the second virtual server that is currently identified as available; and (i) providing, via the appliance, a transport layer connection request received by the appliance to the second virtual server responsive to determining that a number of active transport layer connections to the first virtual server exceeds the first dynamic threshold.