Virtual Consolidated Appliance

Abstract

Techniques for managing network traffic in a virtual consolidated appliance so as to avoid interruptions in existing network connections during reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance are provided. In one aspect, a method for operating a virtual consolidated appliance having a plurality of servers is provided. The method includes the following steps. An assignment for load balancing is computed based on a status of the virtual consolidated appliance. A reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance is discovered. A new assignment is computed for load balancing based on a new status of the virtual consolidated appliance based on the reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance. Existing network connections are redirected according to the assignment during the reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance. New network connections are served according to the new assignment.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A virtual consolidated appliance, comprising:
 a plurality of servers, each of the servers comprising i) a first module configured to compute an assignment for load balancing based on a status of the virtual consolidated appliance, ii) a second module configured to discover a reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance, and whereby the first module is configured to compute a new assignment for load balancing based on a new status of the virtual consolidated appliance based on the reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance, and iii) a third module configured to redirect existing network connections according to the assignment during the reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance; and   a load balancing switch for directing network connections to the servers configured to serve new network connections according to the new assignment.   
     
     
         2 . The virtual consolidated appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance comprises an addition of at least one server to the virtual consolidated appliance. 
     
     
         3 . The virtual consolidated appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance comprises a removal of at least one server from the virtual consolidated appliance. 
     
     
         4 . An apparatus for operating a virtual consolidated appliance having a plurality of servers, the apparatus comprising:
 a memory; and   at least one processor device, coupled to the memory, operative to:
 compute a assignment for load balancing based on a status of the virtual consolidated appliance; 
 discover a reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance; 
 compute a new assignment for load balancing based on a new status of the virtual consolidated appliance based on the reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance; 
 redirect existing network connections according to the assignment during the reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance; and 
 serve new network connections according to the new assignment. 
   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance comprises an addition of at least one server to the virtual consolidated appliance. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance comprises a removal of at least one of the servers from the virtual consolidated appliance. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the virtual consolidated appliance comprises a load balancing switch for directing network connections to the servers. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor device is further operative to:
 configure the load balancing switch with the assignment.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor device is further operative to:
 configure the load balancing switch with the new assignment.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the new network connections are served using the load balancing switch. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance comprises a removal of at least one of the servers from the virtual consolidated appliance, and wherein the at least one processor device is further operative to:
 redirect the existing network connections according to the assignment during the reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance until all of the existing network connections have been completed.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one processor device is further operative to:
 monitor the existing network connections.   
     
     
         13 . An article of manufacture for operating a virtual consolidated appliance having a plurality of servers, comprising a machine-readable recordable medium containing one or more programs which when executed implement the steps of:
 computing an assignment for load balancing based on a status of the virtual consolidated appliance;   discovering a reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance;   computing a new assignment for load balancing based on a new status of the virtual consolidated appliance based on the reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance;   redirecting existing network connections according to the assignment during the reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance; and   serving new network connections according to the new assignment.   
     
     
         14 . The article of manufacture of  claim 13 , wherein the reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance comprises an addition of at least one server to the virtual consolidated appliance. 
     
     
         15 . The article of manufacture of  claim 13 , wherein the reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance comprises a removal of at least one of the servers from the virtual consolidated appliance. 
     
     
         16 . The article of manufacture of  claim 13 , wherein the virtual consolidated appliance comprises a load balancing switch for directing network connections to the servers. 
     
     
         17 . The article of manufacture of  claim 16 , wherein the one or more programs which when executed further implement the step of:
 configuring the load balancing switch with the assignment.   
     
     
         18 . The article of manufacture of  claim 16 , wherein the one or more programs which when executed further implement the step of:
 configuring the load balancing switch with the new assignment.   
     
     
         19 . The article of manufacture of  claim 16 , wherein the new network connections are served using the load balancing switch. 
     
     
         20 . The article of manufacture of  claim 13 , wherein the reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance comprises a removal of at least one of the servers from the virtual consolidated appliance, and wherein the one or more programs which when executed further implement the step of:
 redirecting the existing network connections according to the assignment during the reconfiguration of the virtual consolidated appliance until all of the existing network connections have been completed.   
     
     
         21 . The article of manufacture of  claim 20 , wherein the one or more programs which when executed further implement the step of:
 monitoring the existing network connections.