VMware, Inc.
LOAD BALANCING FOR THIRD PARTY SERVICES

Abstract:

Some embodiments provide a novel method for distributing data message flows among multiple service nodes that provide a particular service in a managed network. In some embodiments, the service nodes provide an edge service at an edge device (e.g., a gateway) of the managed network. The method collects a set of attributes from each service node of the multiple service nodes regarding the service node from which the set of attributes are collected. The collected attributes may include usage statistics, characteristics of the service nodes, and characteristics of the connections to the service nodes. The collected attributes are used to compute a score (e.g., a weight or priority) for each service node. Based on the policy and the computed scores, a set of rules and tables are generated to distribute the data message flows to the service nodes to implement the policy.