System and method for highly scalable high-speed content-based filtering and load balancing in interconnected fabrics

1. A method for transaction-oriented communication between a client computer and one or more server computers, the client computer and the server computers having multi-channel reliable network hardware, the method comprising:

monitoring network traffic over a connection between said client computer and said one or more server computers, wherein said network traffic includes at least one transaction initiated by said client computer, the transaction including a command portion and a data portion;

based on a predefined policy, directing one of said server computers to directly transfer the data portion of said transaction to said client computer over said connection using remote direct memory access messages; and

processing the command portion of said transaction via a router on said connection between the client computer and said one or more server computers.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising processing said network traffic within or above a transport layer only.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

filtering said network traffic according to said predefined policy.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

gathering information on said network traffic.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

selecting one of said server computers to receive said transaction according to information in said network traffic.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

selecting one of said server computers to receive said transaction according to load-balancing considerations.

7. A method for transaction-oriented communication between a client computer and one or more server computers having multi-channel reliable network hardware, the method comprising:

monitoring a session of packet-oriented network traffic between the client computer and said one or more server computers;

isolating at least one transaction from said packet-oriented network traffic, the transaction including a command portion and a data portion;

sending said command portion to one of said server computers for processing; and

converting said data portion to allow access to data of the transaction using remote direct memory access messages that are compatible with said multi-channel reliable network hardware.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said packet-oriented network traffic is transport control protocol traffic.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein isolating at least one transaction comprises:

collecting packets of said session of packet-oriented network traffic; and

marking a beginning and end of a state of said session to generate one or more stateless transactions each including a command portion and a data portion.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

filtering said network traffic according to a predefined policy.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

gathering information about said network traffic according to a predefined policy.

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

routing said transactions according to information in said network traffic.

13. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

routing said transactions according to load-balancing considerations.

14. A system for transaction-oriented communication between a client computer and one or more server computers having multi-channel reliable network hardware, the system comprising:

a proxy able to monitor a session of packet-oriented network traffic between the client computer and said one or more server computers, to isolate at least one transaction from said packet-oriented network traffic, the transaction including a command portion and a data portion, and to convert said data portion to allow access to data of the transaction using remote direct memory access messages that are compatible with said multi-channel reliable network hardware; and

one or more routers to send said command portion to one of said server computers for processing.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein said packet-oriented network traffic is transport control protocol traffic.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein said one or more routers are able to process said transactions within or above a transport layer only.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein one or more of said routers is able to direct said transactions among said server computers according to information in said transactions.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein one or more of said routers is able to direct said transactions among said routers according to information in said transactions.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein one or more of said routers is able to direct said transactions among said server computers according to load-balancing considerations.

20. The system of claim 16 , wherein one or more of said routers is able to direct said transactions among said routers according to load-balancing considerations.

21. The system of claim 16 , wherein one or more of said routers is able to filter said transactions according to a predefined policy.

22. The system of claim 16 , wherein one or more of said routers is able to gather information on said transactions.

23. The system of claim 14 , wherein said multi-channel reliable network hardware is selected from a group including: virtual interface hardware, Infiniband hardware, Fiber-Channel hardware, small computer system interface hardware, asynchronous transfer mode hardware, expanded Ethernet hardware, and remote direct memory access over transport control protocol over internet protocol network hardware.

24. The system of claim 14 , wherein said transactions are from a group including: database transactions, remote procedure call transactions, storage-access transactions, file-access transactions, and socket transactions.

25. A system for transaction-oriented communication between a client computer and one or more server computers, the client computer and the server computers having multichannel reliable network hardware, the system comprising:

one or more routers to monitor network traffic over a connection between said client computer and said one or more server computers, wherein said network traffic includes at least one transaction initiated by said client computer, the transaction including a command portion and a data portion,

wherein said one or more routers are able to process the command portion of said transaction, and, based on a predefined policy, to direct one of said server computers to directly transfer the data portion of said transaction to said client computer over said connection using remote direct memory access messages.

26. The system of claim 25 , wherein said one or more routers are able to process said network traffic within or above a transport layer only.

27. The system of claim 25 , wherein said one or more routers are able to filter said network traffic according to said predefined policy.

28. The system of claim 25 , wherein said one or more routers are able to gather information on said network traffic.

29. The system of claim 25 , wherein said one or more routers are to select one of said server computers to receive said transaction according to information in said network traffic.

30. The system of claim 25 , wherein said one or more routers are to select one of said server computers to receive said transaction according to load-balancing considerations.

31. The system of claim 25 , wherein said multi-channel reliable network hardware is selected from a group including: virtual interface hardware, Infiniband hardware, Fiber-Channel hardware, small computer system interface hardware, asynchronous transfer mode hardware, expanded Ethernet hardware, and remote direct memory access over transport control protocol over internet protocol network hardware.

32. The system of claim 25 , wherein said transactions are from a group including: database transactions, remote procedure call transactions, storage-access transactions, file-access transactions, and socket transactions.