Patent attributes
A network (10) includes a load balancer (18) that passes traffic between a client (14) and a gateway (20). For initial messages from a client (14), the load balancer (18) selects an appropriate gateway (20) for message processing. A session is then established between the client (14) and the appropriate gateway (20). The session is indicated by a session identifier. At any point, the client (14) may choose to suspend the session for later resumption. Upon suspension, the load balancer (18) keeps track of the session identifier and the appropriate gateway (20) associated with the session. Upon a resumption request from the client (14), the load balancer (18) determines which of the gateways (20) is associated with the resumption request according to the session identifier. In this manner, the client may continue a session with the same gateway (20) for seamless operation.
