Method of balancing load among mirror servers

• US 20010025313A1
• Filed: 01/29/2001
• Published: 09/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Liu, Dong, Feng, Nan, Liu, Leo Y.
• Granted Patent: US 7,568,032 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method for balancing load among a plurality of mirror servers, wherein a user may select and get access to any one of said plurality of mirror servers within an identical web page, comprising steps of: (1) when said web page is accessed by a client, transmitting not only said web page but also a predetermined script to said client; (2) automatically executing said script at said client so as to respectively create connections with each of said plurality of mirror servers and measure respective response times; (3) selecting the mirror server having the shortest response time for users to access.

Claims

1. A method for balancing load among a plurality of mirror servers, wherein a user may select and get access to any one of said plurality of mirror servers within an identical web page, said method comprising the steps of:

(1) when said web page is accessed by a client, transmitting not only said web page but also a predetermined script to said client;

(2) automatically executing said script at said client so as to respectively create connections with each of said plurality of mirror servers and measure respective response times; and

(3) selecting a mirror server having the shortest response time for the users to access.

2. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein said predetermined script is transmitted together with said web page to said client.

3. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein said automatically executing said script comprises steps of

calling a predetermined engine by said client;

and

executing said script by said engine, comprising creating connections with each of said plurality of mirror servers and measuring respective response times.

4. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein said executing said script is performed in a multi-thread manner for said plurality of mirror servers.

5. The method according to

claim 1

, further comprising sending the client information to the mirror servers being connected.

6. The method according to

claim 5

, wherein said client information includes at least one of IP address, domain name, platform name, platform version, and browser type of said client.

7. The method according

claim 1

, wherein said connections are created through proxies.

8. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein said script can be re-started by said user.

9. The method according to

claim 1

, further comprising comparing respective response times of said plurality of mirror servers.

10. The method according to

claim 9

, further comprising the steps of:

notifying said user of the mirror server having the shortest response time;

getting access by the user to the mirror server of which said user has been notified.

11. An apparatus for balancing load among a plurality of mirror servers said apparatus being installed in a client machine and comprising:

a script analyzer, for analyzing a predetermined script received by a client;

a script executor, for respectively creating connections with each of said plurality of mirror servers and measuring respective response times based on analyzed result from said script analyzer; and

a selector, for selecting the mirror server having the shortest response time for users to access.

12. The apparatus according to

claim 11

, wherein said predetermined script is transmitted together with a web page to said client.

13. The apparatus according to

claim 11

, wherein said script executor operates in a multi-thread manner for said plurality of mirror servers.

14. The apparatus according to

claim 11

, wherein said script executor is additionally adapted to send the client information to the mirror servers being connected.

15. The apparatus according to

claim 14

, wherein said client information includes at least one of IP address, domain name, platform name, platform version, and browser type of said client.

16. The apparatus according

claim 11

, wherein said script executor makes connections with mirror servers through the proxies.

17. The apparatus according to

claim 11

, wherein said script executor can be re-started by said user so as to execute said script.

18. The apparatus according to

claim 11

, wherein said selector comprises a comparator for comparing respective response times of said plurality of mirror servers.

19. The apparatus according to

claim 18

, wherein said selector further comprises:

means for notifying said user of the mirror server having the shortest response time; and

means for receiving selection made by a user on the mirror servers.

20. A program storage device readable by machine tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for balancing load among a plurality of mirror servers, wherein a user may select and get access to any one of said plurality of mirror servers within an identical web page, said method comprising the steps of:

(1) when said web page is accessed by a client, receiving not only said web page but also a predetermined script at said client;

(2) automatically executing said script at said client so as to respectively create connections with each of said plurality of mirror servers and measure respective response times; and

(3) selecting a mirror server having the shortest response time for the users to access.