Load Balancing Between Processors on a Server Computer

摘要

The present invention relates to a server computer having a plurality of processors (20, 30, 40) arranged to provide services to one or more client computers connected to the network and connected to the network. This service includes providing an information block to the client computer 50, which accesses the data storage device 120 where data for the information block is stored. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each processor in the server, in response to a request from the client computer 50 for a particular block of information from the processor, retrieves data from the data storage 120, And block search means 80 used to create a file representing the block. In addition, load determination means 100 is provided for periodically determining activity data for a processor and including it in a load distribution record maintained for all processors of the server. Thereafter, for each reference to a subsequent information block in the file created by the block search means 80, it is determined which processor is to service the request from the client computer 50 for that subsequent information block, The determination means 90 configured to include the address for the processor in the file created by the means 80 is used. Once the decision means has completed this process, the file is transferred to the client computer 50.;In a preferred embodiment, the service provided is a World Wide Web (WWW) service, which is used on a parallel web server that provides web pages to clients over the Internet. By using the techniques of the present invention, more effective load balancing can be achieved across the processor of the web server, thereby avoiding problems such as " toasting " of a particular processor.