Load Balancing And Yahoo
Below is a MRR and PLR article in category Internet Business -> subcategory Other.
Load Balancing and Yahoo!
Summary
For high-traffic sites like Yahoo!, the quality of service relies on network-transfer speed and server response time. These depend on internet bandwidth and server resources like CPU speed, RAM, and I/O performance. When resources are maxed out due to heavy traffic, issues can arise.
Understanding Load Balancing
When a web server struggles with high traffic, the solution isn't always just adding RAM or upgrading the CPU. While faster SCSI controllers and optimized software can help, an effective strategy often involves increasing the number of servers.
Load balancing involves distributing processing and communications across a network to prevent any single device from becoming overwhelmed. This is crucial for busy websites, which often use multiple web servers to share the traffic load. If one server is overloaded, another server can pick up the slack.
There are two main reasons for implementing load balancing: technical efficiency and business advantages. Addressing technical needs quickly is essential when resources allow.
With a single web server, high traffic can slow down page loading and frustrate users. Eventually, hardware upgrades may not be cost-effective. Yahoo! recognized this early, gaining a patent in 1999 for coordinating data across multiple servers, which cache and share information as needed. As websites grow, load balancing devices become more critical.
In a server group, HTTP traffic needs to be distributed evenly. The load balancer intercepts and redirects each request to an available server, ensuring smooth operation and optimal user experience.
Methods of Load Balancing
There are several load balancing techniques, each suited to different needs, features, complexity, and costs. Choosing the right method depends on a company’s specific circumstances.
Round Robin DNS Load Balancing
This early and simple method uses the round-robin feature of the DNS server to cycle through IP addresses in a server cluster. It's inexpensive and easy but doesn’t consider server availability. Cached IP addresses can also bypass the load balancing DNS server.
Hardware Load Balancing
This method routes TCP/IP packets to various servers in a cluster, offering high availability and a powerful setup. However, it is generally more expensive than other methods.
Software Load Balancing
Often included in web server and application server packages, this method is flexible and can intelligently route traffic based on multiple parameters. Additional hardware is needed to support the load balancers.
Server Load Balancing Algorithms
Random Allocation
Requests are randomly assigned to servers in the group. Although simple, this risks some servers being overloaded while others are underutilized.
Round-Robin Allocation
This method assigns requests using a rotating basis across servers. While more orderly than random allocation, it doesn’t account for different server capabilities.
Weighted Round-Robin
This variation assigns requests based on each server's capacity. Servers with more power receive more requests, balancing the load better. However, it doesn’t consider factors like request processing time.
An efficient load balancer should use intelligent monitoring to direct requests to the most capable servers, ensuring smooth and efficient operations.
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