Client-side load balancing for remote application servers

A method comprising:

• periodically receiving at a publishing server status information from each remote desktop service (RDS) server of a plurality of RDS servers connected to the publishing server via one or more networks where the status information for each RDS server of the plurality of RDS servers comprises a list of published applications, a list of existing client sessions and at least one of an availability and a utilization of each resource of one or more resources of the RDS server of the plurality of RDS servers;
• establishing upon the publishing server a state snapshot comprising the status information for the plurality of RDS servers and at least one of a timestamp relating to the time of generation of the state snapshot and a version identifier of the state snapshot;
• transmitting the state snapshot to each client computing device of a plurality of client computing devices;
• and
• triggering a client computing device of the plurality of client computing devices to perform client-side load balancing process in dependence upon the state snapshot with respect a request generated by the client computing device to access a published application, wherein upon the client computing device of the plurality of client computing devices being triggered to perform the client-side load balancing process, the client computing device of the plurality of client computing devices:
• validates the version of state snapshot currently stored by the client computing device of the plurality of client computing devices;
• and
• responsive to failing to successfully validate the state snapshot triggers a request for a new version of the state snapshot from the publishing server.