Time zone difference based locality estimation between web clients and E-business servers

A method for directing a user on a network to a server, comprising the steps of:

• receiving from the user a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request for web content;
• sending to the user, in response to the HTTP request, web content comprising a client side program, wherein the client program reads the local time of the user and embeds the local time of the user into a link;
• receiving from the user, in response to the user clicking on the link, an HTTP request for a web page, wherein the HTTP request includes the local time of the user;
• determining from the local time of the user, using a server side program, the topological location of the user on the network;
• determining from the topological location of the user, using a server side program, the identity of the server that is capable of fulfilling the user's request and that is topologically nearest to the user;
• and
• forwarding the request of the user to the identified server, wherein the time required to satisfy the request of the user is optimized.

A computer readable medium including computer instructions for directing a user on a network to a server, the computer instructions comprising instructions for:

• sending to the user a client side program that reads the local time of the user;
• receiving from the user a request and the local time of the user, wherein the client side program effectuated the sending of the local time of the user;
• determining from the local time of the user the topological location of the user on the network;
• determining from the topological location of the user the identity of the server that is capable of fulfilling the user's request and that is topologically nearest to the user;
• and
• directing the user to the identified server, wherein the time required to satisfy the request of the user is optimized.