Method and apparatus for distributing requests among a plurality of resources

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for distributing a request to one of a plurality of resources. A request is mapped to a location in mathematical mapping space. Each of the plurality of resources is mapped to a respective location or locations in the mathematical mapping space. The request is allocated to one of the resources based on a mathematical relationship between the request location and the resource location in the mathematical mapping space. An apparatus for distributing a request to one of a plurality of resources includes the plurality of resources and an input receiving a resource request. A mapper in communication with the input maps the request to a request location in a mathematical mapping space and maps each of the plurality of resources to at least one resource locations in the mathematical mapping space. A distributor distributes the request to one of the plurality of resources in response to a mathematical relationship between the locations of the request and resources in the mathematical mapping space. The invention also relates to a method and apparatus for requesting data from one of a plurality of servers. An virtual network of nodes is generated in response to a data request. A first node on the virtual network of nodes is chosen randomly, and a path generated from the first node to the root on the virtual network. At least one node on the path is mapped to a respective one of the plurality of servers and data is requested from a server. The node may be mapped to the server using the method and apparatus for distributing a request to one of a plurality of resources of the present invention.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.