System and method for providing services for offline servers using the same network address

A method of managing virtual servers, comprising:

• launching a plurality of virtual servers running on a clustered computer system having multiple hardware servers tied together, the virtual servers sharing an operating system handling the cluster;
• assigning an associated address and a unique system-wide identifier to each virtual server;
• each virtual server responding to requests from clients;
• starting, on each virtual server, an internal control procedure operable that is inside the virtual server for control of that virtual server using the associated address and the unique system-wide identifier;
• and
• starting an external control interface outside the virtual server for control of the virtual server in response to commands sent by a remote user using the associated address and the unique system-wide identifier,
• wherein, if a particular virtual server is non-responsive, the external control interface can be used to manage that virtual server using the associated address and the unique system-wide identifier associated with that virtual server, and
• wherein the external control interface is executed on any of the hardware server of the cluster and is available to the remote user when a particular virtual server is unresponsive, or when the internal control procedure of that virtual server is unreachable, or when services provided by the internal control procedure are unreachable.