Bi-directional load balancing

A device, comprising

• a memory to store information associated with traffic conditions and processing capacity associated with a plurality of server devices that are interconnected to the device, wherein the information is stored in a data structure associated with each of the plurality of server devices;
• and
• a processor to:
• receive a request to establish a communication session with a user device,
• retrieve, from the memory responsive to the request, the information associated with the traffic conditions and processing capacity that corresponds to the plurality of server devices,
• determine, based on an indicator in a first stored data structure, one or more server devices for which an elapsed time associated with the traffic condition and the processing capacity does not exceed a threshold amount of time,
• determine, based on an indicator in a second stored data structure, at least one server device for which the elapsed time associated with the traffic condition or the processing capacity exceeds the threshold amount of time, wherein the first and second data structures include:
• information associated with a maximum potential loading capacity, and
• information associated with an equipped loading capacity, wherein the maximum potential loading capacity and the equipped loading capacity differ,
• send, to the at least one server device, a query to obtain information associated with current traffic conditions or processing capacity,
• select a server device, of the plurality of server devices, via which to create the communication session, based on a determination that the selected server device has a greatest reserve processing capacity among the plurality of server devices, wherein the determination is based on the retrieved information and the obtained information associated with the traffic conditions and processing capacity, and
• send, to the selected server device, an instruction to create the communication session based on the selection of the server device, wherein creating the communication session causes traffic, associated with the communication session, to be processed in a manner that avoids congestion in one or more of the plurality of server devices with a reserve processing capacity that is less than the greatest reserve processing capacity.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions executable by at least one processor, the computer readable medium comprising:

• one or more instructions to receive, from a user device, a request to access the network;
• one or more instructions to retrieve, from a memory and in response to the request, information associated with a reserve processing capacity indicated in a first data structure associated with a first server device and information associated with a reserve processing capacity indicated in a second data structure associated with a second server device, wherein the first and second data structures include:
• information associated with a maximum potential loading capacity, and
• information associated with an as-configured loading capacity, wherein the maximum potential loading capacity and the as-configured loading capacity differ;
• one or more instructions to determine whether to send a query to obtain current information associated with the reserve processing capacity of the first server device or the second server device based on an elapsed time, indicated in the first and second data structures, since the retrieved information was obtained prior to receiving the request;
• one or more instructions to send, to the first server device or the second server device, the query to obtain the current information based on a determination that the elapsed time indicated in the first data structure is greater than a threshold amount of time;
• one or more instructions to select the first server device, via which to establish a communication session with the user device, based on a determination that the first server device has a reserve processing capacity that is greater than another reserve processing capacity of the second server device;
• and
• one or more instructions to send, to the first server device, an instruction to establish the communication session with the user device, wherein establishing the communication session, via the first server device, decreases a risk associated with the second server device from becoming congested when processing traffic associated with the communication session.