Balancing caching load in a peer-to-peer based network file system

A system comprising:

• a cluster comprising two or more computer systems, the cluster being communicatively coupled with a network that includes three or more computer systems configured to cache data associated with a file server system, each of the two or more computer systems of the cluster is configured to the network, maintain information about files cached at the three or more computer systems of
• receive, from one of the three or more computer systems of the network, a request to identify at least one computer system of the network that caches a specified file,
• identify, in response to the received request, one or more computer systems of the network, other than the requesting computer system, that cache the specified file based on the maintained information, and
• provide, to the requesting computer system, information referencing at least the identified one or more computer systems of the network,
• where each of the two or more computer systems of the cluster is further configured to
• monitor caching load of each of the three or more computer systems of the network, and
• in response to the provided information referencing multiple computer systems of the network that cache the specified file, prioritize the provided information based on respective caching loads of the multiple computer systems referenced by the provided information.