Dynamic Server Selection in Distributed Object Computing Systems

In this paper, we address the problem of dynamic server selection among a set of object servers, as the ones defined by CORBA and DCOM, providing the same service type. These servers are not necessarily replicas but may have different interfaces and belong to different service providers. As a solution, we propose a novel architecture that we call LoDACE. This architecture has been designed to allow dynamic server selection and load sharing in distributed object computing environments. Specifically, the architecture prevents the occurrence of major load imbalances that can cause failures in distributed applications. The architecture is based on both the use of a trading service and the monitoring of the servers’ load. Our interest in the trader is motivated by the need to discover object servers dynamically. LoDACE allows service requests to be processed by lightly loaded servers selected dynamically. The expected results are better performances in terms of responsiveness and availability of servers.