Patent ID: 7779415
Filing Date: 2010-08-17
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method for dynamically adjusting a workload of an active server, the method comprising: dividing the workload into a collection of workload units, each workload unit including its own key identifier identifying the workload unit; associating the active server with at least one parent workload group, the parent workload group including the collection of workload units such that the collection of workload units belonging to the parent workload group share an identical sequence of values at a specified depth value of their key identifiers, the identical sequence of values defining a group key identifier associated with the parent workload group; independently determining by the active server that an overload condition exists at the active server; and if the overload condition exists: increasing the depth value of the key identifier associated with the parent workload group such that at least two child workload groups are identified; assigning a target server to manage at least one of the child workload groups; receiving a virtual key associated with at least one of a dynamically varying group of identifier keys as input to produce an identity of a target resource from an overall resource set as an output; and associating each one of a set of client entities with at least one identifier key, wherein each client entity dynamically determining the dynamically varying group of key identifiers that it currently belongs to.