A system for adaptive traffic control comprising: a server network comprising a plurality of servers; and a name server network having at least one domain name server (1181, 1182,..., 118k) constructed and adapted to provide policy-based domain name service; policy management means for receiving at least one policy from at least one source and for broadcasting the at least one policy to the at least one domain name server (1181, 1182,..., 118k) in the domain name server network, and said at least one domain name server comprising means for receiving the at least one policy broadcasted from said policy management means, wherein, in response to a request to resolve a hostname, said at least one domain name server in the domain name server network selects one of the plurality of servers to process the request characterised in that said at least one domain name server comprises means for maintaining and updating a policy database to include said at least one policy, and means for resolving hostnames based on policies in said policy database, including said at least one policy; and in that said plurality of servers include different types of servers which are classified as static servers, dynamic servers or overflow servers; wherein a static server is a server which does not change often over time, a dynamic server is a server which is expected to change frequently and an overflow server is one to which said request to resolve said hostname is sent when said static or dynamic servers are unavailable; wherein said at least one policy governing selection of a dynamic server is a dynamic policy which is initially defined and thereafter adaptively refined. a server network comprising a plurality of servers; and a name server network having at least one domain name server (1181, 1182,..., 118k) constructed and adapted to provide policy-based domain name service; policy management means for receiving at least one policy from at least one source and for broadcasting the at least one policy to the at least one domain name server (1181, 1182,..., 118k) in the domain name server network, and said at least one domain name server comprising means for receiving the at least one policy broadcasted from said policy management means, wherein, in response to a request to resolve a hostname, said at least one domain name server in the domain name server network selects one of the plurality of servers to process the request characterised in that said at least one domain name server comprises means for maintaining and updating a policy database to include said at least one policy, and means for resolving hostnames based on policies in said policy database, including said at least one policy; and in that said plurality of servers include different types of servers which are classified as static servers, dynamic servers or overflow servers; wherein a static server is a server which does not change often over time, a dynamic server is a server which is expected to change frequently and an overflow server is one to which said request to resolve said hostname is sent when said static or dynamic servers are unavailable; wherein said at least one policy governing selection of a dynamic server is a dynamic policy which is initially defined and thereafter adaptively refined.