Patent ID: 8260926

Claim:
A method for maintaining site persistence via a load balancing virtual server in an hierarchical Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB) system, the method comprising: a) receiving, by a load balancing virtual server at a first site, GSLB domain related information from a GSLB virtual server identifying whether site persistence for the GSLB virtual server is enabled, the GSLB virtual server load balancing a plurality of sites, each of the plurality of sites comprising one or more load balancing virtual servers load balancing a plurality of servers, the GSLB domain related information comprising a persistence identifier, a GSLB service internet protocol (IP) address and a GSLB service port; b) storing, by the load balancing virtual server, the GSLB domain related information in association with a service of the load balancing virtual server identifying the GSLB virtual server; c) receiving, by the load balancing virtual server, a request of a client forwarded by the GSLB virtual server, the request comprising a GSLB cookie, the GSLB cookie comprising the persistence identifier, the GSLB service IP address and port of the GSLB virtual server; and d) determining, by the load balancing virtual server, from the GSLB cookie whether the request was forwarded from the GSLB virtual server associated with the service of the load balancing virtual server.