Patent ID: 7343399

Claim:
A method of handling a resource request made by a client in a client network, the network including a Generic Local Lookup Service (GLLS) located at a network edge and a Generic Domain Lookup System (GDLS) located at a location remote from the network edge, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a resource request at the GLLS from the said client, the resource request identifying the requested resource; forwarding the resource request from the GLLS to the GDLS; searching a database in the GDLS for a resource record associated with the requested resource; the GDLS analyzing a set of resource providers and determining the resource providers compatible with the resource request; transmitting a response containing a list of resource providers from the GDLS to the GLLS, the list including server selection criteria associated with the resource providers; the GLLS selecting the best resource provider in the list according to the server selection criteria and additional client information relating to a client performance characteristic, the additional client information including the client access speed; and the GLLS returning data to the client which identifies the best resource provider for the requested resource.