Patent ID: 8171124

Claim:
A method for triggering a monitor on a remote service of a Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB) appliance in a GSLB hierarchy of appliances, the method comprising: a) receiving, by a first appliance, metrics of a second appliance via a metric exchange connection between the first appliance and the second appliance, the first appliance comprising a GSLB service and identifying a service provided via the second appliance as a remote service for GSLB; b) identifying, by the first appliance, via the metrics that a state of the service provided via the second appliance is up; c) determining, by the first appliance, that the metric exchange connection is down; d) triggering, by the first appliance responsive to the determination, a monitor to monitor the status of the service provided via the second appliance; and e) obtaining, by the first appliance, via the monitor a second status of the service.