Dynamic server selection by using a client side composite DNS-metric

Abstract

Dynamic Server Selection (DSS) is a new DNS method for the optimal server selection of a multiple available network service. The method allows dynamic selection of a server on the client side based on the information of the server load and its network topological distance from the client. The server selection is based on the calculations of a composite DNS-metric in which servers, whose IP addresses are sent in a DNS response, are ranked from the optimal to the least suitable. Calculation parameters are server response time, which the client measures for each server independently, and the server load, which is specified by the server administrator. The DSS method has the lowest overall network service response time in comparison with the other four observed methods (Geographical, Hops, Random and RTT) which, in measurements done in a real time environment, have longer response time from 8.5% to 26.8% compared to DSS.