Minimizing control overheads in adaptive load sharing

Two algorithms are developed for minimizing control overheads in exchanging state information arising from the control messages used in determining the load levels at other servers. In the first algorithm, the load levels at other servers are guessed using a simple heuristic algorithm. Such a model is found to provide significant improvements compared to the no-load sharing case. The second algorithm improves upon the first one by replacing some unnecessary task transfers by a single probe. The simulation results obtained from these algorithms are presented and compared to an algorithm based on random selection of destinations for transfer tasks. It was concluded that a load sharing policy should try to maximize the success rate in finding good destinations for transfer tasks while minimizing the control overheads