Server Status

In an internet having a server for providing service, a client for receiving the service, plural proxy servers for standing proxy for an access to the server done by the client, and a proxy server selecting server for noticing an IP (Internet Protocol) corresponding to a domain name of the client in response to an inquiry with the domain name added thereon, the proxy sever selecting server receives a request message with the domain name of the server for providing the target service from the client. Then, the proxy server selecting server notifies the client of the IP address of the most approximate server to the client in place of the IP address of the server, based on the physical/logical location information, and if necessary, the periodically obtained load information of the proxy servers. The client recognizes the proxy server of the IP address given thereto as the server for providing the target service and then makes access to the proxy server.

A transparent proxy. In a computer system, a layered service provider intercepts a communications request from a client application in the native protocol of the communications request wherein the communications request requests communication with a remote server. The service provider bundles and passes the communications request to a predetermined port. A transparent proxy application listening on the predetermined port receives the communications request in the native protocol of the request and establishes the requested communication.

Existing proxy servers require each client application program, such as an Internet browser program for example, to be configured to recognize and use the proxy server. Specifically, client programs need to know how to contact the proxy server with a communications request, and how to format the communications request in order to correctly identify the remote server with which communication is requested. Client programs which do not include proxy configuration capabilities may not make use of current proxy servers.

Currently available proxy servers have another issue in that specific code must be included in the proxy server to recognize and interpret each protocol that may be used by a client program. Commonly used protocols include Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Telnet, and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), for example. However, new protocols and revisions of existing protocols are frequently introduced. Thus, there may be an issue if a protocol used by a particular client program is not supported by the proxy server. In order to support a new or revised protocol, a new revision of the proxy server is developed and released. Adding to and/or revising proxy code requires a significant amount of time and effort such that proxy support for a new protocol may lag introduction of the protocol by several months or longer.