The probability of load balancing success in a homogeneous network

The problem of load balancing in distributed systems composed of several homogeneous sites connected by a subnet is examined. The author determines a general formula for the probability that any one site in the system is underloaded while some other site in the system is overloaded. This probability can be used to define the likelihood of load balancing success in a distributed operating system. This probability gives insight into the utilization of the system and is an aid in determining a measure of effectiveness of the system. From this formula one can determine this probability when the workload is composed of processes typical to distributed systems. The influence of variants in the load balancing algorithm on this probability is demonstrated.<
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