Methods and Apparatuses for Balancing Utilization of Computer Resources

Methods and apparatus for balancing resource utilization as described herein enable the use of distributed allocation architectures with minimal coordination signaling. Among the multiple advantages gained are reduced overhead signaling, greater implementation flexibility, and improved adaptability to changes in the system state. Here, “system state” refers to the subset (16) of servers (12) that are currently available among a set (14) of servers (12) targeted for use in load balancing. Of course, the contemplated methods and apparatus do not foreclose centralization of at least some of the load-balancing operations and associated data management.