Abstract: Methods and apparatus provide an adaptive load balancer that presents a virtual data system to client computer systems. The virtual data system provides access to an aggregated set of data, such as files or web service objects, available from a plurality of server data systems respectively operating within a plurality of server computer systems. The adaptive load balancer receives a client data access transaction from a client computer system that specifies a data access operation to be performed relative to the virtual data system presented to the client computer system. The adaptive load balancer processes the client data access transaction in relation to metadata associated with the virtual data system to provide access to the file or service object within a server computer system, or to access the metadata.

Abstract: A monitoring system for a local-area network (10) has a distributed organization, in which a monitor manager (34) on the network receives information from individual monitor units (32 and 40) connected to different buses (12 and 14) of the local-area network (10). Each monitor unit employs a plurality of counters in a packet memory (50) that are dynamically allocated to specific packet characteristics as new packet characteristics appear on the network. A look-up table (56) contains the association between counters and the characteristics with which they are associated, and a look-up engine (54) operates the look-up table (56) in such a manner as to enable it to search for the location of specific counters by employing a binary-search method. In this way, all processing for a given packet can be performed within the minimum packet time.