Abstract: A client-server architecture includes a plurality of clients and a plurality of servers. Information resources are replicated among the servers. According to one aspect, the invention includes an intermediary device called a “depot” sitting transparently between a client and a pool of servers which have the replicated information resources. The depot dynamically distributes multiple sessions contained in a client request among the servers. This architecture realizes a good granular scaleability of servers, and improved server throughput with a good response time. Multiple depots also realize robustness.

Abstract: A self-routing, modular, switching arrangement for distributing and concentrating input data packets that is comprised of a distribution section and a concentration section comprising N priority concentration sorters each having N inputs and L outputs, L being less than N. The sorters comprise means for ordering data packets according to priority information and for transferring only the L data packets from N inputs which have the highest relative priorities. A multiplicity of the switching arrangements can be interconnected to provide an expanded switching arrangement. The distribution network may be of a radix-r tree configuration in which multicast elements reference an extra cell header which identifies the output links of a multicast elements to which a data packet is to be transferred.