Abstract: In a computer network, a broker mechanism allocates a plurality of servers, each having an available resource capacity, to a plurality of clients for delivering one of several services to the clients. The broker operates by monitoring a subset of all available servers capable of delivering the requested service. The allocation is based on developing a network policy for the plurality of servers by collecting a local policy for each of the servers. The broker receives client requests for the services and based on the network policy and available resource capacity suggests one of the servers, monitors in its subset for that particular service, to one of the clients making a request. The server suggested enforces its local policy by not allowing any connections exceeding its available resource capacity.