DISTRIBUTED NETWORKS AND UTILIZATION OF CENTRALIZED REDUNDANCY

摘要

In a network architecture comprising edge networks and centralized resources having redundancy, apparatus for location at an edge network comprising: a local monitoring unit for determining whether operation of the edge network is within a predetermined specification; an interruption unit for determining whether operation of the edge network is undergoing an interruption; and an invocation unit for i) inferring that if the edge network is operational with said predetermined specification and is simultaneously undergoing an interruption then a centralized resource is not sufficiently responsive, and ii) following such an inference, invoking redundancy of the resource. Thus for example a remote mail server may be exchanged for a redundant mail server by changing the server address in the mail client of the edge network.