| 摘要 |
A method and system in which client requests to a multi-server, local area network (server cluster) are accumulated during discrete time intervals (batching periods), but not processed immediately. The servers are initialized to a low power state. At the end of a batching period or upon occurrence of some other specified event, the server cluster selects one or more servers to process the accumulated requests. The selected servers are then powered on and the requests are distributed to the powered servers for processing and response generation. After all requests have been responded to, the server cluster typically powers down the servers such that servers are actively powered only during the periods when batched requests are being processed. During times when a server cluster's request loading is sufficiently light, the response periods will be significantly shorter than the batching periods. In this case, power consumption is reduced because the servers are fully powered only during the relatively short response periods. The server cluster typically includes a router or other suitable switching device that is capable of storing requests gathered during the batching periods and of distributing the requests to the selected servers after a batching period ends. Batching periods may terminate at the expiration of a specified duration or when the age of a pending request exceeds some predetermined level of responsiveness to which the server cluster adheres.
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