Linux Virtual Server - advanced load balancing solution for Linux systems.

Linux Virtual Server (LVS) is an advanced load balancing solution for Linux systems. It is an open source project started by Wensong Zhang in May 1998. The mission of the project is to build a high-performance and highly available server for Linux using clustering technology, which provides good scalability, reliability and serviceability.

The major work of the LVS project is now to develop advanced IP load balancing software (IPVS), application-level load balancing software (KTCPVS), and cluster management components.

* IPVS: is an advanced IP load balancing software implemented inside the Linux kernel. The IP Virtual Server code was already included into the standard Linux kernel 2.4 and 2.6.
* KTCPVS: implements application-level load balancing inside the Linux kernel, currently under development.

Users can use the LVS solutions to build highly scalable and highly available network services, such as web, email, media services and VoIP services, and integrate scalable network services into large-scale reliable e-commerce or e-government applications.

The LVS solutions have already been deployed in many real applications throughout the world, including Wikipedia.

source : wiki

linux virtual server site : http://www.linuxvirtualserver.org/software/ipvs.html