Patent attributes
A distributed system comprises one or more computers implementing a downstream server configured to determine whether it is overloaded and in response, to indicate to one or more upstream servers that the downstream server is in a hotspot situation. The system comprises one or more computers implementing one or more upstream servers configured to respond to receiving the indication of the hotspot situation by shielding the downstream server from subsequent requests, the shielding including serving one or more client requests without requesting service from the downstream server and reporting one or more measures of the shielded requests to the downstream server. The downstream server is further configured to determine whether the hotspot situation still exists, dependent on one or more of the reported measures.
