Which term describes relying on software rather than hardware to perform the load balancing functions?

Which term describes relying on software rather than hardware to perform the load balancing functions?

• A. Load Balancing
• B. Redundancy
• C. Clustering
• D. Replication

Answer: (C)

Relying on software to distribute client requests across multiple servers is achieved through clustering. In a cluster, several servers work together under software that coordinates how requests are assigned, monitors node health, and shifts load as needed. This setup uses standard servers and software to balance the load, rather than a dedicated hardware appliance. Redundancy is about having backups to prevent failure, not about distribution of load via software. Replication duplicates data across systems, which is a data-availability concern, not load balancing. While load balancing describes the function, clustering specifically describes a software-driven approach to evenly share work among multiple machines.

Relying on software to distribute client requests across multiple servers is achieved through clustering. In a cluster, several servers work together under software that coordinates how requests are assigned, monitors node health, and shifts load as needed. This setup uses standard servers and software to balance the load, rather than a dedicated hardware appliance. Redundancy is about having backups to prevent failure, not about distribution of load via software. Replication duplicates data across systems, which is a data-availability concern, not load balancing. While load balancing describes the function, clustering specifically describes a software-driven approach to evenly share work among multiple machines.