The present invention is a new method called replica routing that
automatically directs client computers that request a service to a server
replica for that service. The replica chosen by replica routing is the
replica that is expected to provide the best performance to the client
based upon the client's location in the internetwork topology and the
estimated performance of the internetwork. In addition, the system and
method is designed to permit new replicas to be flexibly added without
undue administrative overhead.