Bash Brad's Code!

I thought a better way to keep it random but also prevent any one server from getting really loaded was to randomonly throw out 1 or 2 of them, using their load as a weight. (i.e... the most loaded server is most likely to be thrown out of consideration to handle a request when it comes in) This ensures that even the most loaded machine is still doing work when it's the most loaded.

I wrote the function to do this, ran it for awhile, it seemed to kinda work, but then httpds on the master started eating lots of CPU. So, I think I have a bug. Brownie points to whoever finds it!

/* Candidacy module for mod_backhand that returns everything but arg
   of the servers given, throwing out arg of them randomonly, weighted
   by their loads.
*/

#include "mod_backhand.h"

int byDitchByWeightedLoad (request_rec *r, ServerSlot *servers, 
                           int *n, char *arg)
{
  int remain = *n;
  static int loadsum = -1;
  int i;
  int tokill = arg ? atoi(arg) : 1;
  
  if (loadsum == -1) srand(time(NULL));
  loadsum = 0;
  
  for(i=0; i < *n; i++) {
    loadsum += serverstats[servers[i].id].load;
  }
  
  i = 0;
  while (tokill && remain) {
    int kill_odds = serverstats[servers[i].id].load * 
                    (RAND_MAX >> 5) / loadsum;
    if ((rand() >> 5) < kill_odds) {
      servers[i] = servers[remain-1];
      tokill--;
      remain--;
    }
    if (++i >= remain) i = 0;
  }
  *n = remain;
  return remain;
}