---
name: "libapache-mod-backhand"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "libapache-mod-backhand"
version: "1.2.2-8"
release: "Debian 3.1 (Sarge)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/libapache-mod-backhand"
---

# libapache-mod-backhand(1)

module for load blanacing Apache requests

## NAME

libapache-mod-backhand - module for load blanacing Apache requests

## DESCRIPTION

This manual page documents briefly the **libapache-mod-backhand** **apache(1)** module.

This manual page was written for the Debian GNU/Linux distribution because the original program does not have a manual page.

**libapache-mod-backhand** is a library for Apache that attempts to  even the field insofar as load balancing solutions for web servers goes. Each  server in a server farm with mod\_backhand transmits by either multicast  or network broadcast its current state. Each server that receives a request  from the outside world end clients evaluates which server should service  the request, and proxies (or optionally client-side redirects) the request.

## OPTIONS

The options to this library are all enttered as directives in the  apache configuration file, typcially httpd.conf.

- **UnixSocketDir**

  Path where some backhand information is kept.

- **MulticastStats**

  Where we send our stats to, either multicast or broadcast address.

- **AcceptStats**

  Where we will read stats from.

- **ByAge**

  Sort the list of knownn servers in by age since last we heard from them,  youngest first.

- **ByRandom**

  Randomize the list of servers we know about

- **ByLogWindow**

  Shorten the list of known servers to one of natural logorithmic size from the  original.

- **ByLoad**

  Sort the list of known servers by the known load on these machines, least  loaded first.

- **ByCost**

  Sort the list of known servers based ont he cost of passing the request to  each of them.

- **ByCPU**

  Sort the list based on the comparitive CPU speed (Arriba).

- **AddSelf**

  Add this host to the list or posible servers to service a request.

- **RemoveSelf**

  Remove this host from the list as it currently stands, such as the previous  directive.

- **BySession**

  A session cookie is embedded int he client's secondary and subsequent requests  by the inital request which indicates the address of the server to handle the  transaction. This will attempt to keep users talking to the same web server.

Other directives control how servers are selected for answering a request;  please see /usr/share/doc/libapache-mod-backhand/README.Debian and the  www.modbackhand.org web site for more information.

## SEE ALSO

**apache(1),** http://www.backhand.org/.\

## AUTHOR

Backhand is written by Theo Schlossnagle and Yair Amir.

This manual page was written by James Bromberger \<james@rcpt.to\>, for the Debian GNU/Linux system (but may be used by others).