BTW, 36 boxes to handle even 40,000 requests per second seems like extreme overkill.

I strongly suspect that a decently spec'd, single box with one thread/listener per budget could handle that load. And by virtue of shared memory, greatly simplify the process along the way.

In an extremely crude analogy run on my 4-core, single socket machine, I've been able to service 60,000+ request-responses per second via UDP with average response times of the order you require.

If it were not too late to re-specify the hardware, I'd seriously consider using a single, 4-socket(32 or 40 cores with 64/80 hyperthreads) SMP shared memory server. It should easily handle the scale of loads and times you are describing.

With the rise and rise of 'Social' network sites: 'Computers are making people easier to use everyday'
Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.
"Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority".
In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.

The start of some sanity?

In reply to Re: A distributed design challenge by BrowserUk
in thread A distributed design challenge by Ovid

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