Load Balancing Method

The load balancing method is the logic a load balancer uses to route traffic to pool members.  Note that the LTM will balance TCP connections and not individual requests.  This means that if you select, say, "Round Robin" as a load-balancing method and load a URL in a browser you will continue to hit the same node until you start a new TCP session.

Round Robin	This is the default load balancing method.  The Round Robin method passes each new connection request to the next server in line, eventually distributing connections uniformly across the array of machines being load balanced.  Round Robin works well in most configurations, especially if the equipment that you are load balancing is roughly equal in processing speed and memory.
Fastest Node	The Fastest Node method passes a new connection based on the fastest response of all currently active nodes.  This method may be particularly useful in environments where nodes are distributed across different logical networks.
Least Connections	The Least Connections method passes a new connection to the node that has the least number of current connections.  Least Connections works best in environments where the equipment you are load balancing has similar capabilities.
Observed Connections	The Observed Connections method uses a combination of the logic used in the Least Connections and Fastest methods.  Nodes are ranked based on a combination of the number of current connections and the response time.  Observed Connections works well in any environment, but may be particularly useful when node performance varies significantly.