1. A method for configuring a load balancer to dispatch client requests to servers in a cluster, the method comprising the steps of: a load balancer detecting that a set of servers currently in the cluster is insufficient to satisfy current demand for one or more applications executing in the set of servers, and in response, the load balancer individually polling, via one or more networks, each of a plurality of other servers that are not currently in the cluster to obtain respective configuration files containing parameter data to configure a load balancing algorithm in the load balancer to add the plurality of other servers to the cluster; and the load balancer configuring the load balancing algorithm to add the plurality of other servers to the cluster based on the respective parameter data obtained from the configuration files for the plurality of other servers.