Which algorithm does NOT belong to the methods used by a load balancer?

Load balancers use various algorithms to distribute traffic efficiently across multiple servers. Round-robin is a method that cycles through the list of servers, sending each new request to the next one in line, which works well in scenarios where requests have similar sizes. Source hashing utilizes information such as IP addresses to direct traffic from a specific source to the same server, helping with session persistence. The least connected method routes traffic to the server with the fewest active connections, optimizing resource utilization and potentially improving response times.

Random selection, while it might seem like a viable option at first glance, is not typically recognized as a standard load balancing method. Randomly selecting a server may lead to uneven distribution of requests, resulting in some servers becoming overloaded while others remain underutilized. Therefore, this method lacks the systematic approach found in the other algorithms, which are designed to ensure equitable load distribution and improved performance.