Which term refers to the practice of using multiple servers to handle increased loads?

Load balancing is the correct term that refers to the practice of distributing incoming network traffic across multiple servers to ensure that no single server becomes overwhelmed with too much load. This technique enhances the availability and reliability of applications by optimizing resource use, maximizing throughput, minimizing response time, and avoiding overload of any single server. By spreading the workload evenly, load balancing helps maintain performance levels even during peak usage times.

In contrast, server partitioning involves dividing a server's resources into smaller, isolated units, which is not primarily focused on distributing traffic but rather on resource allocation within a single server. Server mirroring entails creating a duplicate of a server to offer redundancy and ensure data availability but does not directly address the distribution of incoming traffic. Traffic shaping involves controlling the flow of data to ensure that bandwidth is used efficiently but does not inherently involve the use of multiple servers for managing load. Thus, load balancing is specifically tailored to manage increased workloads across multiple servers effectively.