Mechanisms and techniques provide a system that operates in a data communications device such as a switch or a router to provide a technique for load balancing packets between computer systems based on extra data inserted in the packets. The system receives a message containing extra data. The extra data was inserted into the message by a second data communications device existing in a network coupling the first data communications device to a first computerized device that originated the message. The system identifies, based on the extra data inserted into the message, a second computerized device that is to process the message and forwards the message to the second computerized device for processing. The extra data can include demographic data that can be used to select a demographic server, and for selection of a specific server from a group of servers associated with the demographic server.