Server clusters: A brief overview
Server clusters are extremely important for a business organization to prosper. A server cluster is the perfect way to deal with massive faults that can occur time and again in an organization. It has be to taken into consideration before you set up the infrastructure for and server space that a full-fledged business organization has to undergo a lot of transactions. These transactions can be handled without faults and major debacles only if the system is robust.
What do they comprise of?
Server clusters comprise of a group of computers that collectively work to perform the same function. Each computer is a server that is assigned a different task and the workload is distributed. If a computer in the system goes down then that particular node/computer is disconnected from the network automatically and its workload is shifted to the other computers of the network and equally distributed.
The data that is shared in common by these computers is stored in separate storage space. This system proves to be extremely beneficial for both large scale and small scale organizations as the failure of one server will not cause the whole system to collapse. Each server has devices connected to it locally. The devices that are connected locally cannot be accessed by the other computers/servers of the system.
Server clusters and cloud computing
In this era where everything is on cloud why maintain physical and tangible concepts like server clusters. Cloud computing has evolved in every possible dimension but there are limits to the advantages of the same. There are certain cases where cloud computing does not fit in well. Cloud servers have a virtual approach and they are mobile as well. The virtual machine or cloud server has software that has the underlying operating system in use and the server.
Needless to say, cloud computing reduces the need for having a server cluster. Virtualization is overpowering clustering. Server clustering demands identical computers, under a specialized layout and discipline. You need to have specific versions of operating systems running on each server of the cluster and maintain a sync among severs. You need special adapters designed for networking to transfer data between two computers with high speed.
Hence virtualization has been able to make a strong ground. Also disaster management is easier when virtual machines are concerned as they are portable and can be alternates can be quickly establish over the cloud. There is always a secondary solution when the primary one fails.
Times when you still need a cluster:
There are various occasions when you need precise clustering. For example when you can’t afford to lose transactions and every transaction is important. You still do not want to start the transaction afresh whenever the system fails. If a virtual machine falls apart then anything and everything that is under execution cannot be retrieved back.
The best way is to combine cloud and cluster:
A cloud is less expensive and flexible and a cluster is costly and it has certain disciplines that need to be maintained to run a cluster successfully. The best possible solution for IT manager is to integrate and interrelate and use cloud and cluster together.
Written By:
Lynda Gordon has worked as an administrator to various RouletteChatSites. She believes managing a portal of this category is a world of duties in itself but calls the daily tasks interesting as well as educating in terms of content marketing.
