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Cluster is a group of computers or servers dedicated to a single activity. Application clustering uses software to configure servers into clusters, allowing them to perform tasks like load balancing and fault detection. Clustered servers offer greater scalability and protection against downtime, making them essential for businesses that depend on their websites.
In computing, a cluster is a group of machines, usually computers or servers, dedicated to a single activity. The practice of grouping servers in this way is called server clustering. Application clustering is server clustering that uses a software program to configure servers into clusters. The software program creates a connection between servers that allows them to perform tasks such as load balancing, fault detection, and compensation for individual server failures.
When a system uses application clustering, it means that it is using an application that has been installed individually on each of the servers to allow the servers to handle the server load as if they were one giant server. The application handles the job of routing data to and from clustered servers. Application clustering contrasts with hardware clustering, which uses another piece of hardware to cluster servers. Types of hardware clustering devices include network boxes that allow a set of servers to communicate as a cluster or a cluster cabinet that physically hosts and groups a set of servers. When hardware is used to cluster a collection of servers, it typically handles the same data tasks as an application clustering software program.
Load balancing is the process of distributing the data load across available servers. For servers hosting a website on the internet, load balancing would help determine which server responds to which web traffic requests. Types of clusters include symmetric clusters and asymmetric clusters. Symmetrical clusters are clusters that distribute the load evenly among all connected servers, while asymmetrical clusters reserve certain servers in case the main servers fail. Because symmetrically clustered servers that receive constant load may be more likely to fail when hit by additional load due to another server failing, which can bring the entire system down, asymmetric servers offer greater protection against failure overall.
The benefits of using clustered servers include greater scalability and protection against downtime. Scalability is the ability to increase or decrease a certain type of resource if the system needs to shrink or grow. Application clustering makes a server system scalable because it allows you to easily add or remove servers from the cluster.
Since a server cluster means that multiple servers are dedicated to the same purpose, clustering can accommodate smoother and error-free server function. This is essential for businesses that depend on sales being made through their websites. Even a short server downtime can cause serious financial losses for an online store. When a business uses a server cluster, the likelihood of downtime decreases significantly because it typically takes multiple servers to fail to take a server cluster down.
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