What are Cluster Server ?

[rocky123]

What is a cluster Server? Are they different than the normal servers?

[williams_k]

The cluster server is a virtual server for the clustered resource, as it appears as the single stand alone server that is running Windows Server 2008 to client applications.

[Jeffrey]

When talking of big business or corporate websites which wanted to maintain the 100% uptime of there website, then the cluster of servers will come in to picture in the hosting. Basically the clustering involves, the load balancing of the incoming traffic to the website where multiple servers which distribute the load among themselves. If you are looking to achieve server scalability and best performance on web and database servers, cluster is what you need.

There are three basic advantages to running a server cluster:
* Server clusters offer scalability.
* Clustered servers offer high availability.
* Clustering makes managing the network easier.

[Travis]

In novice language, it involves multiple servers. These to ensure high availability for a high traffic website. Server clustering can support more users at one given time. It distributes the load between the servers.

[davedj]

Yes, they are different then the traditional dedicated server which uses a single machine. It is generally used for sharing the workload across multiple servers in a cluster. It helps to increase system availability. Then there is also failover solution that can be set on more or more servers.

[Rachael]

Cluster servers are a group of servers working together. The main benefit of hosting on a cluster server is that your network performance is improved to a great extent. Once you start hosting on cluster servers, you will notice that there is a significant increase in terms of speed and reliability. This mainly happens because the work load is shared between the multiple servers. You will also get better opportunities in terms of scaling your technology with cluster servers. You also have the option of switching off one server while the other is working, in this way you can ensure better maintenance of the servers.

The best aspect of cluster servers is that your business load is not just concentrated on one server; therefore there is absolutely no problem in terms of continuity of your business. Your business reputation is always intact because if one server fails, you can continue operating on the other servers. Availability of the servers ready to be used is the greatest advantage of cluster servers.

[Helina]

The problems that arise from a single server can be prevented when using cluster of servers. Cluster of servers offers high availability. It increases the cost of investment. But I think the web sites that receive huge traffic can easily distribute load between these servers that are in one cluster which is then easy to manage.

[jessica30]

Microsoft Cluster Server (MSCS) is software designed to allow servers to work together as a computer cluster, to provide failover and increased availability of applications, or parallel calculating power in case of high-performance computing (HPC) clusters (as in supercomputing).

[brobert]

Cluster of servers uses multiple servers. More servers definitely means more reliability. These servers share the load among themselves. The traffic of a website or application is distributed between the servers in a cluster. Clusters are great when it comes to reliability. Failover solution can be configured so that when one server in the cluster fails another server from the cluster can take over.

[davedj]

When you are looking for high availability, you should consider a cluster of servers. Cloud servers use the same set up like cluster of servers. However, with cloud the investment for an end user is quite low as compared to dedicated server cluster.

[Kailey]

Is there any limit for cluster server.

[Sushant]

The cluster computer is a group of linked computers or multiple servers working together to work as a single computer.

[ronald21]

In a computer system, a cluster is a group of servers and other resources that act like a single system and enable high availability and, in some cases, load balancing and parallel processing. In some products, a cluster is a group of terminals or workstations attached to a common control unit.

[Elise]

The main befits of server clustering include:

Availability : Server clustering enables the applications to avoid interruptions in service

Scalability : The applications get the power to handle more load

Flexibility : Server clustering provides the IT personnel with better options for configuring the infrastructure for supporting application performance in order to achieve better results.