What is cluster

• a group of interconnected, whole

computers working together as a
unified computing resource that can
create the illusion of being one
machine.
• A cluster can have tens, hundreds,
or even thousands of machines,
each of which is a multiprocessor.
• Different purpose from general
purpose business needs such as
web-service support, to
computation-intensive scientific
calculations
• Three types of cluster architecture :
high performance, high availability
and load balancing
Benefits of Cluster organization
• High processing speed
• Offer scalability - easily expanded by
adding additional nodes to the network)
• Provide high availability of resources -
can act as backup system in the event
of failure of system
• Processing power is cost effective
compare to mainframe
• Drawback : High cost to implement and
maintain