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Lesson 1
Understanding Clustering
7-9
For example, if you have two stateful applications that you want to deploy
using server
clusters, the simplest method would be to create a single cluster and
install both appli-
cations on every computer in the cluster, as shown in Figure 7-3. In this
arrangement,
a single server failure affects both applications, and the remaining servers
must be
capable of providing adequate performance for both applications by
themselves.
App 1
App 1
App 1
App 1
App 2
App 2
App 2
App 2
Server
Server
Server
Server
F07pm03
Figure 7-3
A cluster with two applications running on each server
Another method is to create a separate cluster for each application, as
shown in
Figure 7-4. In this model, each cluster operates independently, and a
failure of one
server only affects one of the applications. In addition, the remaining
servers in the
affected cluster only have to take on the burden of one application.
Creating separate
clusters provides higher availability for the applications, but it can also
be an expensive
solution, because it requires more servers than the first method.
App 2
App 2
App 1
App 1
Server
Server
Server
Server
F07pm04
Figure 7-4
Two separate clusters running two different applications
It is also possible to compromise between these two approaches by creating a
single
cluster, installing each of the applications on a separate active node, and
using one
passive node as the backup for both applications, as shown in Figure 7-5. In
this
arrangement, a single server failure causes the passive node to take on the
burden of
running only one of the applications. Only if both active nodes fail would
the passive
node have to take on the full responsibility of running both applications.
It is up to you
to evaluate the odds of such an occurrence and to decide whether your
organization’s
availability requirements call for a passive node server with the capability
of running
both applications at full performance levels, or whether a passive node
scaled to run
only one of the applications is sufficient.
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