MicroStrategy 7 Administrator Guide

7
Clustering
CHAPTER 7
C
O
N
C
E
P
T
S
Clustering topics include:
• Basic clustering concepts and terms
• Failover
• Load balancing
• MicroStrategy clustering architecture
Introduction to clustering
A cluster is a collection of two or more machines that provide services to a
common set of clients. Each machine in a cluster is called a node.
Clustering is a system configuration strategy which provides the following
benefits:
• Higher availability: Clustering prevents the loss of valuable time and
information in the event of a failure. No single failure should cause the system
to become unavailable for any length of time.
• Better performance: Clustering allows you to increase system performance by
harnessing the combined processing power of multiple machines.
• Greater scalability: Clustering allows your system to grow as the user base
grows and as user requirements become more varied and complex.
• Simplified management: Clustering simplifies the management of large or
rapidly growing systems.
Specifically, clustering allows you to implement the following features in your
system:
• Failover
• Load balancing
49