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Category: InternetWhat is Cluster Computing?

Cluster computing is a form of computing in which a group of computers are linkedtogether so that they can act like a single entity. There are a number of reasons forpeople to use cluster computers for computing tasks, ranging from an inability to afford asingle computer with the computing capability of a cluster, to a desire to ensure that acomputing system is always available. The precise date at which this technique wasdeveloped is unknown, and there are competing claims for the invention credit, withsome people suggesting that individual users probably developed it independently tomeet their computing needs long before the technique was used in industrial settings.

One common reason to use cluster computing is a desire to create redundancy in acomputer network to ensure that it will always be available and that it will not fail. Acommon application for this form of computing is in hosting web sites, with the clusterdistributing the load of the visitors across an array of machines so that many visitors canbe accommodated. This technique is also used for gaming servers used by large groups,to avoid lag and log-on problems.

High availability (HA) cluster computing is often used in this way, to create a redundantnetwork that will be accessible to users at all times, with fail-safes in case parts of thecluster break down. Load balancing clusters are designed to address a large load ofincoming requests, coordinating requests in a way which will maximize efficiency andusability.

Another application is in big projects that require high performance computing. Somecomputations are extremely complex, and they require the use of multiple computersthat can talk quickly with each other, as changes in one can change the entire system. Forexample, the simulations used to test theories in meteorology are often run oncomputing clusters. Without a cluster, the calculation might be impossible to do, or itmight take a very long time to process.

Cluster computing can also be used to distribute a work load in the form of many smallchunks of data, a technique known as grid computing. In this case, a single computercouldn't handle all the work, but many small computers can. The various @home projectsuse this technique to distribute a data processing workload across a huge network thatincludes many home computers that pitch in to do work when they are idle.

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Cluster computing is a form of computing inwhich a group of computers are linkedtogether so they can work as a single entity.

Load balancing is used to manage a largeincoming flow of incoming requests on anetwork.

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Written By: Mary McMahonEdited By: O. WallaceLast Modified Date: 14 November

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