Capacity Planning
Capacity Planning |
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With Windows 2000 Server clustering you can set up applications on two servers (nodes) in a cluster and provide a single, virtual image of the cluster to clients, as shown in the figure below. If one node fails, the applications on the failed node become available on the other node. That is, the actual content and applications are shared so that both machines have full access to them. Failover times range from 20 seconds to 2 minutes.
Clustering is available with Windows 2000 Advanced Server. To use the Windows 2000 clustering feature, you must have two servers that are connected by a high-speed private network. Each of the servers must have at least one shared Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) bus, with a storage device connected to both servers, and at least one storage device that is not shared. For the most reliability, each computer should have its own uninterruptible power supply.
Windows 2000 Server clustering provides mirroring with rapid failover, and is an excellent way to ensure reliability on, for example, a Microsoft® SQL Server™ connected to either a single Web server or a group.