Clustered hosting

The word cluster has had an industry-related meaning in the computing world long before Internet web hosting.

Cluster and computers

When discussing computers, cluster refers to a group of computers that are connected to each other on a network. They are made to work together so that they can be accessed as a single unit.

A cluster may connect many computers, via high-speed Ethernet or local networks, to process data. For example, clusters may be deployed for top-end scientific processing, such as decrypting algorithms.

Cluster in web hosting

Clustered hosting is ideal for those looking for a 100% uptime solution.

The clustered platform is employed in web hosting primarily to eliminate the problems associated with shared hosting environments. In normal circumstances, clustered hosting allows clients to employ a unique infrastructure to handle security, load balancing, and vital site data resources with greater efficiency and redundancy.

In a clustered hosting environment, a website is not dependent on just one server, but instead shares the resources of multiple servers, much like in the distributed network infrastructure. If one server fails, another server takes over. These servers are sometimes collocated in different physical locations for ultimate redundancy.