Cluster Services and Load Balancing

Cluster Services and Load Balancing Consulting Services

Windows Server 2003 provides integrated clustering services and technologies to deliver higher levels of service and availability. The Windows Server 2003 family provides two types of clustering services: Cluster service and Network Load Balancing. Clustering services demonstrate the improvement in resource management in Windows Server 2003 in support of the Microsoft Dynamic System Initiative (DSI).

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Cluster Service (MSCS)

Available only in Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition and Datacenter Edition, Cluster Service provides high availability and scalability for mission-critical applications such as databases, messaging systems, and file and print services. Multiple servers (nodes) in a cluster remain in constant communication. If one of the nodes in a cluster becomes unavailable as a result of failure or maintenance, another node immediately begins providing service, a process known as failover. Users who are accessing the service continue to access the service, and are unaware that it is now being provided from a different server (node).

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Network Load Balancing (NLB)

Available in all editions of the Windows Server 2003 family, this service load balances incoming Internet Protocol (IP) traffic across clusters. Network Load Balancing enhances both the availability and scalability of Internet server-based programs such as Web servers, streaming media servers, and Terminal Services. By acting as the load balancing infrastructure and providing control information to management applications built on top of Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), Network Load Balancing can seamlessly integrate into existing Web server farm infrastructures.

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