Limitless Computing

About Cluster Computing

Cluster Overview

A cluster is a group of computers that work together. This tightly knit group acts, in many ways, as a single computer. Clusters are used to solve problems that a lone computer cannot.

Types of Clusters

High performance computing (HPC) clusters solve large problems faster than a single computer. They can be used for either processor or data intensive tasks. There are fail-safes built into an HPC cluster to manage server failure.

Render farms are an example of a single purpose cluster designed to render images very quickly. This is considered to be a special case of an HPC cluster.

High-availability clusters ensure that a vital resource will always be available. This cluster type uses redundant computers in case one fails, another will take over.

In a Load Balancing cluster, as one computer becomes overloaded with tasks, it off-loads the excess tasks to the remaining computers in the cluster.

A grid can be a cluster, but this is not always true. Grids are typically used to solve large problems similar to HPC clusters. Unlike HPC clusters, however, individual computers in a grid are not always dedicated to solving a single task.

Our experts can help you pick out the best cluster and cluster configuration for you. Contact us today to see how we can help build your cluster.

Why Clusters?

The demand for computer processing power is growing faster than computer processor speeds. In the past, when you needed more power, you could simply buy a faster computer. However, processors speeds have reached a plateau, leaving a problem with how to process large amounts of data rapidly. Supercomputing clusters solve this problem by providing computing capacity but a typical cluster requires resources to maintain it in top form. We offer services to solve these difficulties.