A cluster is a single system resource that is a collection of distributed or parallel computing systems connecting a group of individual computers for a common processing purpose. The main advantage of such a system is to obtain greater performance through a relatively lower cost setup, when compared to a single high-performance computer. A generic cluster computer architecture is shown in the following diagram:
Some of the famous sets of elements that make a cluster computer include the following:
- Numerous effective performing computers (SMP/workstation)
- Sophisticated operating system (layered)
- N/W interface ...
