IBM BPM, V8.0.1, All platforms > Get started with IBM BPM > Key concepts > Deployment architecture > Servers

Clusters

Clusters are groups of servers that are managed together and participate in workload management.

A cluster can contain nodes or individual application servers. A node is usually a physical computer system with a distinct host IP address that is running one or more application servers. Clusters can be grouped under the configuration of a cell, which logically associates many servers and clusters with different configurations and applications with one another depending on the discretion of the administrator and what makes sense in their organizational environments.

Clusters are responsible for balancing workload among servers. When install an application on a cluster, the application is automatically installed on each cluster member.

Because each cluster member contains the same applications, you can distribute client tasks according to the capacities of the different machines by assigning weights to each server.

Assigning weights to the servers in a cluster improves performance and failover. Tasks are assigned to servers that have the capacity to perform the task operations. If one server is unavailable to perform the task, it is assigned to another cluster member. This reassignment capability has obvious advantages over running a single application server that can become overloaded if too many requests are made.

Servers


Related concepts:
Stand-alone servers
Administer servers