Evaluating Combining Cluster Technologies

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

You can use several Windows clustering solutions together, depending on the services and applications that you need to make highly available. Each cluster type performs a different role in a multicluster deployment. The most common scenario that combines all three clusters is an e-commerce Web site, where the front-end Web servers are configured in Network Load Balancing clusters that receive client requests, the middle-tier applications (such as the Microsoft® BizTalk® Server) use CLB clusters running on Windows Application Center 2000, and the back-end SQL database servers operate in a server cluster. Figure 6.9 illustrates a typical deployment, utilizing all three Windows clustering technologies.

Figure 6.9   E-Commerce Clustering Scenario