Hardware scalability

Applies To: Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2

In the context of Windows Media Services, scalability refers primarily to the addition or removal of individual servers from a system. Adding servers to a system that has been overwhelmed by an increase in connections or content can dramatically improve its performance. The number of servers required in a system is based upon the bit rate of the content, the content type, and the number of concurrent client connections.

When using multiple servers, it is important to use some form of load balancing to prevent any one server from becoming overloaded. The servers should also closely match in performance and capacity to ensure that your load balancing method is as effective as possible. The number of servers that can be combined in one Windows Media Services system is unlimited.