InformationWeek
Defining The Business Value Of Technology
December 22, 1997
Cluster Interface
Messaging protocol will enable larger, faster clustersBy Tom Davey
The vendors say version 1.0 of the Virtual Interface (VI) Architecture, which is operating-system independent and backed by about 100 other vendors, will allow larger, faster clusters, plus faster software to run on them, and let software vendors deliver cluster-ready applications more quickly.
Compaq, for instance, will start using the VI standard for server cards that support its ServerNet clustering technology, says Mike Perez, VP of Compaq's server products division. Clusters now typically rely on proprietary hardware for performance reasons. VI will also help vendors build more nodes into a server cluster, vendors and analysts say. "It facilitates communication between nodes in a cluster," says Jerry Sh
eridan, an analyst at Dataquest in San Jose, Calif.
Using VI, database vendors such as Oracle and Informix will write software that runs more efficiently on clustered servers, boosting database performance, says Mitch Shults, a director of marketing in Intel's Enterprise Server Group. These products should be available in the second half of 1998, he adds.
Clustering hardware in the past has been built on proprietary architectures, which require proprietary APIs. The standard will let vendors write software using a single API, thus speeding development time and reducing latency as the servers exchange information. Says Dataquest's Sheridan, "With one standard for the hardware, it will be significantly easier to port the software."
tandardized, mass-market PC server clusters moved closer to reality last week when Intel, Compaq, and Microsoft released a messaging protocol that prides a standard interface for hardware and software running on clusters.
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