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Semantic Limited specialises in the design and implementation of Website Server Clusters.
Server clusters involve configuring a number of server computers in a arrangement that provides increased performance, reliability, and availability.
Increased performance means that the website running on the cluster can handle more users at any one time.
Increased reliability means the system does not break down as often.
Increased availability, like reliability, means that the system is accessible by users 24 x 7.
The important part of this service is the initial design to the scope of service. For some clients the base requirement is just reliability and high availability. This is achieved through clustering, where many computers run as one, and automatically take over the load or role when one ceases to function properly.
Where a customer has a need for scalability, ie their projections are for the system to grow significantly over time, then the design needs to accommodate this as well. Fortunately our designs cater for both scenarios.
Our designs are based around the RedHat Enterprise Linux technology.
Redhat are the leader in such Linux systems, and provide a wealth of tools and experience to make clustering a worthwhile exercise.
With load balancing built into the operating system now, in conjunction with the various linux projects, we find that these systems are elegantly architected, and work well to provide the clients with a reliable solution to the demands for 24x7 performance.
Our cluster designs utilise virtualisation technologies, so that small systems can easily grow to larger ones, simply by redeploying virtual machines to dedicated resources.
Xen provides us with a practical way to deploy virtual environments on our Linux servers.
The Xen hypervisor offers a powerful, efficient and secure feature set for virtualization of x86, x86_64, IA64, PowerPC and other CPU architectures, and has been used to virtualize a wide range of guest operating systems, including Windows®, Linux®, Solaris® and various versions of the BSD operating systems. It is widely regarded as a strategically compelling alternative to proprietary virtualization platforms and hypervisors for x86 and IA64 platforms.
With load balancing built into the operating system now, in conjunction with the various linux projects, we find that these systems are elegantly architected, and work well to provide the clients with a reliable solution to the demands for 24x7 performance.
Our cluster designs are deployed at our colocation facilty in Albany, Auckland. The servers are managed day to day by our sister company 123 Internet Limited.
This picture features a demonstration system that was put together to show how the Moodle Learning Management System could be run effectively on such a cluster for high availability and reliability.
For more details, please click here.