“TurboLinux’s TurboCluster Server 4.0 supports clusters that
exceed 25 servers and provides an affordable and scalable
Internet-server solution. It’s a one-box solution that includes
both management tools and a copy of Enlighten Software Solutions,
Inc.’s EnlightenDSM cross-platform cluster-management suite.”
“TurboCluster is not a generalized clustering system.
Instead it restricts itself to IP forwarding, which works well for
Web-based servers such as the Apache Web server, SMTP, POP and IMAP
mail servers, FTP servers, and news servers. TurboCluster uses
a fast, kernel-based Advanced Traffic Manager (ATM) that reroutes
IP traffic to the appropriate computer in the cluster. Load
balancing consists of distributing these requests among servers
within a cluster. The servers respond directly to the sender when
the forwarded request is received, which helps minimize network
traffic.”
“TurboCluster does not provide clustered application support,
whereby programs running on several servers are managed by a
transaction monitor that provides advanced features like
transaction-level failovers and rollbacks. That type of support is
needed for Linux to attract the more sophisticated Web applications
that are now being developed for other platforms.”