Clusters and cluster members

A cluster is a logical collection of application server processes. Use clusters to group servers for workload balancing. Application servers within a cluster are called cluster members. All cluster members in a single cluster must have idential application components deployed on them. Other than the applications configured to run on them, cluster members do not have to share any configuration data. One cluster member can run on a large multi-processor enterprise server system while another member of the same cluster can run on a small laptop.

For instructions on working with clusters and cluster members with the administrative console, see Administer clusters and cluster members.

These topics provide more detailed information about clustering applications to improve availability:

Clustering overview
WebSphere Application Server clusters support workload management, provide failover support, and enhance scalability. They also simplify administration, because a you can manage all of the application servers in a cluster simultaneously. This topic provides more information about how to implement clustering and the benefits of clusters in WebSphere Application Server.

Advice for clustering
This topic provides tips on how to optimize the performance of clustered resources.

Security for clustered resources
This topic provides information about protecting clustered resources.