Question

What do you choose if you want to have high availability (HA) and performant processing? Clustering or would you rather go for load balancing (LB)?

1) Clustering
2) Load Balancing
3) Both Clustering and Load Balancing
4) Neither Clustering nor Load Balancing

Answer 1

Both clustering and load balancing should be used together for achieving high availability and performant processing. Clustering provides system redundancy, while load balancing distributes workloads evenly for performance efficiency.

Step-by-step explanation:

When considering options to achieve high availability (HA) and performant processing, one often considers the concepts of clustering and load balancing. Clustering involves connecting two or more computers together in such a way that they act like a single system. Clustering is generally used for high availability by providing system redundancy, which ensures that if one node fails, another can readily take over without losing service.

Load balancing (LB), on the other hand, is the process of distributing workloads across multiple computing resources. This helps in enhancing the performance of the servers, providing faster response times and managing large volumes of instantaneous requests.

For optimal performance and availability, combining both clustering and load balancing is a sound strategy. Therefore, the most suitable option is 3) Both Clustering and Load Balancing. By using them together, you can ensure that not only are workloads evenly distributed to prevent overload, but there's also a backup readily available in case any part of the system fails.