We use cookies to understand how the site is used and to improve it. You can accept them, or carry on with them switched off.
Also known as: server cluster
A group of machines presented to customers as one hostname, splitting the work of authentication, article retrieval and storage. A large provider may run dozens of reader front ends against a shared spool tier, with round-robin DNS distributing connections. Clustering is what lets a service hold years of retention and answer thousands of simultaneous connections without any single machine doing everything.
Browse all terms in Protocol & Server Infrastructure, or see the full Usenet glossary.