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Scalable Servers
Overview
Billions of clients will need millions of servers. Most servers will be tiny, but some will be huge. Ideally, the whole spectrum can be built from modular components. We are exploring techniques to build large servers as arrays of commodity processors, disks, and interconnects - Scalable Networks and Platforms (SNAP) . The resulting computer cluster should be as easy to program, manage, and use as a single system. In addition, by using spare modules and redundant storage, the cluster should mask component failures and so provide highly-available services. We are working with the NTclusters group to help define the requirements for clusters. We are working with the SQLserver database team to add fault-tolerance, scalability, and parallelism to SQLserver. And, we are working with the Distributed Transaction Coordinator to help add ACID transactions to NT and Microsoft's Component Object Model (COM) infrastructure. In each case, we are building prototypes to demonstrate our ideas. We believe you can build supercomputers as a cluster of commodity hardware and software modules. A cluster is a collection of independent computers that is as easy to use as a single computer. Managers see it as a single system, programmers see it as a single system, and users see it as a single system. The software spreads data and computation among the nodes of the cluster. When a node fails, other nodes provide the services and data formerly provided by the missing node. When a node is added or repaired, the cluster software migrates some data and computation to that node. The NTclusters effort lead by Rod Gamache in the NT group Wolfpack_Compcon.doc (500KB) and a PowerPoint presentation of Wolfpack Clusters by Mark Wood WolfPack Clusters.ppt. SQL Server failover on NT Clusters is a project pioneered by former BARC lab member Joe Barrera SQL_Server_Availability.ppt (3MB). The failover time is an amazing 15-seconds. Here is a white-paper (Word Office 97 format) describing SQL_Server_Clustering_Whitepaper.doc On 20 May 1997, Microsoft showed off many scalability solutions. A one-node terabyte geo-spatial database server (the Terra-Sever ), and a 45-node cluster doing a billion transactions per day. There were also SAP + SQL + NT-Cluster failover demos, a 50 GB mail store, a 50k user POP3 mail server, a 100 million-hits-per-day web server, and 64-bit addressing SQL Server were also shown. Here are some white papers related to that event:
People
Selected Publications
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