Server Architecture Multiprocessors, Clusters, Parallel Systems, Web Servers, Storage Units

This work presents and compares various options regarding server architecture from two separate points of view: first, that of the information technology decision-maker who must choose a solution matching company business requirements, and second, that of the systems architect who finds himself between the rock of changes in hardware and software technologies and the hard place of changing business needs. Different aspects of server architecture are presented, from databases designed for parallel architectures to high-availabiltiy systems, touching en route on often neglected performance aspects. René's book will answer the following questions critical to server architecture design, implementation, and management and more... Given the shift to widespread use of Intel microprocessors, is the importance of hardware architecture, once the province of systems manufacturers, tending to decrease? Given that they are extremely complex to implement, will MPP architectures be confined to scientific and technical markets? Are RISC processors dead, killed by Intel? How much longer will system performance continue to increase? How do the three major multiprocessor architectures compare: SMP, Massively Parallel, and Cluster? René Chevance has an engineering degree from Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) and a Doctorat dEtat Es-Sciences from Université Paris 6. He joined CII in 1968, a company which later merged with Groupe Bull. He has 20 years teaching experience at Université Paris 6 (Compiler Construction, Software Engineering) and for more than 10 years, as an associate professor, at CNAM (System Architecture and System Integration). He has written numerous papers and a book on server architectures, Serveurs Multiprocesseurs, clusters et architectures parallèles, Eyrolles (Paris April 2000). He left Groupe Bull in 1999 to become an independent consultant and can be reached at rjc@chevance.com or through his web site www.chevance.comChevance, René J. is the author of 'Server Architecture Multiprocessors, Clusters, Parallel Systems, Web Servers, Storage Units', published 2004 under ISBN 9781555583330 and ISBN 1555583334.