Clusters and territories

[kunm]

Why are multiple brokers called territories instead of cluster ; similar to as multiple integration servers together called cluster
(as both the things functionally disperse the load)

[reamon]

Territories are not functionally equivalent to clustering. Brokers in a territory share definitions of documents, client groups, etc. to enable inter-broker communication. Adapters/clients always connect to a single broker--they do not get dynamically connected to an arbitrary broker in the territory. Territories enable communication among a wider set of clients but do not provide the facilities typically associated with clustering. While territories can distribute the load, the distribution is static and determined by the designer who decides:

* which adapters connect to which brokers
* which events can flow between brokers
* which brokers belong to which territories
* which brokers act as gateways between territories

A territory is not a single "mega-broker" to which all clients can connect. Territories merely simplify the interaction between multiple brokers.

HTH

[iandrosov]

Cluster relates to technology and has physical infrastructure behind it. Territory is more of a business concept rather than technical. To me teritory is nothing more than a virtual representation of business message delivery roadmap. Teritory does not have any extra OS process started to cover it! Its just a setup of data structures and parameters for IS and brokers that live withing existing IS process and awbroker existing OS processes. Therefore Cluster has no relationship to teritory.

[jbraunstein]

Broker Territories do NOT have load balancing or fail-over, 2 key characteristics of Clustering (same goes for Broker Gateways). I'm not a big fan of using multiple Brokers in a territory and don't find many architectures that fit into this model. They have also been traditionally buggy and difficult when you try to plop multiple Brokers into a Territory. Gateways do have some value in controlling documents across a Broker (Territories are supposed to autmatically share document Types), but Gateways NEED a territory to make a connection, so 1 Broker/Territory is general rule I follow (but not Golden Rule).