37

Glossary

adapter

A device that converts the protocol and hardware interface of one bus type into another without changing the function of the bus.

array

All the physical disk drives in a storage system that are known to and under the control of a controller pair.

availability

A measure of how well a computer system or cluster can continuously deliver services to its clients. Availability is typically expressed as a percentage, with 100 % being the best possible rating.

cluster

A group of systems that work collectively as a single system to provide fast, uninterrupted computing service. Clustering is a way to increase availability, processing capacity, and I/O bandwidth.

cluster group

A collection of interdependent resources that logically represents a clustered client/server function. This is a user-definable entity used by Microsoft® Cluster Server software.

controller

A hardware device that, with proprietary software, facilitates communications between a host and one or more devices organized in an array.