Microsoft's vision is to enhance the Windows NT Server platform to support clustering for a broad base of customers who will benefit from a cost-effective method of delivering increased availability and scalability. Microsoft believes the following factors must be provided to enable broad market acceptance:
Industry standard APIs Microsoft, in conjunction with technology partners, will work to establish industry standards for clustering application programming interfaces(APIs). The cluster APIs will expose specific cluster features for use in developing high-availability applications, and in the future, more scaleable applications. File, print and database servers, transaction processing monitors, and other software will be able to use the cluster APIs to exploit fully the capabilities of the Windows NT Server cluster.
Industry standard hardware Windows NT Server clusters will take advantage of today's industry-standard PC platforms and existing network technology. The Windows NT Server layered driver model will allow Microsoft to quickly add support for special purpose, high-performance clustering technology (such as low-latency interconnects) as hardware vendors bring solutions to market.
Server application support The Microsoft BackOffice family of products will be enhanced to use the clustering API and take full advantage of the scalability and availability characteristics of clusters. Of course, Microsoft will encourage other vendors to exploit Windows NT Server clusters.
Cluster enhancement without user disruption Because Windows NT Server already implements a cluster-compatible security and user administration model, businesses can easily add clustering to a current Windows NT Server installation without user disruption. In addition, cluster administration will be exposed through enhancements to existing Windows NT Server administration.
Ease of configuration and maintenance Clusters must be simple to configure and maintain with nondedicated support staff. Windows NT Server clustering will take advantage of the existing central management capabilities of Windows NT Server. Once a Windows NT Server cluster is installed, cluster management will be performed with a series of graphical cluster and network management tools.