In response to the changing requirements placed upon these Internet Servers, architectures have been developed to offer cost-effective approaches for constructing highly scalable, highly available Internet application platforms using industry standard hardware and software technologies. Use of multiple application servers rather than a single server. When combined with intelligent load-balancing technology, multiple application servers are more scalable and available than a single server with lots of processors and memory. Centralise data resources on amply configured, highly available servers with appropriate fail-over techniques applied. Use redundancy at all potential single points of failure.
Failover configurations are advisable for load balancers, firewalls, and networking devices.
Intelligent load-balancing technology provides failover for redundant application servers. Clustering databases and network storage ensures uptime for data resources. Redundant NICs, power supplies, and fans are advisable to enhance uptime on data resource servers. Build applications so that user state information is not maintained on a single application server. Availability Finally, it is all to easy to spend one's time worrying about gaining the maximum performance out of a server, whilst forgetting to pay attention to perhaps the most important aspect of server design, availability.