Patent ID: 8010833

Claim:
A network of connected computers comprising at least one server/system, each server/system having two cluster nodes, each said cluster node being capable of monitoring responses to messages transmitted to another cluster node from a cluster node with which it is in communication, an application node capable of connecting to one of said cluster nodes of said at least one server/system for communication to another application node, wherein a first cluster node of said two cluster nodes is in communication with the second cluster node of said two cluster nodes and a first cluster node of said two cluster nodes of a next server/system of said network for performing said monitoring of responses, and said second cluster node of said two cluster nodes is in communication with first and second cluster nodes of said next server/system of said network for performing said monitoring of responses, whereby redundant communications are provided such that any failure of a response of said responses to messages as detected at any cluster node of said cluster nodes can be confirmed from another cluster node of said cluster nodes over said network for discrimination of a failures of a said application node, a said cluster node or a said server/system can be discriminated from at least a communication failure.