Patent ID: 7822841

Claim:
A computer system for hosting computing clusters for clients, comprising: a private communications network linked to a public communications network; a first cluster comprising a set of computing resources, including at least one hardware processor, in a first configuration, wherein the first cluster is communicatively linked to the private communications network; a second cluster comprising a set of computing resources, including at least one hardware processor, in a second configuration, wherein the second cluster is communicatively linked to the private communications network; and a monitoring system monitoring operations of the first and second clusters, identifying operational and connectivity problems, and issuing an alert in response to the identified problems indicating a corresponding one of the first and second clusters associated with the identified problems; wherein the first configuration differs from the second configuration and wherein the first configuration provides a first computing environment for performing a first client task and the second configuration provides a second computing environment for performing a second client task; wherein the monitoring system comprises a main monitor that operates to monitor the first and second clusters to identify the operation and connectivity problems and further comprises monitors for each node of the first and second clusters operating to check for hardware and software problems within a particular node and to report the hardware and software problems to the main monitor.