For the ultimate in availability and scalabilty, Webfarm Hosting (also called Server Farm) is the perfect solution. A webfarm consists of two or more web servers (see diagram) with the same configuration, that serve up the same content. Hosting on a webfarm means that if a server is not available -- whether due to a problem, maintenance, or simply being busy -- the other servers in the webfarm continue to respond.  This allows the site to satisfy client requests continuously. The servers may be shared among multiple customers, or dedicated to a single customer.

In addition to high availability, a webfarm also gives an application greater scalability. If load increases on the application more nodes can be added to the webfarm, transparently to your users. Many of our Dedicated Hosting customers front-end their dedicated database servers with a Webfarm configuration for maximum website responsiveness, availability, and performance regardless of fluctuations in load.

Webfarm is recommended for any size solution that is highly dependent on both uptime and performance. A Shared Webfarm solution often costs less than a dedicated server, but does have some limitations and special considerations.