A physical cluster and a virtual cluster are two different approaches to cluster computing.
A physical cluster is a group of physical computers that are interconnected and work together as a single system to provide high availability and performance. Each computer in the cluster has its own hardware resources, such as CPU, memory, and storage, and is configured to work as a part of the cluster. The cluster operates as a single entity, with each node performing its own tasks and sharing the workload with other nodes.
On the other hand, a virtual cluster is a group of virtual machines (VMs) that are hosted on a physical server or a group of physical servers. The VMs in the virtual cluster are created using virtualization software, which enables multiple VMs to run on a single physical server. Each VM has its own virtual hardware resources, such as virtual CPUs, memory, and storage, and is configured to work as a part of the cluster. The virtual cluster operates as a single entity, with each VM performing its own tasks and sharing the workload with other VMs.
The main difference between a physical cluster and a virtual cluster is that a physical cluster uses physical hardware resources, while a virtual cluster uses virtual hardware resources. A physical cluster provides better performance, reliability, and scalability than a virtual cluster, as it has direct access to the physical hardware resources. However, a virtual cluster provides better flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and ease of management, as it allows multiple VMs to share the same physical resources and can be easily scaled up or down based on demand.
