Cluster and Grid Computing

Cluster and Grid Computing are two terms that refer to the combination of several independent computers capable of solving small problems to solve a larger problem.

Grid VS Cluster
Heterogeneous VS Homogeneous

The computers that are part of a grid can run different operating systems and have different hardware whereas the cluster computers all have the same hardware and OS.

Spare VS Dedicated

A grid can make use of spare computing power on a desktop computer while the machines in a cluster are dedicated to work as a single unit and nothing else.

Autonomous VS Atomic

In case of Cluster, the whole system (all nodes) behave like a single system view and resources are managed by centralized resource manager. In case of Grid, every node is autonomous i.e. it has its own resource manager and behaves like an independent entity.

Distributed VS Contained

Grid are inherently distributed by its nature over a LAN, metropolitan or WAN. On the other hand, the computers in the cluster are normally contained in a single location or complex.