VI Architecture

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WELCOME TO THE SPECIFICATION FOR THE
VIRTUAL INTERFACE ARCHITECTURE

The VI Architecture adopters agreement is available on-line. Download, it today.

Standards-based Cluster Communications

The concept of clustering, the linking together of individual servers and workstations into a cohesive unit, has helped shape many advances in enterprise-wide distributed computing. However, clustering technologies have only been available in high-end, proprietary solutions. Until now.

The Virtual Interface (VI) Architecture specification defines an industry-standard architecture for communication within clusters of servers and workstations. These clusters enable enterprise-class performance and scalability utilizing standards-based servers as building blocks.

VI Architecture standardizes the interface for high-performance network technologies known as System Area Networks (SANs). Utilizing a SAN, VI Architecture transforms a collection of independent standards-based servers into a highly scalable cluster that can meet the performance and capacity requirements of the largest and most demanding enterprise applications. Its fast server-to-server communications can enhance an application’s scalability and performance in a variety of ways – from allowing a single application to run efficiently across dozens of clustered nodes, to speeding up the exchange of data between distributed application modules running on different application servers.

The VI Architecture specification, jointly promoted by Compaq, Intel, and Microsoft,  is the result of contributions from over 100 industry organizations.