Computer cluster
![Technicians working on a large Linux cluster at the Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany](/Images/godic/202501/05/MEGWARE.CLIC3551.jpg")
![Sun Microsystems Solaris Cluster](/Images/godic/202501/05/Sun_Microsystems_Solaris_computer_cluster3551.jpg")
![A simple, home-built Beowulf cluster.](/Images/godic/202501/05/Beowulf3551.jpg")
![A VAX 11/780, c. 1977](/Images/godic/202501/05/SPEC-1_VAX_053551.jpg")
A computer cluster consists of a set of loosely or tightly connected computers that work together so that, in many respects, they can be viewed as a single system. Unlike grid computers, computer clusters have each node set to perform the same task, controlled and scheduled by software.