The Cluster service is one of two Microsoft Windows Clustering technologies available for the Microsoft â Windows 2000 family of server products. Windows 2000-based servers running Cluster service provide failover support for back-end applications and services that require high availability and data integrity. These back-end applications include enterprise applications such as database, file server, enterprise resource planning (ERP), and messaging systems. This white paper focuses on the architecture and features of the Cluster service and describes its terminology, concepts, design goals, key components, and planned future directions.