What is a key difference between an active-active cluster and an active-passive cluster?

In a clustering environment, an active-active cluster allows all nodes (servers) in the cluster to actively handle workloads simultaneously, which leads to optimal resource utilization. This means that the resources of all participating servers are being used, rather than having some servers sit idle while waiting for a failover event. This configuration enhances performance, as it can load-balance the processing tasks across multiple nodes, providing better response times and greater throughput.

In contrast, an active-passive cluster typically has one active server that handles the operational load while the passive server remains on standby, ready to take over if the active server fails. This means that the hardware resources of the passive server are not being utilized during normal operations, which can lead to inefficiencies.

The focus on full resource utilization in an active-active setup is essential in environments demanding high availability and performance, making it a distinct advantage over the active-passive configuration.