How should a VA cluster be configured for production systems?

In production systems, configuring a Virtual Appliance (VA) cluster typically involves establishing multiple clusters, ensuring redundancy and load distribution. Having multiple clusters can enhance reliability and improve performance by balancing the workload across several VAs. With at least two VAs in each cluster, the system can maintain operational continuity even if one VA fails. This setup allows for failover capabilities, which are critical in production environments where uptime and availability are crucial.

In contrast, relying on a single VA to a cluster would lack redundancy, presenting a significant risk of downtime in the event of a failure. Additionally, while a configuration of at least three VAs in a cluster might offer some benefits, it is not as effective as distributing VAs across multiple clusters for scalability and fault tolerance. Setting a minimum of five VAs per cluster would unnecessarily complicate the architecture and might not provide proportional benefits concerning cost, management, and system complexity. Thus, the chosen configuration balances performance with resilience effectively in a production context.