Foreword—liable and Fault-Tolerant Computing

THIS issue of the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON COMPUTERS continues a series of Special Issues on fault-tolerant computing that began in 1971. Since that time, concern for high reliability and fault tolerance has moved from such specialized application areas as telephone switching and spacecraft control into the general commercial computer market. Developments in VLSI technology, especially the microprocessor and microcomputer, have provided new and less costly ways to construct reliable and fault-tolerant computers and computer-based systems. At the same time, VLSI has introduced new problems in the design, evaluation, and maintenance of such systems.