Fault-tolerant computing: fundamental concepts

The basic concepts of fault-tolerant computing are reviewed, focusing on hardware. Failures, faults, and errors in digital systems are examined, and measures of dependability, which dictate and evaluate fault-tolerance strategies for different classes of applications, are defined. The elements of fault-tolerance strategies are identified, and various strategies are reviewed. They are: error detection, masking, and correction; error detection and correction codes; self-checking logic; module replication for error detection and masking; protocol and timing checks; fault containment; reconfiguration and repair; and system recovery.<>