On issues in fault-tolerant computer design

Abstract Fault-tolerant computer systems tend to be unique creations based on practical experience. Any new designer will probably be baffled by the diversity of the concepts and designs which can be found in literature and/or in practice since criteria for selecting an approach have not been clearly established. In this paper we have examined some general concepts of fault-tolerant computing to identify common characteristics in an attempt to define the valid domains of these concepts. Emphasis is on the proper identification and careful study of system objectives which can help the designers in selecting the appropriate redundancy structures and thus to achieve less diverse designs.