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Four Types of Distributed Computer System Failures
This paper will discuss four common types of distributed computer system failures which are Crash failures also known as operating system failures, Hardware Failures, Omission Failures and Byzantine Failures. Included in the discussion are failures which can also occur in a centralized computer system, and how to isolate and repair two types of failures.
Crash failures are normally associated with a server fault in a typical distributed system. Inherently crash failures are interrupt operations of the server and can halt operation for a considerable time (Projects Helper, 2012).Operating system failures are the best examples for this scenario. Operating System or software failures come in many more varieties than hardware failures. Software bugs in distributed systems can be difficult to replicate and, consequently, repair and or debug. Corresponding fault tolerant systems are developed and employed with respect to these affects. An operating system or software failure can also occur in a centralized system such as a data base this is why it is highly recommended to back up a data base using stable mass storage media (Projects Helper, 2012). We have an extensive data base on our server at my work place. The storage back-up is run daily. I cannot imagine the man-hours it would take to re-input even a month’s worth of production data if it were lost due to a failure the system could not recover from.

Hardware failures can occur in both distributed and centralized systems. Hardware failures used to be more common, but with all of the recent innovations in hardware design and manufacturing they tend to be fewer and far between with most

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