THE WHATIS.COM WORD-OF-THE-DAY July 10, 2001 failover ______________ TODAY'S SPONSOR: Computer Books Direct 3 Computer Books for $1.99 each! Take 3 books for $1.99 each and get one FREE with membership to Computer Books Direct, your source for the most comprehensive books on the topics you want-at the best value! Upgrade and max out your system, build web skills, learn Linux or master Windows 2000. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;3032109;5058249;c?http://161.58.99.48/cgi-local/redirect.pl?CUPRBCLCP _____________ QUIZ #9: Wireless A hundred years ago, Morse code was a miracle. Now we live in a world filled with PDAs, where parents "beep" their kids that it's time to come home. Discover how much you know about wireless technology by taking this week's quiz! http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci752723,00.html _____________ TODAY'S WORD: failover See our definition with hyperlinks at http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci753437,00.html Failover is a backup operational mode in which the functions of a system component (such as a processor, server, network, or database, for example) are assumed by secondary system components when the primary component becomes unavailable through either failure or scheduled down time. Used to make systems more fault-tolerant, failover is typically an integral part of mission-critical systems that must be constantly available. The procedure involves automatically offloading tasks to a standby system component so that the procedure is as seamless as possible to the end user. Failover can apply to any aspect of a system: within an personal computer, for example, failover might be a mechanism to protect against a failed processor; within a network, failover can apply to any network component or system of components, such as a connection path, storage device, or Web server. Originally, stored data was connected to servers in very basic configurations: either point-to-point or cross-coupled. In such an environment, the failure (or even maintenance) of a single server frequently made data access impossible for a large number of users until the server was back online. More recent developments, such as the storage area network (SAN), make any-to-any connectivity possible among servers and data storage systems. In general, storage networks use many paths - each consisting of complete sets of all the components involved - between the server and the system. A failed path can result from the failure of any individual component of a path. Multiple connection paths, each with redundant components, are used to help ensure that the connection is still viable even if one (or more) paths fail. The capacity for automatic failover means that normal functions can be maintained despite the inevitable interruptions caused by problems with equipment. RELATED TERMS: fault-tolerant http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci214456,00.html SAN http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,289893,sid9_gci212937,00.html ___________________ SELECTED LINKS Cisco's "Failover Configuration for LocalDirector" is an example of failover information about a product. http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/cc/pd/cxsr/400/tech/locdf_wp.htm Network Computing writes about "Mission-Critical Support for NT Failover." http://www.networkcomputing.com/1103/1103f3.html Zipster's "The Fault Resilient Computer Systems Page" provides another view. http://www.zipster.com/white.htm SearchStorage.com provides links to more information about "Storage Area Networks." http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/bestWebLinks/0,289521,sid5_tax43e,00.html _______________________ TECHTARGET FEATURE TCP/IP For Windows 2000 By: Dave Houde & Tim Hoffman Whether you are new to the suite of protocols called Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), want to understand the changes from Windows NT 4.0 to Windows 2000, or need an up-to-date desk reference, this is the book for you. 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