What does it mean when a system has Fault Tolerance?

When a system has fault tolerance, it means that the system is designed to continue operating at a defined performance level even in the event of one or more component failures. This capability is crucial in environments where uptime and reliability are essential, such as in financial transactions or critical data processing applications.

Fault-tolerant systems often include redundancy, which involves having backup components that can take over if the primary ones fail. This ensures that, even if some parts of the system fail, the overall system can still function effectively without significant disruption. It reflects a robust design approach where reliability is prioritized, ensuring that operations can proceed smoothly despite potential issues.

While being easy to repair, being fast and efficient, or preventing interruptions are important characteristics for systems, they do not specifically define fault tolerance, which focuses on maintaining functionality in the face of failures.