What is redundancy and failover in IT systems?

What is redundancy and failover in IT systems?

Redundancy in IT systems refers to the inclusion of extra components that are not strictly necessary for functionality, which can take over in case of a failure. Failover is the process of switching to a redundant or standby system when the primary system fails.

Why is redundancy important for system reliability?

Redundancy is crucial for system reliability because it ensures that if one component fails, another can immediately take its place, minimizing downtime and maintaining service availability.

Can you give me an example of a failover system?

Sure! A common example is a web server setup where two servers are configured in a cluster. If the primary server goes down, the secondary server automatically takes over to handle requests.

What are the different types of redundancy?

There are several types of redundancy, including hardware redundancy, where duplicate hardware components are used, and data redundancy, which involves storing copies of data in multiple locations.