The capability of hardware or software to perform as the user expects and to do so consistently throughout a specified system lifetime, without failures or erratic behavior. Reliability may be compromised by a failure (the system no longer meets its design specifications), an error (an inherent flaw in the system that produces incorrect results), a fault (erratic or erroneous behavior caused by a system state that designers failed to anticipate), or human error. Reliability and safety must be distinguished; a reliable system is still unsafe if the system’s use involves a hazard (a condition in which a mishap could occur) and no provisions are made in the event of its failure, however unlikely. Reliability should also be distinguished from availability. In Bhopal, India, chemical plant engineers disabled plant safety systems to increase the availability of processing systems; the result was a catastrophic loss of life. See error.
Technipages Explains Reliability
Reliability is the capability of hardware or software to perform as the user expects and to do so consistently throughout a specified system lifetime, without failures or erratic behavior. Reliability may be compromised by a failure (the system no longer meets its design specifications), an error (an inherent flaw in the system that produces incorrect results), a fault (erratic or erroneous behavior caused by a system state that designers failed to anticipate), or human error.
Reliability and safety must be distinguished; a reliable system is still unsafe if the system’s use involves a hazard (a condition in which a mishap could occur) and no provisions are made in the event of its failure, however unlikely. Reliability should also be distinguished from availability. See error.
For instance, IBM’s z/OS has a notoriety for unwavering quality since it developed from a long queue of prior MVS and OS/390 working framework renditions. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) supports an association committed to unwavering quality in designing, the IEEE Reliability Society (IEEE RAS). The Reliability Society advances industry-wide acknowledgment of a methodical way to deal with a plan that will guarantee solid items. With that in mind, they advance dependability in designing, upkeep and examination also. The Society supports collective exertion and data sharing among its participation, which incorporates associations and people engaged with all zones of the building, including aviation, transportation frameworks, therapeutic hardware, PCs, and interchanges.
Common Uses of Reliability
- Cloud computing has evolved over the years by addressing the quality of service and reliability problems.
- Apple Inc. is known to have operating systems that have reliability.
- Mac OS X aimed to combine the reliability and security of UNIX with easy use by an overhauled user interface.
Common Misuses of Reliability
- Reliability is not different from serviceability and accessibility.