Word
partition tolerance
Definition
compound. the ability of a computer network to keep working even if some parts cannot talk to each other. It is a key part of how large websites stay online when there are technical problems.
compound. the capacity of a distributed system to continue operating despite the loss or delay of messages between nodes. It is one of the three components of the CAP theorem, which states that a system can only provide two out of three guarantees: consistency, availability, and partition tolerance.
Examples
“Modern cloud databases must have partition tolerance to stay online.”
“Because the system has high partition tolerance, users in Europe could still access the site even when the connection to the American servers failed.”
“Engineers often prioritise partition tolerance in distributed architectures to ensure that a network failure does not result in a complete system outage, even if it means temporary data inconsistency.”
Examples
simple
“Modern cloud databases must have partition tolerance to stay online.”
contextual
“Because the system has high partition tolerance, users in Europe could still access the site even when the connection to the American servers failed.”
complex
“Engineers often prioritise partition tolerance in distributed architectures to ensure that a network failure does not result in a complete system outage, even if it means temporary data inconsistency.”
Usage
Commonly used in the context of the CAP theorem in computer science.
Etymology
A compound of partition, from the Latin partitionem meaning a division, and tolerance, derived from the Latin tolerantia. The term gained prominence following the 1998 proposal of the CAP theorem by Eric Brewer.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/partition-tolerance