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According to Laprie et al. [20],
``a system failure occurs when the delivered
service no longer
complies with the specifications, the latter being an agreed description of the
system's expected
function and/or service''. This definition applies to
both hardware and software system failures.
Faults or bugs in a hardware or a software component cause errors.
An error is defined by Laprie et al. [20]
as that part of the system which is liable to lead to subsequent failure,
and an error affecting the service is an indication that a failure occurs
or has occurred.
If the system comprises of multiple components, errors can lead to a
component failure. As various components in the system interact,
failure of one component might introduce one or more faults in another. Figure
1 shows this cyclic behavior.
Figure 1:
Fault behavior
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