A data-center operations manager is performing a business impact analysis and needs to estimate how long a critical database cluster typically remains functional before an unexpected hardware fault requires repair. The vendor specification lists an MTBF of 75,000 hours for each node. In this context, what does MTBF stand for, and what reliability information does it provide?
Minimum Time Before Failure, reflecting the shortest time a system might operate before encountering an issue
Maximum Time Before Failure, indicating the longest time a system can function before it fails
Mean Time Before Fix, representing the average time to repair a system after a failure
Mean Time Between Failures, measuring the average time operational between system breakdowns
MTBF stands for Mean Time Between Failures. It is the average operational time between one repairable failure and the next. Because it represents the expected interval of proper operation, a higher MTBF indicates a more reliable system that is likely to remain running longer before another failure occurs. MTBF calculations exclude the downtime needed for repairs and are based on historical or test data collected during normal operation.
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