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Everything about Failover

Automatic switching from failed computer system to standby computers

Failover is switching to a redundant or standby computer server, system, hardware component or network upon the failure or abnormal termination of the previously active application, server, system, hardware component, or network in a computer network. Failover and switchover are essentially the same operation, except that failover is automatic and usually operates without warning, while switchover requires human intervention. Wikipedia →

🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path

  1. Read the overview: FailoverA 5-minute orientation
  2. Skim a recent paper: Implementation of auto failover on SD-WAN technology with BGP routing method on Fortigate routers at XYZ companyInfluential work since 2022
  3. Pick up a classic book: Instant Recovery with Write-Ahead LoggingThe most-reprinted book on the subject
  4. Read the landmark paper: Failover, load sharing and server architecture in SIP telephonyCited 37 times
  5. Go sideways: High-availability clusterA closely related topic
  6. Go sideways: SwitchoverA closely related topic

📖 Definitions

Noun An automatic switch to a secondary system on failure of the primary system, such as a means for ensuring high availability of some critical resource (such as a computer system), involving a parallel backup system which is kept running at all times, so that, upon detected failure of the primary system, processing can be automatically shifted over to the backup.

🗂️ The subject at a glance

  1. History
  2. Failover
  3. Failback
  4. Usage

🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)

🆕 Influential since 2022

📚 Books worth reading

Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.

🔗 Related topics