Fail-stutter fault tolerance

Abstract

Traditional fault models present system designers with two extremes: the Byzantine fault model, which is general and therefore difficult to apply, and the fail-stop fault model, which is easier to employ but does not accurately capture modern device behavior. To address this gap, we introduce the concept of fail-stutter fault tolerance, a realistic and yet tractable fault model that accounts for both absolute failure and a new range of performance failures common in modern components. Systems built under the fail-stutter model will likely perform well, be highly reliable and available, and be easier to manage when deployed.