Fault (technology)
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In document ISO/CD 10303-226, a fault is defined as an abnormal condition or defect at the component, equipment, or sub-system level which may lead to a failure.
According to the Federal Standard 1037C of the United States, the term fault has the following meanings:
- An accidental condition that causes a functional unit to fail to perform its required function.
- A defect that causes a reproducible or catastrophic malfunction. A malfunction is considered reproducible if it occurs consistently under the same circumstances.
- In power systems, an unintentional short-circuit, or partial short-circuit, between energized conductors or between an energized conductor and ground. A distinction can be made between symmetric and asymmetric faults.
Failures in hardware can be caused by random faults or systematic faults, but failures in software are always systematic.
