Cap Theorem medium
Does a single server crash constitute a 'Network Partition' in CAP terms?
- A Yes, any localized hardware or software failure is considered a valid network partition in CAP terms.
- B No, a crash is a node failure; a partition implies the network is split between multiple healthy, functioning nodes.
- C It depends strictly on whether the crashed server was utilizing a traditional spinning disk or a modern solid-state drive.
- D Only if the crashed node was serving as the primary Leader or Coordinator for the specific data shard.
Answer: B. No, a crash is a node failure; a partition implies the network is split between multiple healthy, functioning nodes.
This is a critical distinction in distributed systems theory. A node crash (failure-stop) is a fault that reduces system capacity, but 'Partition Tolerance' (P) specifically addresses the 'Split Brain' scenario where two or more groups of healthy nodes are alive but can no longer talk to each other. CAP explores how the system handles the ambiguity of a network link failure, not simply the loss of a single server.
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