Server Technology

The Stratus Uptime Advantage

By integrating around-the-clock monitoring services with resilient technologies, Stratus delivers the kind of uptime assurance available from no other company. 

Stratus’ approach to availability is based on a design philosophy that detects, isolates, and corrects system problems before they cause system downtime or corruption of valuable business data. In addition, the hardware contains built-in support technologies to allow Stratus technicians to monitor hundreds of critical conditions — allowing the a variety of proactive interventions to resolve potential problems before they can occur. Preventing downtime is a key design advantage of Stratus servers over conventional servers or high-availability clusters.

The result is uninterrupted uptime that has been proven to meet or exceed 99.999% — less than 30 seconds per month, on average! Your applications benefit from the design innovations of Stratus servers from the time you load them on the system; no software modification or special configuration is necessary.

Built for Uptime

The benefits begin with Stratus' unique fault-tolerant hardware design. Each system integrates fully replicated hardware components that eliminate virtually any single point of failure and safeguard data integrity. The server automatically manages its replicated components, executing all processing in lockstep.

Because replicated components perform the same instructions at the same time, there is zero interruption in processing, zero loss of performance, and zero loss of data integrity even if a component fails. This means that, unlike a high-availability cluster, the Stratus continues to function while any issue is being resolved.

The architecture uses industry-standard technology and commodity components, making the servers cost-effective to manufacture and easy to upgrade as enhanced and improved components are brought to market.

Lockstep Processing

Stratus^® systems use a standard dual-modular-redundancy (DMR) configuration that includes two CPU/memory units. If a CPU/memory unit fails or is offline for maintenance or diagnostic purposes, the system continues to operate normally with the remaining components, providing 99.999% uptime or better — on average less than five minutes of downtime annually.

System software

Our system software works in concert with lockstep technology to anticipate and prevent many software errors. Unlike typical servers or clusters, Stratus hardware and software handles such errors transparently, shielding the operating system, middleware, and application software. Even in-memory data is constantly protected and maintained.

Management and diagnostic features also capture, analyze, and notify Stratus of software issues. This allows support personnel to take a proactive approach to correcting software problems before they recur.

Architected for support

Our unique design enables built-in serviceability that other vendors simply can't match. For starters, Stratus systems constantly monitor their own operation. When a fault is detected, the server correctly isolates the condition and automatically opens a call that tells the Stratus support center exactly what action to take.

Remote support capabilities — made possible by the system's connection to our global support network — enable our service engineers to troubleshoot and resolve problems online. If necessary, the system automatically orders its own hot-swappable replacement part and ensures the correct part is delivered within 24 hours to key locations worldwide. The system continues to run without interruption using its redundant components. Users can install replacement components easily while the system continues to run.