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Failover

An operation that automatically switches to a standby database, server, or network when the primary system fails or is temporarily shut down for servicing. In server clusters, the process of taking resources off one node in a prescribed order and restoring them on another node.

Fault tolerance

The ability of a system to ensure data integrity when an unexpected hardware or software failure occurs. Many fault-tolerant computer systems mirror all operations—that is, all operations are done on two or more duplicate systems, so if one fails the other can take over.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

A method of transferring one or more files from one computer to another over a network or telephone line. Because FTP has been implemented on a variety of systems, it’s a simple way to transfer information between usually incongruent systems such as a PC and a minicomputer.

Firewall

A protective filter for messages and logons. An organization connected directly to the Internet uses a firewall to prevent unauthorized access to its network. See proxy server.

Folder redirection

An option in Group Policy to place users’ special folders, such as My Documents, on a network server.

Fully qualified domain name (FQDN)

A domain name that includes the names of all network domains leading back to the root to clearly indicate a location in the domain namespace tree. Examples of an FQDN are sbssrv.example.local or sales.europe.microsoft.com

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