Tandem builds single-fault-tolerant computer systems. At the hardware level, the system
is designed as a loosely coupled multi-processor with fail-fast modules connected via
dual paths. It is designed for online diagnosis and maintenance. A range of CPUs may
be inter-connected via a hierarchical fault-tolerant local network. A variety of
peripherals needed for online transaction processing are attached via dual ported
controllers. A novel disc subsystem allows a choice between low cost-per-megabyte and
low cost-per-access. System software provides processes and messages as the basic
structuring mechanism. Processes provide software modularity and fault isolation.
Process pairs tolerate hardware and transient software failures. Applications are
structured as requesting processes making remote procedure calls to server processes.
Process server classes utilize multi-processors. The resulting process abstractions
provide a distributed system which can utilize thousands of processors. High-level
networking protocols such as SNA, OSI, and a proprietary network are built atop this
base. A relational database provides distributed data and distributed transactions. An
application generator allows users to develop fault-tolerant applications as though the
system were a conventional computer. The resulting system has price/performance
competitive with conventional systems.

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