Shiv,
Uwe's description even is an understatement.
In NonStop, EVERY SINGLE instruction is executed in parallel by DIFFERENT components, and compared before continuing.
And for the paranoid, DIFFERENT can be more than two. They even have special hardware that recognises, and eliminated, the bad effects of the occasional cosmic rays!
I have witnessed (not live, alas, but on video) the dismantling of a RUNNING system to less than half of the original. Then re-assemble with spare parts, and detach anything that was not previously replaced...
while the system KEPT RUNNING!
If you want to take such systems down,
A. you have to have VERY elevated authorisation ( WAY above simple ROOT ) and execute the magic incantations on a special service console, or
B. detonate enough dynamite, semtex or equivalent close enough to REALLY shatter things thoroughly.
But even then, chances are that you will only get half of capacity. Because there probably is a remote site which executes the same instruction in the same milisecond, and is capable of recognising its partner truely gone, so it will CONTINUE on its own. And take CONTINUE literally, that is, NOT failing over, NOT restarting, not even restarting the current transaction.
Only STRATUS and VMS can do remotely similar things (albeit by quite dissimilar methods).
hth.
Proost.
Have one one me.
jpe
Don't rust yours pelled jacker to fine doll missed aches.
